Newsweek International December 24, 2021

Made world famous by Toyota, monozukuri is a concept found at the core of all Japanese manufacturers, from those making cars to those making cardboard boxes. While monozukuri focuses on high-quality, perfection, and fine attention to detail, it also entails the constant pursuit of innovation guided by a response to customer, industrial and societal needs. “After WWII, the Japanese economy grew exponentially and Japanese firms focused on developing their monozukuri, which consequently enhanced Japan’s industrial sector as a whole,” explains Akiyoshi Kitamura, president of PACRAFT, a renowned manufacturer of filling and packaging machinery. “Japanese manufacturers during that period really challenged themselves. One aspect of the Japanese population that drove this sector to what it is today was the high demand of consumers and the monozukuri craftsmanship required to fulfil these demands.” For…

“Whenever we decide to set up new factories, we try to step up our unique processes so we can assure our productivity and quality. This helps us keep our competitive edge.”Mitsuo Nakahashi, President & COO, Tomoku Co., Ltd. With its unique business strategy across three distinct business segments – cardboard manufacturing, housebuilding, and logistics – TOMOKU is a company with diverse operations and interests. Thinking outside of the box, therefore, comes naturally to the organization, particularly when you consider one of its main product lines is the humble box itself; a product which has engendered a surprising amount of innovation over the years. “The cardboard box is a product that, when looking at it, you can’t really tell in which country in the world it has been made, or which company makes…

“In order to produce a product that we are satisfied with, we keep improving it.”Hisashi Nakajima, President, Nippon Closures Co., Ltd. When you think of a product on the shelf of any super store, the first thing you often imagine is not about the product itself – or its core contents – but how that product looks and presents itself from the outside: its packaging. Indeed, packaging is integral to a product’s brand and how the product appeals to diverse consumer tastes through the character, personality and functionality that it provides. As it turns out, with a culture that places the highest value on beauty, quality, and function in the manufacturing process through a long tradition for monozukuri (fine craftsmanship), the Japanese are unsurprisingly masters of packaging solutions. “The Japanese are always…

“The structure of this product may look simple, but it is the fruit of the Japanese spirit of monozukuri.”Takao Morizane, CEO, Misumaru Sangyo Co., Ltd. “When I saw this product in the newspaper, I knew I had to try it. I immediately made an appointment with the manufacturer,” recalls Mr. Takao Morizane, CEO of the Misumaru Group, upon first seeing Woodtique. Mr. Morizane decided to visit the manufacturer of Woodtique, which is now part of the group, and was so taken with the product that he agreed to become its sole worldwide distributor the same day. The product consists of very thinly sliced wood boards attached to a specially manufactured, noncombustible paper substrate. The structure of this product may look simple, but it is the fruit of the Japanese spirit of monozukuri,…

Founded in 1908 in Seki, Kai Corporation is a leading Japanese manufacturer of blades and related products in the cooking, beauty, grooming, and medical fields. The company boasts a significant – and growing – international presence. Known as the ‘city of swordsmiths’, Seki boasts a history stretching back over eight centuries as the home of forging blades in Japan. It is, in the words of Kai president Hiroaki Endo (the great-grandson of the firm’s founder, Saijiro Endo) “one of the three most important centers for swordsmanship in the world, together with Solingen in Germany and Sheffield in the United Kingdom”. Kai embraces its rich local heritage, highlighting in its mission statement a devotion to “passing down the skill and spirit which continue to flow in this land”. It’s a commitment that goes…

“Moving forward, we see a trend of reduced plastic product use worldwide and using materials that are more easily recyclable.”Akiyoshi Kitamura, President, PACRAFT Co., Ltd. Since its inception in 1960, PA-CRAFT has strived to apply advanced technologies to build pouch fill/sealing machines and automated systems to meet the diverse needs of its customers, all while never losing sight of one of its core philosophies: once a client, always a client. PACRAFT’s customers have become familiarized with looking to the company to solve their problems and produce creative solutions. PACRAFT’s unmatched attention to detail assures customers that its durable and high-performing equipment can be used for the maximum length of time. One increasingly more desired need expressed by PA-CRAFT’s range of customers is IoT compatibility. PACRAFT is therefore always happy to deliver. The company…