After graduating from school, Koji started working as a production engineer at an automotive parts manufacturer. He then transferred to the design department, and later changed jobs to a machinery manufacturer to acquire mechanical design skills.

At that time, Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd. was a company that manufactured parts. However, Koji thought about what more could be achieved and wanted to study the processes before parts manufacturing.

“It wasn't so much about inheriting the company as it was about wanting to make it a company where we could create our own work.”

Having acquired mechanical design skills, Koji joined Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd. in 2008.

However, even with his mechanical design skills, requests for equipment design and manufacturing did not immediately come to Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd., which had been manufacturing parts.

“We weren't recognized, and we couldn't immediately build equipment. So, initially, I took on outsourced design work by myself.”

Thus, he started with the goal of being able to receive equipment orders from major companies in about five years. However, surprisingly, they received their first equipment order in just three years.

Starting with outsourced design, the scope of requests gradually expanded, with clients asking, “We want you to deliver the parts as well,” and “If you can make the parts, we want you to assemble them as a unit and deliver them.”
And so, after three years, they were being asked to build entire equipment.

Behind this was also the fact that Koji's experience as a designer at his previous company was highly regarded.

“They entrusted us with the work, saying, ‘If you designed for that company, you can do this, right?’ But internally, I felt immense pressure, wondering what if I failed. Still, I had no choice but to work relentlessly.”

Furthermore, since the manufacturing system was not yet fully established, the priority was to form an outsourced project team to meet deadlines.

“We were able to start in-house training only after things had settled down to some extent.”

In addition, cash flow challenges also arose.

Custom-made equipment has a long lead time, so it takes time for payments to be received. The payment cycle was significantly different from that of parts manufacturing.

“The larger the projects we undertook, the more money went out, leading to a difficult internal situation despite being busy. That's why my father told me it wasn't a profitable business.”

After overcoming such a difficult period of over five years, the revenue from equipment manufacturing started coming in, which changed the company's perception of equipment manufacturing.

Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd., which shifted its business focus from manufacturing jig and tool parts to designing and manufacturing labor-saving and automation equipment, has reached a point where customers say, “We can trust Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd. with this.”

This is because, in addition to the machining technical expertise honed through parts manufacturing, they possess design capabilities that can fulfill customer needs.

Currently, design work at Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd. is carried out by a total of six people: two dedicated external contractors and four in-house staff, including Koji.They perform design close to the manufacturing site with a small, elite team.

“Customer needs are directly communicated to the designers, allowing us to translate them into drawings.”

This enables designs that not only ensure smooth operation of the equipment but also consider high maintainability, such as easy removal of consumable parts.

Furthermore, the design staff regularly conducts design reviews of drawings.

“I believe experience is crucial in mechanical design.Discussing opinions after reviewing drawings designed by others is also a significant experience for designers.”

By conducting design reviews, if there are any sticking points, designers can get ideas from other designers and gain insights from perspectives different from their own.

Koji focuses on four main points when conducting mechanical design and design reviews.

First, whether the fundamental premise of the design holds true.

Second, whether it has sufficient strength and won't break.

“I believe it's important for the structure to operate smoothly and for us to be able to say, ‘It won't break at all.’ Machines that frequently require repairs or part replacements leave a bad impression.”

To that end, stability and durability are meticulously checked during design reviews. The third point of focus, in addition to the above, is ease of maintenance.

If replacing consumable parts that need regular exchange is troublesome, it will reduce the customer's operational efficiency. Precisely because the equipment operates daily, high maintainability is also a crucial factor.

And the final point is coolness.

“I believe it's also an important factor for customers to think the equipment looks cool at first glance. After all, I think good machines are inherently cool.”

Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd. had previously outsourced electrical design.

However, by hiring a new electrical designer, they have been able to expand their design capabilities.

In modern equipment manufacturing, the weight of electrical components has increased significantly.

“If electrical systems are properly designed, they offer a wide range of adjustability, which is why major companies, in particular, are increasingly adopting electric-powered systems.”

By incorporating electrical design technology in-house, in addition to existing mechanical design, it has become possible to design more efficient equipment.

Leveraging this technical expertise, they are now also considering the development of their own products.

“Currently, we only build custom machines tailored to customer needs, so I want to create versatile machines that only Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd. can build, which will form the core of our company's business.”

Custom machines are designed and manufactured on a case-by-case basis.
While there is enjoyment in this, there are also significant risks.

By creating general-purpose machines under their own brand, they aim to stabilize their business operations.

“I want to create cool machines that make you excited, wondering, ‘What's inside?’ when you press a button and something is produced.”

In the not-too-distant future, a cool general-purpose machine, packed with Niwa Kikai Co., Ltd.'s technology and know-how, will surely be born.