“Japan has always been the leader in optical communication technologies”
Masatoshi Ueno, President, Seikoh Giken
For almost 50 years, Seikoh Giken has been supplying its customers in the IT field with high-precision mold designs and processing technologies that put them ahead of the competition. And as the world enters a new era driven by 5G, IoT and Big Data, Seikoh Giken will continue to leverage on its manufacturing know-how and monozukuri* craftsmanship to develop the high-quality fiber-optic components needed to ensure high-speed IT networks can perform at the levels demanded by these new technologies.
During Japan’s boom years in the electronics industry in the 1980s and 90s, Seikoh Giken was a pioneer in the development of molds for CDs and later DVDs, developing the world’s first optical fiber polishing machine for the mass production of optical transmission and optical devices. Today, Seikoh Giken is providing technologies and products for optical networks marked by small size, high speed and large data volumes, while having also taken a foray into developing high-performing molded products for the biotechnology and medical fields. “We are currently increasing our presence in different market segments, we will try new markets such as 5G, IoT and Big Data by utilizing existing technologies like ultra-precision molds that can be controlled by sub-micron and nanometer range,” explains president, Masatoshi Ueno. “Furthermore, our landmark entrance into the bio and medical related field is part of the technological race that is taking place at the global level. We want to be one step ahead of our competitors by forecasting trends and thus adapting our business.”
Indeed, adaption to the everchanging market needs and technological advances has been key to Seikoh Giken’s success over the past half century – as too have its people. In fact, Mr. Ueno points out that what has separated Japanese monozukuri* from regional competitors is precisely the “Japanese national character of being devoted to our work, which gives us a competitive advantage and uniqueness”. As Seikoh Giken (already with a foothold in the US, Europe and China) looks to strengthen its worldwide presence, particularly in Southeast Asia, it plans to develop new partnerships and undertake acquisitions like those already undertaken to acquire French company, DATAPIXEL SAS, and Japanese firm, Fuji Electronics Industries. “Our goal is stand out and establish our name in bold on the history pages,” concludes Mr. Ueno.
*The Japanese word “MONOZUKURI” is a combination of ‘MONO’ meaning thing and ‘ZUKURI’ meaning the act of making. It simply means craftsmanship or manufacturing and has come to be used as a buzzword in industry and mass media to embody the Japanese spirit and history of manufacturing.
