There is an example that demonstrates Wakae’s technical capabilities. Generally, the limit for press working is said to be a material thickness of 0.5mm with a punching width of 0.5mm.
However, Wakae has succeeded in processing material with a thickness of 0.64mm and a punching width of 0.5mm, punching 11 locations at once.
“0.5mm is the thickness of a mechanical pencil lead. To punch 0.64mm thick metal with such a 0.5mm part, normally the die/mold would break,” he explains.
And the difficulty didn’t stop there.

During the process of high-load press working, fine metal debris is generated. If this falls into the die/mold, it causes dents.
The request was to prevent these dents. Furthermore, they wanted to press flat areas to improve flatness.
“If you press with a flat part to achieve flatness, the likelihood of creating more dents increases. Honestly, it was a very contradictory request,” he says.
Because the request was so difficult, other companies reportedly refused to accept it.

He says they accepted the seemingly reckless request because they were in a situation where they had no other choice.
“For our customer, it was a crucial job that could determine the fate of their company. Since other companies had refused, we were in a situation where we had to do it. Our sales weren’t good either, so the fate of our company also depended on that job. The destiny of two companies rested on whether we could succeed or not,” he explains.
Abe’s determination was reportedly supported by their partner die/mold company.

The difficult challenge they undertook was not straightforward.
“When we first pressed, the die/mold broke. It felt like it was completely destroyed,” he recalls.
From there, by devising adjustments to the die/mold and punching methods, they somehow managed to reach production.
However, the defect rate was still high, so they repeatedly went through trial and error to establish a stable production system.

In press working, it is said that the quality of a product is determined half by the quality of the die/mold and the other half by the production process.
“Having only a good die/mold does not allow you to create good products. And, what is important in the production process is not just simple skills, but the ability to solve problems when they arise,” he believes.
To that end, Abe communicates with employees, discussing what problems exist and how they can be solved. By repeating this trial and error, they were able to successfully manufacture difficult parts that other companies deemed impossible.

Furthermore, they value not only communication with employees but also with partner companies.
“I tell our employees to build good relationships with our partner companies. If our partner companies were gone, our strengths would also disappear. Moreover, when a problem arises, communicating with our partner companies can sometimes provide us with hints,” he says.
Wakae’s technical capabilities are supported and enhanced through communication.

One of Wakae’s strengths is its ability to widely accept processing work beyond press working.
They maintain close cooperation with partner companies, and Wakae acts as the single point of contact, establishing a system to handle operations as a one-stop service.
The impetus for creating this system was reportedly receiving consultations from customers regarding processing other than press working.
They could have refused consultations outside their specialty. However, accepting them and making arrangements is a more labor-intensive task than imagined.

“While it can be challenging, taking on etching and surface treatment jobs is educational. By having a wide range of knowledge about processing, we can offer various proposals to our customers,” he explains.
Customers will likely feel the convenience of “being able to get good proposals by contacting Wakae.”
It is a system that benefits customers, Wakae, and partner companies alike.

Since products manufactured by partner companies are assembled or delivered by Wakae, they sometimes propose points for improvement in production.
This might be possible because Wakae approaches its work with a stance of not producing defective products.
In any manufacturing process, defects inevitably occur. Therefore, inspections are conducted to ensure that defective products are not delivered.

“I believe it’s better to spend time on manufacturing to reduce the defect rate than to spend time on inspection,” he says.
To achieve this, when a defective product appears, they verify which process it came from, what the reason was, and then consider how to improve it.
Assembling processes that are less prone to defects in this way likely has a significant impact on overall quality improvement and quality maintenance.

Wakae, which started manufacturing home appliance parts approximately 60 years ago, has continued to evolve while meeting customer demands.
The establishment of a system capable of handling a wide range of requests, from prototyping to mass production, and not just press working but also etching and surface treatment, was also to meet customer demands.
Successfully completing difficult processing was also a result of meeting customer demands.
“We don’t have big goals for the company’s future. However, I believe that continuing to innovate to meet customer demands will be the key for our company to continue for a long time,” he states.

He says that meeting customer demands and solving their problems, and seeing them pleased with the results, is the joy of manufacturing.
In the manufacturing industry, while the number of companies going out of business is increasing, few new companies are starting.
We hope that Wakae, which has continued manufacturing for a long time, will serve as a model case, inspiring more young people to discover the joy and appeal of manufacturing and to dream of a career in it.