Global Network
Strong in Asia. Connected worldwide, project by project. Production is currently managed by us in China, Vietnam and Thailand, from our base in Japan. Other regions can be covered through partner coordination, depending on the project.
You do not have to decide the country before talking to us. Choosing the production base is part of the work.
Choosing the right production base
The country is not the starting point. The product and the conditions decide it — and the same product can suit a different country once the volume changes.
Product
Whether the processes and equipment exist there, and whether the materials can be bought locally.
Volume
Small runs suit a factory that can turn quickly; large runs suit one built for it. Often this is about the factory rather than the country.
Cost
Labor rates alone decide nothing. We look at materials, freight and yield as a total.
Lead time
Production time plus shipping days plus the time customs takes.
Quality requirements
How much management it takes to reach the level a Japanese buyer expects.
Risk
Not concentrating in one country is itself a valid choice. If one side stops, the other continues.
We ask about these six and then propose the countries and factories that fit. None of them has to be settled before you contact us. Not knowing which country suits the product is the most common way this starts.
Our primary manufacturing and sourcing network
China, Vietnam and Thailand are the production and sourcing bases. Japan is the hub that manages them.
China
Our main manufacturing network. OEM / ODM, product development, tooling, sampling, mass production, quality control and export. Suited to a wide range of products handled from planning through to export.
Vietnam
An alternative production base for cost comparison, supply-chain diversification and OEM manufacturing. Suited to comparing costs or spreading production risk.
Thailand
Manufacturing and sourcing through Thai manufacturers and suppliers. Suited to using suppliers based in Thailand.
Japan (Management Hub)
Japan is not one of our overseas production countries. It is our head office and project management base: the point of contact on the Japanese side, where specifications and quality requirements are organized, overseas manufacturers are coordinated, domestic sourcing is arranged, Japanese products are exported, and overseas companies are supported in doing business in Japan.Japan is the management base, not one of the production countries.
Other countries and regions can be covered through partner coordination, depending on the project.
How the three compare
Which one suits you depends on the product, the volume and the cost you are aiming at.
| China | Vietnam | Thailand | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Our main manufacturing network | Alternative production base / supply-chain diversification | Local manufacturers and suppliers |
| What we cover | OEM / ODM, product development, tooling, sampling, mass production, quality control, export | OEM manufacturing | Manufacturing and sourcing |
| Best suited to | A wide range of products, handled from planning through to export | Comparing costs / spreading production risk | Using suppliers based in Thailand |
China
- Position
- Our main manufacturing network
- What we cover
- OEM / ODM, product development, tooling, sampling, mass production, quality control, export
- Best suited to
- A wide range of products, handled from planning through to export
Vietnam
- Position
- Alternative production base / supply-chain diversification
- What we cover
- OEM manufacturing
- Best suited to
- Comparing costs / spreading production risk
Thailand
- Position
- Local manufacturers and suppliers
- What we cover
- Manufacturing and sourcing
- Best suited to
- Using suppliers based in Thailand
You are welcome to ask before you have decided. We can also take quotations in more than one country and compare them.
Other countries and regions
Beyond these four, other countries and regions can be covered through partner coordination, depending on the project and the product. We do not, however, maintain permanent offices around the world. We work with a partner suited to each project.
If you are wondering whether something can be made in a particular region, we will check. Where it is not realistic, we will tell you why.