Industry Activities
Absolute Insistence on High Value Machine Pushes Sales to Near 10,000Units
by Dean Tseng, Fastener World
High Value Insistence Shapes Nakashimada’s Uniqueness
Established in 1911, Nakashimada makes cold and hot headers and parts formers, providing tool design and manufacturing service, as well as professional training for machine operators. With 105 years of company history, it now has 140 employees, and branches or authorized agents in the U.S., Germany, Italy, Russia, S. Korea, Thailand, and China besides the Fukuoka headquarters and sales and service centers in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. It’s accumulated machine sale is expected to breach the 10,000-unit mark! Its products are favored by the automotive, aviation, electronics, household appliance, clothing, stationary industries and more. Speaking of corporate strength, President Masahiro Nakashimada says “We are over 70% self-productive and 100% made in Japan. We highly regard ‘precision’. Besides introducing highly precise machines, we are particular about human operation. Although this creates partial costs, the world’s ‘top companies’ understand our uniqueness, and satisfying those companies is very important.”
The company has established a sales network with the U.S. and Europe since the 1970s, while China and Thailand are its rapidly developing markets in the last 15 years. “China has been stuck in slower growth in the past two years, but there was not much influence upon us because initially our machines were a bit pricey to China. Nonetheless, we had been insisting on our principles and refused to mass-produce low cost machines for China. Eventually the Chinese customers started to understand the competitive edge of our machines and sales stared to kick off. Despite the current slowdown of Chinese and Thai economy, our customers barely decrease. Instead, we continue to receive high quality enquiries in this sector. We will continue to offer value products to customers who know our uniqueness.”
Value Up— “Residual Value” Machine Lease Program
Another thing special about the company is its “Residual Value” Machine Lease Program. “Customers expect to produce different products in a short time frame and thus hope to be able to rapidly change the machines purchased a few years ago. Our machines still have very high resell value within 5 to 10 years after rollout. The basic concept of the program is — Supposing that a machine will be returned within 5 years, we predict the price that the machine will become 5 years later, and lease the machine only at the price difference. This program is the combination of customer expectation and resell value. Expensive as our machines are, from the perspective of resell value, low initial cost and low operating cost, they are not expensive at all. I believe the future lease demand for machine will increase. Most importantly, the program should bring added values to the company and benefits to customers.”
“Talents” & “Confidence” are the Strongest Weapons
The company is developing 10mm-diameter multi-station formers and 6mm 2D3B machines, tapping into completely different industries and pressed products. “Top customers’ requirements on our industry have 4 points in common: (1) Machine precision; (2) R&D of highly difficult tools; (3) No product damage or mixed defective products; (4) Aftermarket service. The most important task in R&D is ‘talents’. Passion, experience, teamwork awareness in making excellent products, and confidence are the best weapon for corporate sustainability.”
Certified by ISO9001 and 14001, the company has around 70% of components self-produced, annually investing JPY 100-200 million in equipment. This year it not only introduces new production and quality control systems but also is evaluating on establishing training centers for both employees and customers. “I often think of this priority: ‘People > Equipment > Profit’. If you otherwise only first think of profits and then buy minimum equipment and finally bring in operators, this type of logic is very dangerous. Employees training, their welfare, and good equipment are the foundation for profits”
Furthermore, 13 years ago the President met a college student specialized in cosmic mechanics, and eventually got to cooperate with Tohoku University through him on supporting “DOM Project”, making satellite components. The satellite will take off from a space station during June and September this year. Nakashimada has been contributing to the aerospace development! Lastly, the President told us confidently, “We will center our focus on ‘excellent product offer & social welfare’, not only rolling out better product and service but also cultivating new-generation talents!”
