IDEC YOKOHAMAOCTANORM JAPANWorld-class company in exhibition system components
aiming for nationwide expansion with “Made in TSUZUKI”
OCTANORM JAPAN is the Japanese subsidiary of OCTANORM-Vertriebs-GmbH, a company based in theBaden-Württemberg region of Germany, specializing in the sale of exhibition system components. The
aluminum frame OCTANORM developed for booth construction is characterized by its capability to create
versatile wall surfaces, display counters, showcases, and more by combining panels and other elements.
Furthermore, due to its ease of assembly and disassembly, coupled with excellent durability, OCTANORM
boasts a significant market share in the international exhibition system components market. OCTANORM
JAPAN, established as a distributor in Japan in 1996, relocated its headquarters to Midori Ward, Yokohama
from Okinawa in 2014. Subsequently, due to business expansion and the need for a larger space,
OCTANORM JAPAN moved to Tsuzuki Ward in 2018, where it remains to this day.

Speaker: Kennosuke Seto

■ The de facto standard in western markets
Parent company OCTANORM-Vertriebs-GmbH is the sales company
for OCTANORM, construction components for exhibitions establishedin Germany in 1969. “OCTA” stands for octagon, and “NORM”
represents rules or rationality. True to its name, OCTANORM is asystem incorporating aluminum poles with a distinctive octagonal crosssection to which aluminum beams are attached, allowing for flexible
creation of walls and decorations in the spaces formed by the poles andbeams.
By using a dedicated tool called a rachet, booths can be easily andquickly assembled and disassembled. As a result, OCTANORM has
become the de facto standard in the global market for exhibition systemcomponents in Europe and North America. OCTANORM-VertriebsGmbH presently has partner bases in 43 countries worldwide.
In 1996, OCTANORM JAPAN was established as a limited liability
company to undertake the role of Japanese distributor for OCTANORM.
In Japan, a temporary wooden structure type constituted the mainstream
in exhibition booths, but this system was not reusable or sustainable.
OCTANORM’s aluminum system with its durable and reusable
components quickly gained popularity in the Japanese exhibitionindustry. However, being a product with long-term durability, such as 10or 20 years, limited orders from repeat customers have caused sales tostagnant.

Special construction components for exhibitions
developed by OCTANORM JAPAN■ Based in the stylish city of Yokohama, home tolarge international exhibition venues
In 2014, when I took over the position of president from mypredecessor, I observed passive sales efforts causing sales to decline
in Okinawa. Therefore, I decided to transform the business into acorporation and simultaneously relocated the headquarters to MidoriWard, Yokohama.
The reason we established our base here in Yokohama was because ofits convenient access to prominent venues such as Tokyo Big Sight andMakuhari Messe. Additionally, Yokohama has the impressive exhibition
facility Pacifico Yokohama. Furthermore, we believed being designatedas a “stylish city” made it the perfect place for implementing our new
branding strategy. As for sales, we have begun earnestly cultivating
users outside the event industry.
These challenges turned out to be successful in the end. Compared totemporary wooden structures that generate waste during dismantling,
OCTANORM is environmentally friendly. As a result of widespreadrecognition for its lower total cost, considering the product’s lifespan
despite its higher initial costs, our base in Midori Ward quickly became
too small. In 2017, we relocated to the current base in Tsuzuki Wardseeking a larger space.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic, while not a blessing indisguise, has led to a sudden expansion of new applications beyond theevent industry, including partitions for hospitals, PCR testing sites, andIDEC YOKOHAMA
vaccine administration venues as well as dividers for rental warehouses
and offices. Currently, approximately 20% of our revenue comes frompartition-related applications other than events.

■ Expanding business through full utilization ofregional networks
Against this backdrop, in 2018, our company joined themanufacturing promotion project “Made in TSUZUKI” in Tsuzuki
Ward. We have been actively promoting the appealing points of
OCTANORM through activities such as participating in the TechnicalShow Yokohama exhibition. At the same time, this network withcompanies in different industries, such as glass and steel processing,
within the same ward is becoming a significant strength.
Even though it might be inexpensive to rely on companies outside
the ward in terms of overall cost, we experience benefits such as fasterdelivery times and reduced transportation costs. In the future, weaim to strengthen collaboration with companies within the ward andneighboring areas, striving for business expansion.
（Interview date: October 2023）

＜Company’s Profile>

Address：378 Saedocho, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama

OCTANORM JAPAN Ltd.

Established：July 1996

Representative：Kennosuke Seto

Business outline：Import and sale of exhibition system components and materials
URL: https：//www.octanorm.co.jp/