Heat treatment factory: Trusted nationwide.
Leveraging our long-inherited technology,
building for the future, generations ahead.
-
Nippa Kinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd.
- Comprehensive heat treatment processing, accounting for dimensional changes and distortion caused by quenching.
Masayuki Okuya
- Prefecture
- Kanagawa
- Business Activities
- Comprehensive heat treatment processing, accounting for dimensional changes and distortion caused by quenching.
- Company Name
- Nippa Kinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd.
- Representative Name
- Masayuki Okuya
- Location
-
〒223-0057
964-18, Nippa-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan
- Phone Number
- 045-543-2813
- Website
Factory Stories
A Town Factory Built on Personality and Leadership
Masayuki Okutani, the third-generation president of Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd., often hears from Chairman Susumu Morita about the time when Morita's father founded the company in 1973.
"I never met the founder, but when I joined the company, there were still employees who had been working here since its founding. The founder was apparently well liked and someone who led the people around him."
After acquiring technical skills while working for a heat treatment company, Morita's father set out on his own and started Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd. near Nippa-cho Station.
Although the period of rapid economic growth was coming to an end, industrialization continued to advance, and demand for heat treatment remained high.
It was an era when customers would say, "We just need it processed as quickly as possible," and the company was turning out more products than could fit into the vans used to transport them.
50 Years of Salt Quenching Technology
One of the heat treatment technologies that Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd. has continued to use since its founding is salt quenching.
Salt quenching is a heat treatment method in which metal is immersed in a high-temperature salt bath. Today, fewer companies offer this process.
"We sometimes receive direct inquiries about salt quenching from major companies. They ask whether anything can be done because they are seeing defect rates of around 10% with other quenching methods."
With salt quenching, heat treatment is performed by immersing parts in a liquid, so buoyancy helps suppress distortion. In addition, rapid heating and cooling are possible, enabling processing in a short time.
"In the past, apparently, some customers would bring in parts for heat treatment and wait until the process was complete."
Although this heat treatment offers many advantages, adjusting and managing the salt bath chemicals is difficult. Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd. has carried on this technology for approximately 50 years.
The Challenges of Heat Treatment as an Intermediate Process
Heat treatment is an intermediate process in manufacturing a product.
Okutani says, "It may look simple at first glance, but it may actually be the most difficult process."
This is because appropriate processing requires an understanding of material properties, the preceding and subsequent processes, and distortion after processing.
For this reason, Okutani keeps the finished product in mind and considers the entire manufacturing process.
"I ask customers what processes will come before and after ours. That allows me to give specific advice, such as recommending a different preceding process or identifying the need for a subsequent process."
Because he considers the entire manufacturing process rather than focusing solely on heat treatment, he can clearly predict and propose the results that heat treatment will deliver.
This reflects a desire to complete work smoothly, without causing difficulties for anyone, quickly and affordably.
This approach is something Okutani inherited from Chairman Morita, whom he calls his mentor.
"The chairman always told me not to think only about heat treatment. As I watched him work, I came to understand what he meant."
A Former Soccer Player Meets His Life Mentor
Okutani devoted his student years to soccer and, after graduating from high school, joined a company-sponsored team that later became a J.League team. However, injuries and other circumstances led him to retire in his early 20s.
He held a variety of jobs, none of which lasted long. While working at a bar, he reconnected with a former teammate who was his senior.
That senior colleague worked at Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd., which led to Okutani meeting Morita.
"By chance, I had an opportunity to have a drink and talk with the chairman. It was almost like an interview, and that led to me joining the company. But I didn't know much about heat treatment, and I was thinking of quitting within the first three days or so."
Two events significantly changed Okutani's mind.
One was that, when the factory became new six months after he joined the company, he was chosen to serve as master of ceremonies for an opening ceremony attended by approximately 300 people.
"I planned everything from start to finish, and it was a great success. Both employees and customers remembered me, and I felt it was an opportunity."
The other was when he went to address a complaint from a company handled by a senior colleague who could not drive.
"The product had broken, but when I said, 'Wouldn't it avoid breaking next time if we did this?', they started calling me directly. That's when I began to find it interesting."
From then on, he worked enthusiastically on the shop floor, eager to absorb as much technical knowledge as possible. He also finished his work as quickly as possible to make time for study.
As a result of this intensive study, he passed the Grade 2 Metal Heat Treatment Technician examination held in the year he joined the company.
"I felt that joining the company at 31 was a late start, so I absolutely wanted to pass."
He later obtained Grade 1 as well and currently holds the Special Grade Metal Heat Treatment Technician certification.
"Technical skill is essential for earning customers' trust. With knowledge as well, you can speak to customers with confidence. It makes you even stronger."
A Marketing Mindset That Brings Requests from All 47 Prefectures
Acquiring technical skills and knowledge was not the only thing Okutani worked on after joining the company.
He created a website, established a system for receiving inquiries through the website, and redesigned the company's business cards and brochures.
He also increased customer touchpoints by publishing "Quenching News" and enclosing it with invoices.
"I realized that we were not doing any marketing. Customers have come to tell us that they find 'Quenching News' interesting."
These communications helped expand Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd.'s customer base nationwide, and the company now reportedly receives heat treatment orders from all 47 prefectures in Japan.
Doing Everything Efficiently
Another reason Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd. receives requests from across Japan is that it can provide a full range of heat treatment processes, including salt quenching, vacuum heat treatment, induction hardening, and vacuum carburizing.
"Above all, we are thorough about streamlining and efficiency. We do not reward people for working slowly. I tell our employees that what matters is how much they accomplish in eight hours."
By thoroughly training employees on how and in what order to perform each task, as well as what to do during gaps between tasks, the company is able to increase machine utilization without overtime by ensuring that work proceeds efficiently and without waste.
A Future Where Young People Thrive as Multi-Skilled Workers
As a first step toward changing perceptions of heat treatment, Okutani cleans the factory every morning.
"I think young people will not join us unless we make it a place that people say is clean whenever they visit, no matter when that may be."
He also aims to develop multi-skilled workers so that young people can work with a sense of purpose and enjoyment.
He envisions an environment where employees gain not only heat treatment skills but also a broad range of knowledge in sales, marketing, inspection, and other areas, enabling them to take a wider perspective and find enjoyment in their work.
He also hopes to bring together video creators, website designers, photographers, and others so that they can inspire one another and help make Nippa Metal Industry Co., Ltd. a company with more diverse business activities.
His drive to pursue this ideal stems from the importance he places on Morita's words.
"The chairman always said, 'Don't think only about the present; think as far ahead as your grandchildren's generation.'"
Carrying on that belief, Okutani is working to create change so that younger generations can truly enjoy their work.
