Diverse surface treatments elevate to new tech.Gain external insights,sparking ideas for new challenges!
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Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.
- Electropolishing, comprehensive metal surface treatment
Seigo Hirota
- Prefecture
- Nigata
- Business Activities
- Electropolishing, comprehensive metal surface treatment
- Company Name
- Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.
- Representative Name
- Seigo Hirota
- Location
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〒959-1286
681-2, Koseki, Tsubame-shi, Nigata, Japan
- Phone Number
- 0256-62-4368
Factory Stories
Starting with Buff Polishing
Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. was founded in 1952 by Kazuo Hirota, the grandfather of Seigo Hirota.
Although Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. primarily performs metal surface treatment, focusing on electropolishing of stainless steel and titanium, it is said that the company started with buff polishing of spoons and forks.
“The founding president of Toyo Rikagaku Kenkyusho (Toyo Physical and Chemical Research Institute) reportedly taught their technology to anyone who wished to learn, without monopolizing it, in order to revitalize their hometown of Tsubame City. My grandfather didn't learn directly from them, but he acquired electropolishing skills through that trend.”
From there, they began performing electropolishing for small strainers and tea infusers.
Later, as items like sink drain baskets and bathroom shampoo stands transitioned from iron to stainless steel, Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. also saw an increase in electropolishing work.
The Ability to Meet Diverse Customer Needs
One reason Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. is chosen by customers is its high responsiveness, capable of handling everything from prototyping to mass production.
This high responsiveness is not limited to production volume.
They can handle surface treatment for various products across diverse industries.
In addition to their main kitchen-related products, they are involved with products in various industries, including water purifiers, laboratory equipment like test tube racks, automotive parts, and medical products.
“Since we perform surface treatment for various products in various industries, when we receive inquiries from customers, we can accurately assess the quality they require and propose appropriate prices. For products we have no experience with, there can be cases of over-quality leading to high costs. At our company, based on our past experience, we can determine the necessary quality and make judgments on how to reduce costs by using certain methods.”
Furthermore, Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. can perform three different types of surface treatment in addition to electropolishing: sandblasting and pickling.
“Thanks to this, customers view us as a last resort, thinking, ‘If we ask Hiroichi, they might be able to do something.’”
Overcoming Crises with a Challenging Spirit
The trigger for expanding into products across such a wide range of industries, as they do today, was the Lehman Shock.
Due to the Lehman Shock, the prices of stainless steel materials and electropolishing chemicals significantly increased. At that time, most of their work was electropolishing, so Seigo's father, Seiichi, who was the president at the time, proposed introducing sandblasting.
“We felt that we couldn't continue with just electropolishing. We discussed that since it's within the same category of surface treatment, it shouldn't be impossible.”
Furthermore, to expand their work beyond specific industries, they reached out to various sectors. And when asked, “Can you process this product?”, they boldly took on challenges even in industries new to them.
“We have always challenged ourselves with new things, trying them out once and then, if the finish was good, expressing our desire to expand into that industry.”
When they felt the shadow of the Lehman Shock, Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. chose a new path of challenge and evolved.
Never Giving Up for Customers in Need
Taking on new challenges also involves risks.
This is because success is not always guaranteed.
It is said that even at Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd., when they attempted electropolishing a new material for the first time, they failed repeatedly and were pushed to the brink of giving up.
“It felt like if we processed 100 pieces consecutively, all 100 would turn out differently.”
In electropolishing, subtle adjustments are made to chemical concentration, current strength, and time to dissolve and polish the product surface to achieve the desired finish.
They simply couldn't adjust that balance effectively.
Nevertheless, they continued to think without giving up, and by considering both why it didn't work and why it did, they finally managed to find the subtle discrepancies in the conditions.
“I believe we succeeded because we kept thinking without giving up. I felt it was our job to help customers in need, so we were able to see it through to the end.”
Powder-Tukars, Born from a Combination of Technologies
The 'clog-resistant stainless steel powder sieve' and 'powder-resistant stainless steel bowl' are products from Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.'s proprietary 'Powder-Tukars' series, developed with their unique technology.
By applying a unique surface treatment to stainless steel, powder becomes less likely to adhere.
It is said that for soba flour sieves used in soba noodle making, it reduced the time by approximately 40% compared to conventional sieves.
“The impetus for development was an invitation from a local technical support organization, asking if we would like to conduct a demonstration experiment. They knew our technology and suggested that new products could be created by leveraging it.”
From there, they repeated trial and error for about half a year and succeeded in creating Powder-Tukars.
An acquaintance who saw Powder-Tukars reportedly commented, “That’s it! It’s amazing that you focused on that!” This is because it is a new technology born from the clever combination of three individual surface treatment technologies: electropolishing, sandblasting, and pickling.
“During development, my anxiety only grew, wondering if it would truly succeed. Nevertheless, the reason Powder-Tukars came into being is because of the accumulated experience from challenging various surface treatments in various industries up until now.”
Becoming a Company That Can Create Its Own Work
Powder-Tukars is a product that alleviates the potential stress experienced by those in industries that handle powder.
“Currently, they are kitchen items like powder sieves and bowls, but I would like to hear opinions from people in different industries. I believe that precisely because they are from different industries, new ideas like, ‘Couldn’t this be used for something like this?’ might emerge.”
Seigo believes that it is important to engage with networks across different industries, not just for Powder-Tukars.
“Gaining perspectives and opinions from outside the industry's conventional wisdom can also provide hints for development.”
He also stated that the manufacturing industry as a whole should find ways to get closer to end-users.
This is because he feels that there might be differences in perspective between manufacturers and end-users.
“Even for things we think are good, there might be aspects that are actually unnecessary. Conversely, we might learn what they truly desire. If so, I believe we can achieve even better manufacturing.”
By understanding the perspectives and sensibilities of different industries and end-users, Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. aims to become a company that can create its own work.
“To achieve the vision we are aiming for, I believe it is necessary to listen to various needs without confining ourselves to one industry.”
What challenges will Hiroichi Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd., with its new perspectives, take on next?
