Sankyo Seiki Industry located in Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka City, has opened a new factory in Hokkaido (Shibetsu City) which commenced operations on July 14th. Through this innovative blend of manufacturing and agriculture, the company aims to strengthen its overall business performance.
The company specializes in manufacturing a wide range of coil springs, ranging from a diameter of 0.02 mm to 20 mm. In addition to their spring manufacturing business, the company entered the food and beverage industry through mergers and acquisitions in 2018. The following year, they established Shibetsu San-Kyo Co., Ltd. (Shibetsu City) to operate a sheep farm as part of their agricultural business, and also ventured into the food and beverage sector by operating the "Shibetsu Barbecue" (Sapporo City, Osaka City) which uses lamb meat. As their ties with Shibetsu City deepened, they entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with the city in 2022, and purchased land owned by Hokkaido Central Agricultural Cooperative. They established the Hokkaido factory and commenced spring manufacturing. By establishing a manufacturing base in Shibetsu, a city with cooler summers and fewer natural disasters, the company aims to adapt to business continuity planning (BCP) and contribute to local employment activation.
To start, the Hokkaido factory will introduce 12 machines, including coiling machines. It will commence operations with two staff members transferred from the Kumamoto factory and one locally hired employee. The factory will produce small-diameter spring components for office automation (OA) equipment and larger diameter products for local agricultural machinery manufacturers. In the coming autumn, they plan to expand the factory to an area and subsequently, they have plans to construct a second factory. With expansion, they will also increase their workforce.
With factories in Osaka, Kumamoto, and Mexico, the company's second-largest customer segment after the automobile sector is agricultural machinery. The development of agricultural businesses in Shibetsu City aims to strengthen relationships with agricultural machinery manufacturers by allowing the company to use its own agricultural machinery and become users. By establishing a core manufacturing facility in Hokkaido, the company can now supply products to local agricultural machinery manufacturers, which was previously centralized in their main factory.
On July 12th, the company held an opening ceremony at the Hokkaido factory, a joint press conference with Shibetsu City Hall and Mayor Eiji Watanabe, and a gratitude ceremony at a local hotel.
Mayor Watanabe expressed his enthusiasm during the press conference: "Shibetsu City's main industry is primary agriculture, with few manufacturing activities. This represents a new field as a precision parts manufacturer. We aim to create job opportunities for young people while collaborating with schools. Going forward, we will actively attract manufacturing companies through top-level sales."
President Kensuke Akamatsu expressed his vision during the press conference: "In Shibetsu, where 70% of employment is in the service industry, we want to become a place for young people who want to work in manufacturing. The most important aspect is people. Companies are currently seeking talent. If a region has many talented young people, companies will gather there. If parts manufacturers like springs and screws cluster together, even large corporations will come. What we can do is turn our company into a place where people want to work."
Furthermore, President Akamatsu revealed during the press conference that they will intensify their efforts towards achieving zero carbon emissions by substantially expanding their efforts in composting at Shibetsu San-Kyo to produce pasture grass. Through the synergy between manufacturing and agriculture, the company is committed to creating unprecedented opportunities for growth.
