This article is a tie-up with the Niigata Prefecture Federation of Small Business Associations and Manufacturing Support Centre.

Numerous attractive companies are active in Niigata Prefecture. This section picks up 'Change Leaders' who create new value by 'changing themselves positively'.

In the 15th edition, Fujijiro boasted one of the top five market shares in the country in terms of value of shipments and was one of the first companies to focus on overseas expansion. By quantifying sharpness and introducing an integrated production and sales system, the company worked to stabilise quality and improve production efficiency.

Focusing on the popularity of Japanese knives, the company was quick to start overseas expansion.

Fujijiro brand kitchen knives are highly regarded by chefs and overseas markets for their high sharpness. However, when the company was first established, it was a manufacturer of mass-produced kitchen knives for domestic household use. The impetus for steering the company towards its current course was the entry of cheaper products, including those made in China. Realising that it could not compete on price, the company started to add value to its products by pursuing sharpness and design. In this context, the company took note of the popularity of Japanese kitchen knives at German trade fairs, where the image of 'Japanese swords' made them popular for their sharpness, and actively promoted overseas sales to increase brand recognition, focusing on knives made from Damascus steel, which is characterised by its graceful ripples.

Investments are being made aggressively to strengthen the manufacturing system in order to win trust in the brand. With a 2013 supplementary manufacturing grant*, a 'sharpness quantification system' was introduced to measure the blade angle, sharpness and durability of knives. This enabled the creation of quality standards that had previously relied on craftsmen's intuition. In the following 26-year amendment, a 'production and sales integration system' was introduced to centrally manage internet sales, production in showrooms and sales numbers, and to strengthen sales.

Monozukuri subsidy... Common name for a project by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency to support capital investment, etc. that contributes to improving production capacity.

In 2017, the company also established an open factory. The factory was awarded the Good Design Award for communicating the value of its products by showing the factory and at the same time giving pride to the workers. It now attracts many visitors and creates interaction with users.

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Quantify sharpness for quality uniformity.

Conventional machines for measuring sharpness cut fixed sticky notes and manually counted the number of them, a method that required a lot of time and effort. The 'sharpness quantification system', which can quantify and image blade angle, sharpness and durability, has therefore been introduced. The system has made it possible to stabilise quality in the grinding, polishing and edging processes, which used to rely on the intuition of the craftsman, by enabling the numerical values of each operator to be measured.

• Numerical representation of sharpness in terms of the number of sticky notes cut.
• The blade angle is checked under a microscope and put into the image.

Introduction of an integrated production and sales system to establish a sales structure.

As the demand for high-mix, low-volume production has increased as a result of the current trends, a system capable of accurate and detailed management was required. Therefore, by centralising production and sales figures, the ratio of product masters attached to each site was improved. The ability to monitor progress as a whole has enabled work to be carried out ahead of schedule, and the total production volume has increased by nearly 1.4 times in total.

• Progress in each of production and sales is managed on a PC.
• Tablet terminals were also incorporated to improve work efficiency.

Recognition of the company is a good way to improve employee awareness.

The Open Factory has created opportunities to be 'seen' and has changed the attitude of employees towards their work, such as keeping the factory tidy and greeting people proactively. In addition, the number of visitors increased as a result of the Good Design Award and media exposure. Employees are now more proud of their work. In addition, in June 2019, the company was selected as one of the 300 small and medium-sized enterprises and small businesses to flap their wings by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, based on a recommendation from the Central Association.

• Immediately after receiving the award, he received increased media attention for his role in the opening ceremony at the 'Festival of the Factories'.
• The three categories selected in the 'Demand Generation' category are: 'Productivity Improvement', 'Demand Generation' and 'Securing the Workforce'.

Always be aware of the balancing act in order to respond to unforeseen circumstances

We live in a time when anything can happen, such as exchange rate fluctuations and the global economic crisis. We are always conscious of the balance between overseas and domestic sales, and between branded and mass-produced products. If we sell only overseas or only domestically, we will not be able to respond to major economic changes, such as exchange rate fluctuations. In addition, brands that have been built up can be destroyed overnight by internet postings. We are always mindful of the number of products in our range, so that if something happens to a brand, our mass-produced products will be able to hold up.

Susumu Fujita, Representative Director

Fujijiro Senko DP Damascus steel forged Santoku 180 mm

The "Senkou" series has sparked the popularity of Damascus knives in Europe. The beautiful handle and elegant ripples proudly show off the forging of the blade and boast a sharpness like a flash of light in the sky.

Company profile

Established in 1953 as a manufacturer of agricultural machinery parts and cutlery, the company entered the kitchen knife business in 1955 with the production of fruit knives, and in 1980 the Fujijiro DP kitchen knife series with a mouthpiece was recognised as a Good Design Product by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry at the time, In 2004, the company took note of the demand for Japanese kitchen knives by exhibiting at a trade fair in Germany. The company began to focus on overseas sales and established a representative office in Germany in 2017.

Address: 9-5, Yoshida Toei-cho, Tsubame City

○ TEL : 0256-93-4195

○ HP : http://tojiro.net/