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Original article published in Newsweek on March 10th, 2023. Written by the Worldfolio

STAR-M: pioneering innovation
in woodworking drill bits
Manufacturing with passion is the name of the game at STAR-M, a Japanese drill bit maker that’s celebrating
its centenary in 2023.

Core cutting process“We try to deliver
whatever our customers
need, even when they
only ask for one productor large quantities.
Our mission is to give
shape to what ourcustomers want.”

STAR-M INT. LTD. “WoodOwl”

Polishing process

Tokiko Kobayashi,President,STAR-M Corporation
A company in its centenary year,
STAR-M Corporation is a market-leading Japanese specialist
in the design and production ofwoodworking drill bits. Basedin Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, the firm is guided by its
commitment to monozukuri– Japan’s pursuit of perfection in manufacturing – as it
creates high-quality, cuttingedge products that are sold inover 30 countries worldwide.
“Japanese manufacturers
employ creativity, and thekaizen philosophy of continual improvement, in every
product they manufacture,”
STAR-M president Tokiko
Kobayashi says. “At thesame time, we listen to ourcustomers’ voices to determine what they want. Put allthese things together, andthat’s what Japanese monozukuri is about. I believethat by manufacturing withpassion, the final productwill be strikingly different.
It’s a philosophy that ouremployees uphold – they dis-

Product lineup
play a passion for the individual
products they manufacture.”
In addition to turning 100 in2023, STAR-M is celebrating the20th anniversary of its U.S. affiliate company, STAR-M International. Located in Lombard, Illinois, it sells the WoodOwl brandof drill bits created specifically for
American customers. “We currently have a 70% market sharein Japan. Upon achieving thatsignificant domestic market percentage, we looked for potential
targets and decided to challenge
ourselves in the U.S. market,” explains Ms. Kobayashi.

“U.S. clients’ specifications
greatly vary from those of Japan.
We only had single-spiral productsin the beginning, but we sought
to tailor our products to meetthe needs of our clients, so we
produced drill bits with double
and triple spirals. One of our drills
which is often used in America
works very well for the wooden
pylons that support their electricalwires. Our clients have also said
that with our Tri-Cut triple-spiral
drill bits, which are regularly usedin the construction of two-by-fourhouses, they are able to bore highly
accurate holes through the wood.”

STAR-M’s successful adaptation to American clients’ requirements owes much to rigorous
R&D efforts. “We perform several
tests, using the actual power tools
they use,” Ms. Kobayashi explains.
“We do a lot of trial-and-error
testing to adjust the design andmodel to bring about the perfecthole in varying types of woods.
And our testing to find out thebest drill-bit design for our customers is not limited to the U.S.
It’s our philosophy throughout
STAR-M Corporation. We try todeliver whatever our customers
need, even when they only ask for
one product or large quantities.
Our mission is to give shape towhat our customers want.”
STAR-M’s comprehensive,continuous R&D processes also
ensure that the firm’s drill bits
keep pace with the evolution of
the power tools and wood types
available to their customers. “Theyare constantly changing, especially
recently, so we have to keep updating our products to respond to
the advanced types of power tools
and wood material variations,” Ms.
Kobayashi notes. “Our ability toconstantly update our products
comes from the deep knowledge
and experience we have cultivatedover the past 100 years.”This commitment to constantprogress goes hand in handwith the message that STARM’s special new logo, created
to commemorate the company’scentenary, seeks to convey. “Thedesign is based on the image ofinfinity, which means that drilling has no limits,” Ms. Kobayashi
says. “And the slogan ‘100 years
and counting’ speaks to our dedication to never, ever stop challenging ourselves.”

www.starminfo.com/en