Monozukuri gives Japan’s niche players a competitive edge
While Japan has faced increasingly
larger competition from the likes
of China, South Korea and Southeast Asia in recent decades, many
Japanese SME manufacturers havemaintained large global market
shares in B2B markets and nicheﬁelds characteri ed by high-mix,
low-volume production. Working
behind the scenes by supplying
high-quality parts, materials andmachinery, these niche companies
are the so-called ‘hidden champions’ of Japanese manufacturing.
They have and will continue to excel thanks to a strict adherence
to the tenets of mono ukuri, theJapanese manufacturing philosophy
that centers around craftsmanship,
excellence and the constant pursuitof innovation. From those engaged
in automotives and electronics, tomaterials science, plastics, printing
and textiles, these hidden champions have placed themselves at theforefront of global challenges suchas sustainability and climate change.
“Japanese mono ukuri brought
about highly reliable and durable
products. Japanese companies’
success is also because of Japan’s
educational system and cultural
standards,” says Toshihiro Takai,
President of Asano Laboratories,
a leading manufacturer of thermoforming machinery that has
made major headways in sustainability in the plastics industry. “Themanufacturing industry in Japanis of such high quality because thepeople are very diligent and serious
when it comes to manufacturing
good-quality products. This is why
Japanese companies are able tomaintain competitiveness despitea harsh global market. JapaneseSMEs excel in high technology,
which allows them to maintain ahigh global market share.”
Yoshinori Takahashi, Presidentof New Cosmos Electric, agrees:“Japan has continued to successfully compete in a very competitivemarket by focusing on developing innovative products and consistently
offering exceptional quality.” New
Cosmos’ innovation has focused on
alarm systems, with the company
being the ﬁrst to develop a longlife battery powered natural gas
alarm using its proprietary MEMS
gas sensor technology. “Senet andother communications providers
like Itron have partnered with New
Cosmos because our low power

consumption MEMS sensor offersa seven-year battery life (soon to
be 10 years) and enough power toprovide data to utilities via various
wireless communication networks.”
When it comes to high technology
and innovation, perhaps the sewing
industry would not be the ﬁrst thatsprings to mind. Matsuya R&D, however, has pioneered automation and
AI in the industry, with its high-techmachinery used to develop textile
products such as airbags and medical devices, where safety is of theutmost importance. “Quality andperformance are essential. This is
why Japanese mono ukuri is being
used in the car and medical industries, where a simple mistake cancost a human life,” explains Matsuya
president and CEO, Hidetaka Goto.
“Using all our sewing technologies,
we produce sewn products such as
blood pressure manometer cuffs,
car seat covers, airbags and seatbelts. We are proud to be the only
company promoting productionlines with fully automated sewing
machines with AI technologies.”
As highlighted above by Asano
president Mr. Takai, culture and education are major factors behind Japan’s manufacturing superiority; but
so too is passion. “This passion for
manufacturing that drives innovation in unexpected ﬁelds is a special
feature of Japanese mono ukuri,”states Atsushi Nagai, President ofSintokogio, a 95-year-old company
engaged in several areas including
surface treatment, powder treatment and foundry solutions. “Ourpassion for manufacturing has been
the driving force for our businesssince the beginning. The technologies we have developed over our
history are now being used in completely different ﬁelds as technologies for the future. For example, aJapanese government consortiumof major battery-related companies uses our casting technologies
and machines for processes in battery production. For our surface
treatment technology, we not only
contribute to lighter-weight automobiles, but also to the productionof solar panels and semiconductors.
In addition, our powder and handling technologies are used in thedevelopment of smartphone parts.”
Another key tenet of mono ukuri
focuses around listening, understanding and addressing customer needs,
and Japanese companies like printingpress manufacturer Sakurai Graphic
Systems work closely with customers in order to drive innovation. “In
my opinion, mono ukuri is about
meeting the needs of the customer,” says company president Ryuta
Sakurai. “The most important thingis the customer’s requirements rather
than the technology and the market
requirements. We are not only close
to our customers, but they are also
close to us, and we create together.
This is for the beneﬁt of both ourcompany and our customers.”
This co-creation process has
enabled Sakurai to offer solutions
tailor-made to client speciﬁcations,with its printing press machinery
employed in a range of industries
where the strictest standards are
required. “We are looking at medical, security, automobile, electrical,
wearable, or IoT sensor devices.
Also, we are looking at biosensors, asensor that determines and monitors
blood sugar levels. We are focusing
on the ﬁeld of printed electronics,
where conductive inks are applied.
I believe that clients’ requirements
are becoming stricter and require
higher accuracy,” says Mr. Sakurai,
while pointing out that “Sakurai’scylinder-type automatic screenprinting machines, which we havecultivated for some 60 years, havea global market share of over 90%”.
Shigeharu Yamanaka, Presidentof Okitsumo Inc., also sees working closely with the customer, inorder to meet and even exceed
expectations, as indispensable tomono ukuri manufacturing. “We
prefer to directly communicate withour customers for better productdevelopment. Our company has
continued to develop a multitudeof products by challenging the customers’ ideas of their wants andwishes all the time. This attitude
supports our mono ukuri and differentiates us from our competitors,” he reveals. Speciali ing inheat-resistant, heat-insulating andlubricant coatings, plus a range ofother coating technologies, Okitsumo’s acute understanding of market
needs has seen the company develop
carbon-cutting solutions for a range
of applications, with Mr. Yamanaka’s
eye ﬁrmly on the growing electricvehicle (EV) market.
Indeed many Japanese manufacturers are gearing up for theshift towards EV and hybrid vehicles. “There will be higher de-

Yoshinori Takahashi,
President,
New Cosmos Electric Co., Ltd.
mand for materials with higher
heat resistance, especially for EV
and hybrid applications. We haveprocured these special materials
and developed our processing andstamping technologies to process
them,” explains Masamitsu ehara, President of Techno State, arenowned manufacturer of highprecision metal sealings for powertrains, engine and transmission
assemblies. “Our capability in metal
stamping and related mold and die
technologies requires very high precision. These material processing
technologies are what differentiates us from other manufacturers.”
Tokuhatsu, meanwhile, continues to drive innovation to improvethe efﬁciency of various types ofvehicles, including EVs. “We wantto make sure that more customers are aware of our technology
and how it can be used in EVs,”
says company president Hitoshi
Kotagiri. “In this sense, the technology we most want our customers
to know about is the Ultra-Fine
Texture Plate. Tokuhatsu has seen
demand for its products combining
ultra-ﬁne texture technology andhigh-precision stamping double in
ﬁve years. “The ultra-ﬁne texture
has excellent friction behavior andhelps improve fuel consumption,”adds Mr. Kotagiri. “Improving efﬁciency is an essential issue for EVs
as well, so we believe our products
can be used in units related to thiskind of production.”
A main supplier to Toyota, Futaba
Industrial is the top company for
exhaust systems in Japan. ut withthe shift to EV and hybrids, it has
shifted more focus towards bodyparts, while also “investing funds
and resources into developing new
exhaust systems more suitable forthe diversiﬁed power sources forpure internal combustion engine,hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars,” explains president, Hiroyoshi Yoshiki.
Futaba has 30 production bases inNorth America, Europe and Asia,and has established a system to supply auto parts to major automakers
in Japan and overseas. “The Futaba
Group intends to maintain its position as a trusted and successful supplier,” says Mr. Yoshiki. “Accordingly,
we continue to enforce the basics ofsafety, quality and monozukuri topursue optimization globally.”
Going global has become evermore important for Japanese companies facing a dwindling domestic
market and contracting labor force
due to the nation’s aging population– be it in search of new customers or
production bases. “A declining population inevitably means a shrinking
market, so we must grow together,including overseas. We would like topreserve and develop the essenceof monozukuri in Japan while fusing it with overseas cultures,” says
Kazumasa Iida, President of springmaker Hayamizu Hatsujou. Anotheranswer to the labor pool shortage
is automation. “No matter what
industry, digital processes and automation in factories are increasing
and we are adapting to the changes

in all our Japanese and international
manufacturing sites,” Mr. Iida adds.
Dhowa Technos, a leading providerof solutions for the Japanese manufacturing industry for more than 70
years, is supporting many Nippon
companies with the shift towards
automation and DX. “There are manysocial problems, but right now there
are not that many young people whowish to work in the factories in Japan;
this is a fact,” says president Hirokazu
Ono. “For that reason, automation will
improve the efﬁciency of productionamid the lack of manpower. On theother hand, there is a need to employ people with speciﬁc knowledge
who work behind the scenes to makesure the machines work accurately.
From that point of view, IT and DX
specialists are needed rather thanfactory workers. That is the only way
to transform the operation of many
companies in Japan.”As one of many Japanese players
reorienting towards the overseas
market, Yokoyama Kogyo established a base in Thailand, which,according to president Eisuke Yokoyama, has given the company “achance to rethink our monozukuri”.
“Our monozukuri continues to
produce essential building mate-rials and automotive parts, andalthough they may appear to bedisparate businesses, our monozukuri is connected through metals
and processing methods,” he explains. “Our global experience inThailand has given us a perspective
on how to build many strengths insmaller details yet at a wider range.
And I feel that Yokoyama Kogyo’s
ability to consider global market
options when commercializing its
new strengths has become a newstarting point for our monozukuri.”Specializing in the area of functional chemicals, rubber products
and molded products for a range
of industries – including automotive, construction, semiconductors, pharmaceutical and medical
devices – Kohyei Trading’s global
expansion is focused on India,
where it is constructing a new factory. “Currently, our biggest focus
is the Indian market, where we arefocusing on selling our products tolocal companies and not Japaneseafﬁliated companies,” says president Yoshihiko Tsuchihashi. “Oursales in India will be about $23
million this ﬁscal year and 0 million the next ﬁscal year. Japanesecompanies in India experience a

difﬁcult phase because the Indian
market is very cost-sensitive andalso there are many competitors.
However, we have an excellent
local partner, and we are actively
investing to increase sales.”For Japanese companies expanding to India, China, Southeast Asiaand beyond, leveraging monozukuri
as a competitive edge proves essential. Yoshihiro Watanabe, President
and CEO of Toyo Seiko – a leader
in peening surface treatment technologies for the automotive andaerospace fields – stresses thatmonozukuri gives Japanese companies a unique ability “to see thingsfrom the customer’s perspective”.
“Thinking about customers
is the number one rule that describes Japanese monozukuri andthat is what gives rise to our corporate philosophy in many ways,
as well as the philosophies ofmany other Japanese companies.
Japanese companies think about
long-term perspectives and about
what else the customers mightwant and what else might beneeded in the industry. That iswhat results in the best quality
and service levels possible; andhow we win customers’ trust.”

FUTABA: Driving innovation in automotive body parts
Since 1945, Futaba Industrial has pushed Japan’s automotive industry forward with its high-quality body frameparts and exhaust systems.

“We have pursued
global optimization
based on the basics
of safety, quality andmonozukuri.”Hiroyoshi Yoshiki,President,
Futaba Industrial Co., Ltd.
Automobiles are the true embodiment of a product being morethan the sum of its parts, but
the quality of these components
is what allows this to happen.
Through its high-performance

body frame partsand exhaust systems,
Futaba Industrial
helps Japanese automotive giants suchas Toyota and Suzuki
ensure quality in theirvehicles.
Founded in 1945
by four engineers
determined to dedicate themselves to the principles of monozukuri , Futaba
is a valued supplier to Japan’s
automobile goliaths, utilizing
its strong supply network andvalue-adding parts to help
drive the industry forward.
The trust Futaba has developed with its customers has allowed it to expand across theglobe, with 27 plants acrossNorth America, Europe andAsia. With this global presence,
Futaba is able to keep its ﬁnger
on the automotive pulse, working closely with clients to de-Automotive parts
velop products such as ultra-hightensile cold press parts which
require much less energy thanparts made from aluminum or
hot-pressed steel.

Exhaust system
The company is prepared forboth the near and distant futureof the automotive industry, as
president Hiroyoshi Yoshiki explains: “Now we are trying toutilize modular exhaust systems
for ICE (internal combustion en-gine), hybrid and plug-in hybrid
vehicles. We form combinations
depending on the type of car,which gives us more ﬂexibility
in manufacturing and lowers
capital investment.”
The company’s step into theelectric vehicle (EV) market has
been made alongside automotive
manufacturers. Futaba plans totransform this change into opportunity by extending its valueadding domains beyond exhaustsystem parts, which have been its
traditional area, into additionalﬁelds including body parts.
Through this combination ofstrong links with automotive
manufacturers and innovative
solutions, Futaba has ensured
that no matter how technologies
change, its business will always
have a place on the road.

www.futabasangyo.com/enOkitsumo’s cutting-edge coating can cut
CO2 emissions by 20%

A company whose devotion to monozukuri is aligned with a commitment to caring for the environment,
Okitsumo has been developing world-class coating technologies for nearly 80 years.

“Monozukuri is ourphilosophy and thefoundation of our business.
And for us, ‘monozukuri’is synonymous with‘challenge’.”
Shigeharu Yamanaka,
President, Okitsumo Inc.
Okitsumo specializes in heat-resistant, heat-insulating and lubricant
coatings, plus a range of other coating technologies, such as non-stick

Heat insulation coating
and anti-corrosion agents. Founded
in 1945, the company supplies clients in several sectors.
“Half of our annual turnover isfrom the automobile industry, including motorcycles,” Okitsumo’spresident, Shigeharu Yamanaka,
says. “The other half is divided into
electronics, kitchenware and others.”
Okitsumo’s products are created following the principle ofmonozukuri – the spirit of perfection and innovation central
to Japanese manufacturing.
“Monozukuri is our philosophy
and the foundation of our business,” Mr. Yamanaka says. “Andfor us, ‘monozukuri’ is synonymous with ‘challenge’.”Also key at Okitsumo is a commitment to a greener future. For
example, the firm’s revolutionary
heat-insulating coating, HIP AERO,
signiﬁcantly cuts carbon emissions.
“In some cases, its use in furnaces inthe steel and non-ferrous manufacturing industries has reduced CO2 byabout 20%,” Mr. Yamanaka explains.

Dry-ﬁlm lubricant coating
In addition, Okitsumo developed a photocatalytic coatingthat harnesses light energy to
break down pollutants on surfaces and in the surrounding air.

PTFE nonstick coating, “Polygo”
A company with a growing
global presence, Okitsumo now has
overseas ofﬁces in ra il, China, India, Spain and Thailand – and aims
to widen its production network,
too. “We have our own production
facilities in China and Thailand,
and would like to expand to Latin
America, West Asia, Europe andAfrica,” Mr. Yamanaka says.

www.okitsumo.co.jp

Toyo Seiko making waves with
next-generation surface treatments
Since its establishment in 1975, Toyo Seiko has developed into a global leader inpeening surface treat ent technologies for the auto oti e and aerospace ﬁelds
We often think of innovation asproviding a smooth transition into
the future, with new devices andprocesses being integrated seamlessly into organizations and society as a whole. However, in reality
it takes impressive and consistent
results for new processes to reallytake hold in a market, and Japanese
shot-peening company Toyo Seikois a good example of this.
Shot peening is a surface treatment for enhancing metals andcomposites, and Toyo Seiko has

Coverage Checker

built its reputation by developing industry-leading high durability shot for its customers. This
forward-thinking process actually
led to an initial drop in exports for
Toyo Seiko as its durability means
customers don’t need to repeat
their orders as often.
However, company president
Yoshihiro Watanabe understands
that by providing high-quality surface enhancement technologies,
Toyo Seiko can gain its customers’ trust while increasing market

PPP

share. “Understanding what ourcustomers want is the departure
point for everything we produce,”states Dr. Watanabe.
Peening is widely used in theautomotive industry and has applications in a broad range ofsectors, including aviation, nuclear power and infrastructure.
Indeed, Toyo Seiko has expanded
internationally with production
plants in Thailand and the UnitedStates, where it aims to develop its presence by focusing on
customer satisfaction with JIT(just-in-time) delivery.
The company also developed
a one-of-a-kind portable pneumatic needle-peening device
called PPP. The device offers
innovative “shotless peening”,
especially useful for bridges, andthe results can be checked by Toyo
Seiko’s Coverage Checker device,
meaning customers do not have to“The mission of Toyo
Seiko is to popularize
the shot peening process
for a wide range ofindustrial ﬁelds.”
Yoshihiro Watanabe,
President & CEO,TOYO SEIKO CO., LTD.
rely on visual inspections to ensure
the desired outcome.
Toyo Seiko’s mission is to challenge the market with its originality, converting doubters into fansof peening through the qualityand durability of its processes as
it expands across the globe.

https://toyoseiko.co.jp

SINTOKOGIO: Total foundry and high-techsolutions from a global and proud workforce
Using its existing technologies as a foundation for those of tomorrow, Sintokogio has created a comprehensive
support system, one that ensures the safe and stable operation of its customers’ equipment around the world.
Ever since the company was
founded in 1934, Sintokogio’s
corporate philosophy has been
“giving form and life to process materials.” This, explainscompany president Atsushi
Nagai, has been the guiding
principle for what is the only
company that has managed toautomate the entire castingprocess, providing total solutions for foundries.
Of course, the business has
had to evolve with the times,
but a passion for manufacturing
has driven innovation in unexpected fields, as shown with
Sinto Smart Foundry™, which
offers several solutions throughthe digitalization and connection of equipment.
“We use these connections
to create smart factories that
focus on quality control, a safe
environment and the constantavailability of machines,” Mr.
Nagai says. “Focus has shifted toinclude the use of software withquality control with the customers’ final product in mind.”
While the business started
with foundries, it has expanded
to surface treatment and metalworking areas relating to engines, shipbuilding, steelwork,
die casting, windmills, machine
tools and robots.
“With these businesses basedon our original foundry customer base, we continue to provide
productivity and environmental
solutions that apply across industries,” the president states.
“Our electric cylinders, for example, are not only compact
and precise, they also contribute to increased workability
and the overall reduction of CO2
emissions on the site. We continue to provide products that
respond to customers’ needs aswell as the global movement forsustainability.”That balance between technological advancement andenvironmental impact of theiractivities is shown in the surface treatment technologies
used in the electric vehicle

Solutions for automation and carbon neutrality“Through the uniqueblend of hardware
and software, ourbusinesses unify society
and the environment,
supporting the way
people live and work.”
Atsushi Nagai,
President, Sintokogio, Ltd.
(EV) industry, contributing tolighter parts.
“Along with motor-relatedparts, our technologies are also
used for next-generation batteries for EVs,” Mr. Nagai explains.
“Strengthening the stacking ofbattery powder for better adhesion increases power and we
provide processes for production
to top-ranking dry-cell battery
companies. In particular, Sinto
is the only company in the worldthat can perform all these processes for all-resin batteries.”
With an aging populationin Japan, the Sinto Group’s
president sees an opportunity
in contributing not only to thechanging workforce but also to
the way business is done, both
domestically and globally.
“One product that supports theshifting workforce and alleviates
labor shortages is our force sensor for automation, which allows
robots to recreate the nuanced
movements of skilled workers,”
he says. “Major manufacturers
like Fanuc, Yaskawa, Denso, Kawasaki and Nachi, among others,
have approved our product astheir ofﬁcial accessory.

Processes for battery production in the EV era“Now, through the partnerships and friendships that wehave cultivated over the last
50 years, we will bring ourforce sensors and other products and services to the global
market, responding not only tothe demographic shift in Japanbut also to changing industries
around the world.”
The creation of those international partnerships are key tothe future of the company, andwith 40% of the 4,000-strong
workforce outside Japan, this isalready well underway.
“There are two types ofpartners we are looking for,”reveals Mr. Nagai. “Technical,
to help us bring new ideas tolife; and sales/marketing, toassist us in areas where welack expertise. In Europe, theU.S. and Japan, our focus ison finding good partners indigital technology that we can
combine with our technicalstrengths to provide the bestsolutions for customers.

“At the same time, we see
production shifting to growing areas such as China andIndia, and we are adapting ouroriginal technologies to meet
local needs. Markets around theworld are greatly changing, so
we need to shift the productmix to meet those requirementswith our key technologies, developing partnerships and promoting co-creation with local
companies that allows us toreach even more customers.”
As the company edges closer
to a century of business, Mr.
Nagai has a powerfully inclusive
objective in mind: “Our goal isfor Sinto to be a career-building,life-enriching company, and I
want everyone to say, ‘My life
was great because I worked
for Sinto.’”www.sinto.com

Yamaguchi Seiki: The kaizen kings of automotive
plastic injection mold manufacturing
With over 50 years of expertise, Yamaguchi Seiki Kogyo has long been serving Japan’s automotive sector, manufacturinghigh-quality molds through innovative methods and machinery.

“Our business philosophy
revolves around kaizen,
creativity, and humanresource development
to enable a sophisticatedproduction systemthat satisﬁes ourcustomer needs.”
Taichi Yamaguchi, President,
Yamaguchi Seiki Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Since its foundation in 1968, Yamaguchi Seiki Kogyo has been aleading supplier of plastic injec-

Thanks to its mold manufacturing for the bumper fasciaof the third-generation Toyota
Century, one the most popularchauffeur-driven cars in Japan,
Yamaguchi Seiki has earned areputation as a top-level company engaged in innovative
mold design engineering, CNC
machining and mold making.
tion molds, focusing on the manufacture of motor vehicle parts andaccessories for Japan’s automotive industry.
“Bumper molds for the exterior are our core products,” says
Taichi Yamaguchi, President of
Yamaguchi Seiki Kogyo. “In orderto ensure quality, we make eachmold up to its conclusion. We havea system in which each process iscompleted meticulously, and wecall this ‘self-completion’.”
Renowned in the industry for
its meticulousness about thedesign and production of its
products, the company’s molds
are created using machinery, but
ﬁnished by hand to achieve a superiorly smooth curved surface.

“As a mold manufacturer, monozukuri is about providing molds thatsatisfy and cater to our customers’
needs. To achieve this, continuous
improvement based on the kaizen
philosophy is crucial. We have had

weekly kaizen meetings for the past
15 years to improve our competitiveness,” explains Mr. Yamaguchi.

“Our strength is in acting withcustomer satisfaction foremost inmind and meeting their quality requirements. We will never say that
we cannot do something for them,but rather we will think positively
about how we can do it and takeit as a challenge.”
www.y-s.co.jp/en

Springing into international markets
For over 60 years, Hayamizu has been making high-quality springs for a number of vital domestic
and industrial uses. Now the company is focused on expanding its international presence.

Engine starter recoil spring

Constant force spring

Cord reelWhilst Hayamizu started out in
1953 making spiral springs forclocks – before going on to manufacture spring parts for various
household items – nowadays, thecompany makes spring components for many different products
in several industries.
“We are proud to say that weare the go-to company for spiral
springs and constant force springs
in Japan,” says company president
Kazumasa Iida. “We strongly believethat the spring has potential uses
in a variety of industries. We arealways ready to meet the needs ofthese different clients and sectors,
and have the expertise to respond to
customers’ high technical demands.”

As proof of the company’s tech- ering high quality and low pricenical capabilities and ﬂexible and springs, serving a whole range of
responsive processes, Hayamizu products and industries.
“Somewhere in your life as a conboasts a record in meeting strict
quality requirements for seat sumer, it’s likely that we support you
belts, an industry in which it holds through our spring components inthe top market share in Japan for products and machines,” says Mr.
spiral spring parts. With bases Iida. “Based on our advanced techin China, Indonesia and Mexico, nical expertise and experience as a
global company,
the business is
we support the
now aiming tolives and safety
further expandof people around
its presence
the world – fromove r s e a s i n
automobiles andorder to meetindustrial equipa wide variety
ment to medicalof internationdevices and doal demands
mestic products.”
through delivSeatbelt“We possess creativity,
imagination and passion
for manufacturing, andwill invent brand new
items with our unique
technology.”
Kazumasa Iida, President,
Hayamizu Hatsujou Co., Ltd.

www.hayamizu-hatsujo.co.jp/english
HS POWER SPRING MEXICO,S.A. de C.V.

www.hsps.com.mx

PT.INDONESIA POWER SPRING

www.powerspring.co.id

ZHUHAI POWER SPRING INC.

www.powerspring.cn/index.php?l=en-us

A strong monozukuri ethos brings
Ultra-Fine Texture Plates to the world
okuhatsu, an
Spring roup afﬁliate, holds a do inant arket share for springashers in the Japanese auto oti e sector o e er, its ne t target lies a road
You may not yet have heard of
Tokuhatsu, but the company, led
by its president Hitoshi Kotagiri
is quickly making a name for itself as a niche leader in the spring
washers arena, especially in theautomotive industry where it has
around 80% domestic market
share. But with competition rife,
Tokuhatsu has had to adapt tostay ahead of companies that
imitate Japanese manufacturing.
“One answer to this challenge
was the development of the UltraFine Texture Plate, which can, forexample, improve efﬁciencies forvarious types of vehicles, including EVs,” says Mr. Kotagiri about
the hugely signiﬁcant strategic
investment. “Another was theconstruction of the Sanda plant.”“Tokuhatsu has always excelled atdelicate manufacturing,” he continues. “Every single washer is made to

Ultra-Fine Texture reduces friction
respect not only Japanese Industrial
Standards, but even stricter criteria
to make it easier to use in our customers’ assembly lines.”
With those standards and expertise in place, the company
now looks to future expansion.
“There is room to explore new
possibilities in our Chinese subsidiary,” Mr. Kotagiri says, with acaveat that there are geopoliticalrisks. “As for other overseas markets, we need to think about thisSpring washers and Tokuhatsu’s
products
as we move towards our 100-yeartarget of reaching JPY 25 billion
in revenues by 2038.”
Making this goal a reality,
while fulfilling the company’ssocial and environmental responsibilities, will of course comedown to the people that makeTokuhatsu what it is today, something Mr. Kotagiri is clear about.
“I want this to be a company
whose employees are proud to“We want to sell
Ultra-Fine Texture
Plates to the world.”
Hitoshi Kotagiri,
President,
Tokuhatsu Co., Ltd.
work here, where they are nurtured to face the challenges
ahead.”

tokuhatsu.co.jp/en

Techno State: Precision parts manufacturing
for an ever-evolving futures a core ele ent of the industry’s supply chain, echno State has focused on
ono ukuri to strea line processes and ensure that custo er needs are et“Material processing
technologies are what
differentiate us from othermanufacturers. We’ve
accumulated a lot ofknow-how in 100 years.“
asa itsu ehara, President,
Techno State Co., Ltd.
Techno State’s iconic products areretention nuts and sealing caps,
demand for which is still expanding
even to this day, some six decades
after the company obtained a manufacturing method patent in 1960.
“We are a specialized manufacturerof metal sealing and fastener parts

Bracket parts (complex shape)and our competitive advantage lies
in our unique manufacturing technology and the special materials
we use,” says company president
Masamitsu Uehara.
Techno State has collected production information and technicaldata globally for 100 years, and manages this data by creating a databaseat its DX Information Center. “At our
Advanced Technology Center, we
promote the development of newmaterials and propose high-spec

technologies and parts tovestment and labor share,
our customers in order
the Japanese government
to respond to the energy
must change Japan’s untransformation of powfair business practices.”
ertrains,” adds Mr. Uehara.
“By building an indusAs the company
trial circulation strucpresident highlights, “theture between large
automobile industry
companies and SMEs,
is amidst a once-in-a- Reliable craftsmanship Japan’s industrial basecentury transformation period” and can be strengthened and domes“energy and material innovation is tic production of daily necessitieskey” for the future. In addition, he em- can be started immediately inphasizes that “in order for Japanese case of emergency,” he adds.
With development in autoSMEs to improve productivity inmobile and 5G/6G technologies,
evolution into a proposal-based
solution business model can takeTechno State forward. As Mr. Uehara concludes: “Our goal is tobe a pioneering manufacturing
company for the next 100 years.”
Best-selling parts

www.techno-state.co.jp

Developing the next generation of machine
tools for the needs of a changing world
Kira Corporation’s knowledge, skills and capabilities have grown during its 80 yearsof history, with the company designing and building complete manufacturing systems
using their CNC production centers.

“We feel that our global
partners are waiting fortechnological innovation,and our technology willcontribute to the growthof our customers.”
Yoshihiko Otake,President,
KIRA CORPORATION

A company known for its devotion to the Japanese concept ofmonozukuri , Kira Corporation
was established in 1944 and has
been a leading light in the machining centers industry sincethe 1980s, having sold products
to clients in more than 40 countries around the world.
But as global society changes,
Kira Corporation must changewith it. With 90% of the company’s clients coming from therapidly shifting automotive industry, adaptation will be key.
Far from being problematic,
however, company president
Yoshihiko Otake views the industry’s transformation as amajor opportunity: “Kira will be
one of the answers when theshift to EVs (electric vehicles)
progresses and parts and manu-

To that end, thefacturing methods
development of anchange drastically.”electrostatic chuck
Prov i d i n g a d processing machinevanced productionused in wafer manusystems to developed
facturing for thecountries globally,
semiconductor indusKira aims to expand
try would appear to
its international opaugur well. Already,erations, with sucMr. Otake states, it
cessful service-prorepresents a “new pilviding sites alreadylar of earnings.”
established in China,
The company’s fuThailand, Indonesia www.kiracorp.co.jp
ture, in short, looks
and the U.S.A.
As well as investing more re- assured. In an age of rapid techsources in the Internet of Things, nological advancement, the coma move which sets Kira apart from ing generation of employees willother machine tool manufacturers, inherit technology cultivated in
the company is also looking to the the past, enabling them to create
fragile material sector that deals new market value with uniquewith glass and ceramics, and ac- and innovative ideas – a developcording to Mr. Otake, is “particularly ment that, according to Mr. Otake,targeting the semiconductor ﬁeld.” “is easy to imagine.”

Asano Laboratories: Propelling plastic forwards
Through its industry-leading thermoforming machines and innovative techniques, Asano Laboratories is driving
the plastics industry into the neorld of sustaina ility and inno ation hile fulﬁlling its custo ers’ needs

FLC GS model
Pioneers push society forwards,
but also assume responsibility ofchanging the course of when needed.
Japanese thermoforming machine
manufacturer Asano Laboratories
is a prime example, a world leader
in its ﬁeld that understands the needto revolutionize the plastics industry.
Since its founding in 1954, thecompany has been designing, manufacturing and selling high-performance thermoforming machines,
with an emphasis on new techniques and designs. Its products
include a large-scale high-speedpressure and vacuum thermoforming system equipped with a camera
and automatic packaging machine
to detect defects on products; apressure and vacuum thermoform-“We can contribute tosociety by understanding
the demands of themarket, developing
necessary products, andsatisfying customers.”
Toshihiro Takai, President,
Asano Laboratories Co., Ltd.

TFH-1211UD-EX
PLS
GS modeling machine (FLC); and a continuous
trimming machine (PLS).
In line with its plastic recycling
strategy, Asano Laboratories
focuses on stretched PET (polyethylene terephthalate), whosestrengths have enabled it to be
used in the VRV (Virgin Recycle

Virgin) sheet layer, which can berecycled as a single material.
Asano’s innovative solutions
with PET and biomass plastics(such as its heat set molding
technology have prompted its expansion overseas, with the company having provided more than
5,000 machines companies in 26

FIR for refrigerator door liner
countries. Company president
Toshihiro Takai understands theimportance of local knowledge
in new markets, having signed
agent contracts with companies
in China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
and India. Asano is always looking
for new partners, be they engaged
in the upstream or downstream.
The company’s new factory (set tostart operation in April 2024) will increase production capacity by 50%,
while its R&D team will continue tofocus on environmental solutions andEV-based products. “We improve ourmachines and technologies to meetthe demands of the ever-changing
market,” Mr. Takai concludes.
www.asano-lab.co.jp/eng/Matsuya R&D: Japan’s innovator of automated sewing systems
An R&D-focused enterprise, Matsuya is blazing a trail with cutting-edge automatedse ing achines and ro otics ith uilt inand efﬁcient production at its core

Automatic -axis sewing robot
arm for car interiors“Made by artisans for artisans, Fully automatic driver airbag
with every stitch precise and ﬂaw- sewing station
less.” That is how the products of in the automotive, medical andincludMatsuya R&D are described by its transport industries
president and CEO, Hidetaka Goto. ing airbags for drones and cuffs
With four decades of experience for blood pressure manometersin the development, manufactur- — and covering everything froming and sale of sewing equipment, stock control through to shipment.
“Our company has a unique busiwhich is designed in-house, and withness model,” Mr. oto ex1,500 employees globally,
plains, as its healthcare
product design is at theand automotiveheart of the business.
sector clients can
If automated sewtestify. “At ﬁrst, we
ing is the comwere just selling ourpany’s DNA, themachines, but now wemodern organism
produce our customis complex and wide
reaching, with lines XL Twin Laserhead CM ers’ products in-house.

Large-scale sewing machine(2500 x 700 mm)
They install machines purchasedfrom Matsuya at our factories, so
all the equipment in our factoryis theirs. We only need to provide
the workplace and the workers,”
he continues. In this way, growthambitions are being realized.
“We are expanding throughout
Asia while selling our machinery andautomated robotics globally, withbusiness in Central Europe, the U.S.
and Mexico. We are also establishinga new subsidiary in Poland, although
Japan will remain our base.”uality and reliability are fundamental to Mr. Goto’s goal of
returning the industry to Japan.
“In baseball, it takes three strikes“We offer one-of-a-kindvalue as the leading
company for sewing
automation by utilizing
our robot and IT
software technologies.”
Hidetaka Goto, President,
Matsuya R&D Corporation
before you are out,” he says. “But if
an airbag malfunctions, one strikeand you are out. Our services demonstrate our ﬁnesse.”

www.matsuyard.co.jp/en

EMIC: The solutions partner for vibration and environmental testingWith test equipment and test solution services, EMIC is the partner trusted for improving
the uality, relia ility and safety of industrial products

Shock Testing System for EDR
Safety is paramount in many industries, and this safety is usually
ensured through high quality testing. Japanese ﬁrm EMIC is one of
the companies pushing the world ofvibration and environmental testing
forward, with its customers ranging from those in the automotive
industry to space exploration.
Founded in 1971, EMIC has built
its reputation as a manufacturing
and solution-ﬁnding leader, testingin niche ﬁelds through a clear focus
on quality. The company sources
the most reliable parts available
for its products and adheres to thestrictest criteria in its testing toensure its standards remain high.
The automobile industry provides
a key pillar of EMIC’s business. The
Nippon firm
works with automotive giants
Toyota, Nissan
and Honda as
they develop
the electriﬁcation of theirvehicles. EMIC
understands
that working onelectric vehicles
means respond-

Combined Environmental
Reliability Test System
ing to the increased awareness ofenvironmental issues around theworld. As such, the company has
also developed its groundbreaking
Eco-Vibe system which can reduceenergy consumption by up to 36%.
As company president Seiji Ohno explains: “Tests require a huge amountof electricity, and Eco-Vibe is able tooptimi e energy consumption depending on the testing conditions.”
EMIC’s dedication to quality
has allowed it to expand its operation to Thailand, China, and the
U.S., where it opened a subsidiaryin 01 that carries out installations and maintenance work on its
products. The company also has ajoint venture in China and is always“As a company, weare very willing toaccommodate clients’needs. Any segment
which is related totesting equipment is a
top priority for EMIC.”
Seiji Ohno, President,
EMIC Corporationon the lookout for similar-minded
companies with knowledge of local
markets, with whom it can work as
it continues its global expansion.

www.emic-net.co.jp/en

Realizing innovation with printing solutions
for flexible packaging materials
or ore thanyears, hink a oratory has een pro iding solutions for e i lepackaging materials to more than 250 companies in 38 countries thanks to its ability
to respond quickly to the diverse needs of its customers.
A mid-sized corporation with a dent Tatsuo Shigeta explains,
reputation for environmentally- far from creating disquiet infriendly solutions, Think Labora- the printing sector, cutting
tory has been a signiﬁcant player out third party companies hasin the packaging industry for turned out to be a “mutually
beneficial” model: “For largemore than half a century.
However, it’s the company’s scale companies, it’s not reallylatest initiative which has the effective to do business on apotential to cement its stand- small-lot level. They don’t wantto have to take oring in the sector.
ders that require
The FX-eco proja rapid response
ect, which allows
on a small scale.”clients to obtain
Besides, thesamples and printcompany’s reach
their own packagextends beyond
ing and brandingm e re p r i n t i n g .
materials without
Mr. Shigeta again:
the need for a speciﬁc printing com- Tatsuo Shigeta, President, “What’s importantpany, might sound Think Laboratory Co., Ltd. for us is to reallybe able to ensure
controversial.
that we can proIn fact, as Think
www.think-lab.com/en
vide services that
Laboratory presi-

are not just limited to printing
itself, but also take care of any
after-sale services that are involved.” These include packaging, laminating and the various
stages in between.
While COVID-19
has had an
impact on theway Think
Laboratory
does its business, it has also provided amuch-needed opportunity for theﬁrm to reﬂect systematically on its
practices. To this end, the company
has already responded to the needto optimi e energy efﬁciency andreduce ink consumption.
However, well-documented social issues such as Japan’s population decline and labor shortages mean the printing industry

Print samples by FXIJ

FXIJ type 1000 FullAuto SP Inkjet
Printer with water-based ink
is changing rapidly in other ways
too. The current system may not
be tenable in ten years’ time.
Think Laboratory’s FXIJ model, if
successfully implemented, could
offer a clear path forward.

A new innovative approach with Silk Screen Technology
Sakurai Graphic Systems is a long-established Japanese printing press manufacturer that has been in business for 75 years. The company has a 90% shareof the global market for cylinder-type fully automated screen printing technology and is widely known by customers in the automobile, biosensor, wearable
device, and security-related industries. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sakurai
is taking advantage of the know-how it has accumulated over the years totake on the challenge of creating a fresh business model within our industrial
ﬁeld. This new model is a “prototyping and contract manufacturing” businessthat supports customers’ new product development.
There are a wide range of needs, demands and issues on the market – forinstance, when outsourcing contractors will not accept a client order because
the order quantity is too small, or when customers are unable to inspect samples
when dealing with a large number of different products.
Sakurai will hear and address such needs, constructing a tailor-made manufacturing line which perfectly matches the speciﬁcations that the customers
require. After the customers evaluate the effectiveness of a prototype, Sakurai
will start mass production and install the line in the customers’ factories. As

part of this process, Sakurai can assist clients through all stages of production
beginning with product development.
Aside from this, Sakurai also has a process in which it conducts productdevelopment and the initial mass production independently as a contract
manufacturer, and delivers the line after verifying its viability. One of theadvantages of this process is that the customers are able to develop a productwithout making the initial investment. The other advantage is the customers
can start the production earlier because of the more prompt delivery of the
production line.
In both cases, Sakurai is conﬁdent that this tailor-made production systemenables customers to develop new products without restraining costs. Sakurai
has already entered into a contract based on this business model with a major
chemical manufacturer, and has also received inquiries from companies inseveral industries.
This model will undoubtedly establish a win-win relationship between Sakurai
and its customers, since they will be able to expand their business throughutilization of Sakurai’s skills and manufacturing facilities.

Clean room in Sakurai’s Gifu factory for contract manufacturing
This clean room is a 60-meter-long isolated area with an extremely low concentration of airborne particles that pose contamination risk. The room boasts not only
printing machines, but also laminating and punching machines.
For more information, please contact Hideyo Itoh
Email: h_itoh@sakurai-gs.co.jp or TEL: +81-3-3643-0490

DHOWA TECHNOS: The manufacturingindustry’s most trusted supplier
Factory automation and optimization to remain high priority as respected company gears itself up for overseas
expansion and structural change.
Founded in 1948, Dhowa Technos has been a leading providerof solutions for the Japanesemanufacturing industry formore than 70 years.
A company that prides itself
on obtaining customer satisfaction, Dhowa has been able
not only to adapt to the socialchanges that have characterizedmuch of Japan’s post WWII
transformation, but to predict
such shifts before they occur.
Take automation, for example,
a development which, according
to company president Hirokazu
Ono, “has been in the minds ofmany Japanese enterprises fora long time now”. By foreseeing
problems such as population
decline and labor shortages,
Dhowa was able to get ahead ofcompetitors by making automation accessible to smaller-sizedbusinesses, rather than focusing
exclusively on companies with
big budgets and global brands.
Much of the debate surrounding automation is misunderstood, in any case. Social
issues may be a factor, but, as
Mr. Ono states, it’s also about“scaling up production size tothe level of efficiency that best
serves the needs of customers”.
As for potential job losses, heis sanguine. “The fact is thatright now there are not many
young people who wish to workin factories in Japan.”Not that Dhowa is a closed
shop when it comes to human
employees. Far from it. The factthat factory automation and optimization remain a focal part ofthe company’s business means
there will always be a place forworkers with specific knowledge, such as IT and DX (digitaltransformation) specialists.
This is particularly true of thesteel industry where alongside
China and India, Japan is anestablished global player. In theface of international competition, Dhowa has been providing
solutions to those companies
facing new challenges, and has
recently introduced drones with

“It is crucial to havepartners and it is crucial
to have them provide
the best solutions tocustomers.”
Hirokazu Ono,
President,
Dhowa Technos Co., Ltd.

Inspection and ﬂight services by
Dhowa Techno’s Drone Business

Collaboration with Kitakyushu
System Integrator Network for
Robot Innovation

Explosion-proof submersible
motor by EIM ELECTRIC
CO., LTD. (Group company)
surveillance and maintenancefeatures. With digitalizationand decarbonization increasingly important aspects of thesteel industry, Mr. Ono is keen to

Robotization for FA, consulting
ﬁrm for all small and mediumsized enterprises

Contributing to the U.N. SDGs
through development of the fast
food freezing businesshighlight the “crucial” role thatDX plays in data management.
While Mr. Ono sees potential
stumbling blocks when it comesto Dhowa forging foreign alli-

ances with other companies,
international expansion is still
very much on the company’s
immediate agenda. “Number
one target areas are ASEAN
and Southeast Asian countries,”says Mr. Ono, pointing to thefact that company operations
have already been establishedin Thailand, a country that is experiencing similar demographic
issues to Japan.
America, of course, remains
an attractive prospect. EIM
ELECTRIC, a Dhowa group company which obtained explosionproof certification for submersible motors in 2008, is planningto expand their U.S. base in the
coming year.
There is much to celebrate
at home too, however. Whilesome Japanese companies arguably spread themselves too
thin, there is room for significant
domestic collaboration. Mr. Onoelaborates: “We feel the needto have synergies throughout
many business profiles, as itallows us to connect with manyother partners and companies
that do similar work or evenhave technologies that Dhowa
Technos lacks.”
More recently, collaboration
has occurred between Dhowa
and a venture company specializing in freezing technology.
Addressing issues such as foodshortages through cooperation
with other firms is helping industry players to work towards
achieving the U.N. Sustainable
Development Goals.
As Dhowa looks forward toits 80th anniversary, Mr. Onois very clear that change isafoot. “I would like to change
the perception of the company,”
he says. “We want to be known
as a consultancy from now on.”www.dhowa-technos.co.jp

Yokoyama Kogyo: Leaving its stamp on
the automotive and construction industries
The developer of patented ‘smart forge press’ technology, Yokoyama Kogyo is at theleading edge of innovation in the metal stamping industry.
There are two advantages of
Yokoyama’s SFP. One is the quality of its cross section. The quality of surface roughness is akinto polishing, so polishing can be

Press process

BIRDY.

Yokoyama Kogyo is a leading Japanese specialist in metal stamping
and welding. Founded in 1951, thecompany initially focused on supplying the construction industry– it manufactured roofs, walls andgutters – before branching out into
automobile parts, specializing in
metal parts for automobile seats.
Yokoyama’s automotive division has recently developed proprietary stamping and polishingtechnology called the ‘smart
forge press’ (SFP), a cutting-edge
system that incorporates the latest advances in automation.

ultra-smooth cocktail shakers
that blend ingredients more
effectively. “Currently, BIRDY.
products are exported to 22
countries. I am delighted withthis achievement as it proves
the success of our innovation,”
Mr. Yokoyama explains.
In 2010, Yokoyama established Yokoyama Kogyo Thailand
which focuses on automotive
parts, and as it seeks to growits international presence and its
portfolio of clients, the company
is targeting expansion both in
Asia and beyond.

Smart forge press
replaced by stamping. SFP canalso stamp high-tensile steel easily, so it can help to reduce theweight of vehicles.
The beneﬁts of the SFP arefelt in another area of businessat Yokoyama: the manufactureof cocktail preparation tools for
BIRDY., the firm’s bartending
products brand.
Th e te c h n o l o g y ’s m e t a lpolishing capabilities lead to“Our goals for the nextten years are for our
automotive businessto start doing businesswith European megasuppliers, and for
BIRDY. to be exported
to 50 countries.”
Eisuke Yokoyama, President,
Yokoyama Kogyo Co., Ltd.
“Our goals for the next ten
years are for our automotive
business to start doing businesswith European mega-suppliers,and for BIRDY. to be exported to
50 countries,” Mr. Yokoyama says.

www.yokoyama-co.com/e/High-quality shafts for a raft of industries
While many regional competitors replicate Japan’s manufacturing process with lower
quality standards, YSK is maintaining its status as a leader in shaft manufacturing,
providing high-quality products to the world.

YSK’s factory in Thailand
A small ﬁrm established over 50
years ago, YSK is still mixing itwith the biggest players in thelinear motion technologies sector.
Its secret? Ease of use. Achieving
comfort for those tasked withassembling YSK shafts is vital.
As company president Naoto
Ishikawa explains, this is doneby “exploiting the exact toleranceof the material and applying thatconsistently to all shafts”.
As for facing up to Japan’s welldocumented demographic issues(with the aging population prompting a contraction in the workforce),
Mr. Ishikawa has a clear solution:“At YSK, we are thinking about

how women can contribute tochanging the way of thinking anddoing things in Japan, where business is male dominated.”
At the same time, the conceptof monozukuri will be essential inmaintaining high levels of quality
in production across existing factories in Japan and Thailand. Ac-

High-frequency hardening machine

Linear shaft
cording to Mr. Ishikawa, workers “should think about how our
products will be judged by ourcustomers, and that we need todevelop them so that they will
be praised by users”.
While COVID-19 has impacted
YSK’s international strategy, theﬁrm has pledged both to continue
making high-quality shafts at affordable prices and to enter into a
joint business venture with a Chinese ﬁrm. Key for Mr. Ishikawa isensuring that “industry leaders”
across the globe employ YSK
sliding shafts.
Employee satisfaction is justas important, however. To this

“We tell our workers,whether in Japan or
Thailand, to be proudof implementing
monozukuri, whichis the bedrock of the
manufacturing process.”
Naoto Ishikawa,
President and CEO, YSK, Co., Ltd.
end, Mr. Ishikawa hopes one
day to build a new company
headquarters that YSK workers
can be proud of.

www.shaft.co.jp/english

Kohyei Trading: More than the sum of its parts
Combining expertise in specialized trading, chemicals and raw materials, Kohyei
Trading provides total support, from upstream to downstream production.

“A sense of ownership:
this is the key to our
success.”
Yoshihiko Tsuchihashi,
President,
Kohyei Trading Co., Ltd.
Kohyei Trading – a trading
company founded in 1926 andbased in Kobe – has advanced
to the present day specializing
in functional chemicals as thecore of its business.
“Among our product line up,
raw chemicals sell the most,”
says Yoshihiko Tsuchihashi, thecompany’s president. “We havebeen able to develop a certain
synergy within our multiple divisions. For example, we purchasesynthetic rubber from various
synthetic rubber companies andsell it to automotive companies.
“But we also provide thesesynthetic rubber companies
with the raw material andchemicals needed to manufacture rubber. We started off justbuying rubber from them, butlater began selling upstream
materials to them too.
He adds: “We also supply ourcustomers with raw materials
so that they can provide us withrubber polymer and we send thatrubber to another company tomake products such as industrial
components, machinery and devices. We then take these products and sell them to end-users.”
Combining its expertise insuch specialized trading, chemicals and raw materials, Kohyei

Trading today provides total
support, from upstream todownstream production. “Being present at every phase of
production has helped us expand our molded and composed
products,” says Mr. Tsuchihashi.
Having taken over the business as a descendent of its
founder, Mr. Tsuchihashi has
always considered contributing
to society to be a matter ofcourse in the business of making raw materials, describing
the company’s philosophy withthe phrase “Cho Ni-ryu” .
“Cho Ni-ryu is entirely my
own term for what we do. In
Japanese, it broadly means being more than the sum of yourparts. The idea is that, while
we on an individual basis are
not necessarily the elite, ourteamwork as a business makes
us something even greater. We
are focused on building a value
system of our own, with self-re-liance as a company, and without being swayed by society’s
existing standards.”
In addition to investing in
training, organizational response and cultural reform, Mr.
Tsuchihashi says Kohyei Trading
invests in its personnel withan eye on further improving
efficiency, as well as systems
development. “This is all tohelp our employees absorb ourgroundings as a trading firm
specializing in chemicals, and to
strategically acquire expertiseand know-how,” he says.
“Going forward, it is myintention to transform thiscompany into one that more
broadly and more profoundly
meets the diverse needs of allof our trade partners, including
our clients and suppliers, with
our services.”kohyei.com/en

ZipperTubing: Meeting the needs of industry
ZipperTubing’s wire shielding supports safety in semiconductor manufacturing, construction machinery and manyother key sectors.

Heat-shielding products

Shield foamShield tubing

Thermal barrier 3D-sewn products

ZipperTubing – the associatecompany of Kohyei Trading – is amanufacturer of EMI shielding,specialized heat shrink, cablebundling and heat shielding.
From re-enterable wraparoundto pull-through jacketing, andfrom snap button to continuous
zipper closures, ZipperTubing
meets the needs of a wide range
of industries and application
requirements.
“Whether it is a cable bundling solution that will be installed on a robot or an EMI
shielding solution that will be
used on a spacecraft, Zipper-

Tubing creates the solutions forour customers,” says Yoshihiko
Tsuchihashi, President of parent
company, Kohyei Trading.
With Zippertubing this year
celebrating its 50 th anniversary, the manufacturer today
has set its sights on achieving
greater overseas expansion andstrengthening its market positioning domestically. “Internationally, we will focus on India
and Southeast Asia because of
the population growth in theseregions,” explains Mr. Tsuchihashi . “The mid-term plan would
be combining two factories into

one. We will have a bigger production area and can allocate
specific areas to manufacture
products for Kohyei Group andKohyei Trading.”
Through R&D, the company
is also now aiming to transition from a product-oriented
approach to a market-oriented
approach. “What we are now
aiming for is that Kohyei Trading
can determine the needs of arequired product, and for ZipperTubing to make the product,”says Mr. Tsuchihashi .
“ZipperTubing and Kohyei
Trading are already a collabora-

tion. Kohyei Trading has a dedicated sales team for ZipperTubing products, and we haveother sales teams for otherdepartments such as chemical
products and molded products.
All these departments take careof the customers’ needs anddemands in the automotive andconstruction fields in a crosssectional way. Based on thoseneeds, we delegate which division will sell which product.”

ztj.co.jp/en

Nihon Handa: Tailor-made solderingsolutions of the highest quality
Nihon Handa manufactures reliable, leading-edge soldering and sintering materials,
working closely with its clients to ensure complete satisfaction.
“To meet the customer’s request, it’s important we provide acomprehensive solution. We wantto know all about the end productand how it’s being made – andwe might even propose a new
construction method.”
Offering reliable products forversatile applications
Founded in 1910, Nihon Handa is amajor Japanese supplier of soldering and sintering materials, chieﬂydelivering to manufacturers in theelectric appliance, electronic equipment and automotive sectors.
At Nihon Handa, establishing aclose partnership with clients iskey. “We’ve distinguished ourselvesin the soldering industry for many
years because we listen carefully
to our customers’ needs and offer them tailor-made solutions,”
Chairman Makoto Asami explains.

Always looking for solutions forcustomers
For Nihon Handa, keeping pacewith product miniaturization has
been a major challenge over the
past 50 years. “As parts have gotten smaller over time, soldering
processes and technology havealso adapted and we have contin-

ued to innovate,” says President
Hidetomo Asami.
Nihon Handa’s innovation is not
limited to soldering materials. “Wewere among the ﬁrst to develop
a silver sintered bonding material
that has been attracting attention
in recent years. We also launched
the MAX series, which enables
non-pressure bonding by heating at 200°C: It has been used
as a die attachment material for
optical devices such as LEDs andhigh-frequency devices used in
5G,” adds Hidetomo Asami.

Innovative silver sintering paste
MAX series“We’ve been
distinguished in thesoldering industry formany years because welisten carefully to ourcustomers’ needs.”
Makoto Asami,
Chairman & CEO (left),
Hidetomo Asami,
President & COO (right),
Nihon Handa Co., Ltd.
Furthermore, Nihon Handa has
also developed a new product thatallows wide-area chips to be directly
bonded to copper electrodes withoutpressure in the MAX series. This new
product is expected to be applied to
power devices for in-vehicle applications where large currents ﬂow.
www.nihonhanda.com

Sankyosha champions analog solutions as
a key to future innovation in a digital world
With Japan’s highest skilled engineers in the ﬁeld of analog circuits, Sankyosha cansuccessfully support cutting-edge technologies reaching their highest potential.

“We’ve decided to teamup with startups throughthis open innovation
platform, and that issomething that we arereally looking to do
more proactively moving
forward.”
Toshiaki Kawanabe,
President, Sankyosha Co., Ltd.
In an increasingly digital globe,
software has come to dominate
in the world of digital circuit
products, but true craftsmanshipcan still be found at the analog of sampo yoshi
level. One of the distributors con- – ensuring every
tinuing Japan’s long history of entity involved inexpertise and artistry in analog a business should
solutions is Sankyosha.
prosper – means
Founded in 1958, Sankyosha its sales division is
prides itself on not only providing also highly trained
distribution for its customers, but in diagnosing isalso offering technical advice and sues clients facesupport across a wide range of with their analog
industries. Company president solutions ahead of
Toshiaki Kawanabe explains San- time, and works with customers
kyosha employs Japan’s finest to solve these problems. Sananalog engineers, adding: “When kyosha’s strategy involves tarour clients have a question, they geting a multitude of startups
can contact ourand SMEs, helpengineers directing it avoid thely and we will anﬂuctuations andswer their quesfortunes of being
tions extremely
tied to a single
thoroughly.”larger client.
The compaAs a distribuny’s dedication
tor which offers
to the principle RIVERFIELD’s surgical assist robot technical advice,

Sankyosha collaborates with companies from a wide
range of sectors,
recently working
with SOXAI Inc.
to develop an IoT
wearable ring and
RIVERFIELD Inc.
to develop a surgical assist robot
for example, and it is currently
involved in over 50 such projects.
President Mr. Kawanabe sees the
medical, healthcare and safety industries as the company’s priority
sectors moving forward as it works
to drive innovation in the ﬁeld of
analog circuit design through its
comprehensive distribution workwith SMEs and startups.
www.sankyosha.co.jp/en