“I hear that everything was done manually when the company was founded. There were no laser processing machines like today. They even bent plates by heating them with a gas burner.”

Primarily, the grandfather's brother handled the processing, while the grandfather managed sales and secured orders. They reportedly manufactured stainless steel piping and related equipment, as well as handrails within nuclear power plants.

The turning point for Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd.'s evolution, as it accumulated stainless steel processing technology and achievements, was when his father, who became the third president, joined the company.

“My father originally worked in electrical construction. After joining Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd., he self-taught machine design, and now requests for design and manufacturing are increasing.”

To meet customer demands, Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. evolved to provide integrated services from structural design to processing and assembly, not just stainless steel material processing.

“Recently, we were designing the frame structure and drive mechanism for something like a dinosaur costume, to be operated with electrical control.”

As a result, the current business breakdown is approximately 60% for stainless steel processing, which has been done since the company's founding. Assembly accounts for 30%, and design for about 10%.

The attitude that has been continuously passed down at Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. since its founding is to “create products that exceed customer expectations.”

“The founding brothers were the type who felt a sense of purpose by meeting customer demands. But they weren't satisfied with that; they aimed for even more.”

Behind this sentiment was the belief that “if we do the same as other companies, customers won't choose us.”

However, what influenced them most was that customers were delighted, saying, “The end-user said it was beautiful.”

“When I first joined the company, even if it was exactly according to the drawing, I was told, 'This isn't good enough,' and it was thoroughly drilled into me.”

Even if there are no instructions on the drawing, “a beautiful finish is a given.” That is Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd.'s quality standard.

Furthermore, they actively take on difficult jobs that other manufacturers have given up on.

“The president always brings in challenging projects. I sometimes blurt out, 'Isn't this impossible with such a short lead time?' but the other employees immediately start thinking about 'how to make it possible.'”

Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. routinely tackles “finishes that exceed expectations” and “highly difficult processing,” but stainless steel processing presents challenges not found in iron.
“Stainless steel is harder than iron and comes in many types. Furthermore, there are various surface treatments, making it very difficult to standardize surface finishing.”

Moreover, thin sheets are prone to warping and easily scratched during processing.

To prevent scratches, Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. protects materials by applying vinyl before processing. They also provide detailed instructions, such as changing the position of the protective vinyl depending on the processing.

Furthermore, to achieve a beautiful finish, they avoid using grinders in welding.

“Grinding with a grinder damages the aesthetic and leaves marks. Considering beauty, it's better not to use it.”

Naofumi spoke as if it were obvious, but this requires advanced welding techniques.

Such techniques are reliably passed down from seniors to juniors.

For example, this also applies to the technique of cutting materials while predicting the distortion that inevitably occurs during stainless steel processing.

“When I first joined, I was told to try it, and the processed piece ended up about 2 mm short, and I wondered what to do. I was taught that in such cases, it's good to add 1 mm.”

However, simply adding 1 mm is not always the solution. This is because the way stainless steel distorts varies depending on the type and plate thickness.

They firmly pass on the intuitive craftsmanship cultivated through extensive experience in practical work. That is why Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. has been able to build a team system where “everyone can do anything.”

Everyone can handle all processes—from cutting and drilling to welding and finishing—with high quality.

“About 25 years ago, when they received a large order, they felt that if everyone couldn't handle the work properly, things wouldn't run smoothly.”

Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. has continued to evolve since its founding, adapting to customer feedback and the times.
Naofumi, as the fourth generation, is also focusing on new forms of evolution.

One of these is to dispel the “3K” (demanding, dirty, smelly) image of the manufacturing industry and transform it into a sparkling world.

Naofumi has loved manufacturing since he was a child. He enjoyed building plastic models and disassembling and reassembling game consoles, and by junior high school, he began to consider taking over the family business.

Even Naofumi admits that there was a time when he saw dirty work clothes in the factory and thought he didn't want to do dirty work.

“It's not that the 3K aspects are entirely absent. However, they can be improved depending on how we address them. Above all, manufacturing is a rewarding job. The joy of hearing customers say, 'I'm glad I asked you to do it,' is irreplaceable.”

To fulfill both the joy of the creators and the wishes of the users, Naofumi is working on creating a system that can accommodate individual orders.

“When interacting directly with individual customers, it's great to hear their unfiltered feedback. I remember being truly happy when I was asked to produce something with unusual dimensions and they said, 'It's perfect! Thank you!'”

Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. is proceeding with the launch of an e-commerce site and partnerships with florists to enable the acceptance of custom orders from individuals, as well as the creation of vases and interior items utilizing their technology.

We look forward to seeing what kind of evolution Tsubokawa Kogyo Co., Ltd. will show under the fourth generation.