ideaboard® Series: Product Development Story #15_Partners ｜ TOKIWA Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
In December 2019, NKC Nakanishi Metal Works Co., Ltd. (NKC) launched their new whiteboard, “ideaboard®.” Revealed by the project members, this series records the story of how the ideaboard was brought to life, into ours.
Following the past eight articles covering our interview with Riku Nagasaki, developer of ideaboard and head of “KAIMEN” (the business design team reporting directly to the president at NKC), we now move on to the external partners with whom KAIMEN collaborated during ideaboard’s product development.
This is our interview with Yukihiro Kakio and Hiroshi Ooshita from TOKIWA Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
(Left)Yukihiro KAKIO
Department of Business Development, Communicator
TOKIWA Manufacturing Co., Ltd
(Right) Hiroshi OOSHITA
Manufacturing Department, Manager of Purchasing and Outsourcing
TOKIWA Manufacturing Co., Ltd
1. Cocreating products with new clients: adapting a production style based on ODM
ーFirst, could you please tell us about your daily work?
Kakio: At TOKIWA Manufacturing Co., Ltd., we used to undertake solely the manufacturing when working with clients (major manufacturing companies)—a production style also known as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing). We did have other departments such as retail and so on, but the company’s main pillar was the manufacturing department. However, around 2018, just when we were about to start working with NKC, there was a movement towards shifting to ODM, and ideaboard became a solid example of that. As a sales representative, I manage new products and business development for our clients.
Ooshita: Around the time this project started, I was approached by Wadayama Factory’s vice manager to transfer to sales. It was when I’d just begun to work on a new business development plan for a client. My main role was to provide explanations of the urethane products, and support the manufacturing process from the factory side. We were receiving so many inquiries through our website at the time, and that’s how I got involved in the ideaboard project pairing up with Kakio throughout the contact of the sales department.
ーHow were your first impressions of the project?
Kakio: Firstly, we were told about how large it was: around 900mm×1800mm, and potentially making it lighter. The expectations in regards to durability, thinness, and lightness were extremely high. We began by questioning whether it would actually be possible to make.
Ooshita: I think the requirements were weight 5-6kg, size 900mm×1800mm, and thickness10-12mm. As for the thickness, we talked about how it would be too thick if we exceeded 15mm. Having become accustomed to handling top boards, our main product, which is normally around 20-25mm thick, we had to break any existing conventions. In order to make the product lighter, we would normally insert some kind of cellular material or honeycomb core under the melamine while simultaneously strengthening it. However when you’re aiming to make something that meets all required aspects of under 10mm in thickness, under 5-6 kg, and large in size, this method becomes inapplicable. Check one off the list and you’ll miss the other. We immediately realized that it would not be an easy journey.
ーHow did you move forward facing such complex requirements?
Ooshita: Actually, it happened that we got to know a supply company which specializes in cellular material by working on other projects, so we met up to have a chat about ideaboard. It might not have worked out if it weren’t at that particular time. Imagine NKC coming to us a bit earlier—we wouldn’t have had the knowledge to suggest directly painting a surface agent onto cellular material. Being the manufacturers that we were—used to working with top boards and the quality of the finish and durability being our usual main priority—I imagine we would have given up before trying something that could hinder any of those aspects.
Kakio: You’re right about the timing. We were able to use a special type of adhesive because we were actually debating on using it for another project. Due to a series of coincidences, we were able to meet material/supply manufacturers one after the other and reach the point where we could consider the project to work out.
Ooshita: Naturally, we don’t use this type of adhesive at our company. We use a vinyl acetate adhesive that sticks wooden material to resin structures but never had we used something to secure resin on resin. Coincidently, we were developing a new adhesive for another project and were able to take advantage of that.
2. In pursuit of the perfect balance: a cellular material that retains strength, lightness and quality
ーI imagine that there were many hardships along the way. What did you find the most difficult throughout this project?
Ooshita: I think raising the quality of the cellular material was the hardest. At first, we tried with an expansion ratio around 20 and then decreased it little by little to achieve maximum lightness. Regularly, the material’s expansion ratio should be around 50, but at that rate, the material will lose its strength. Strength, lightness, and quality—finding the right balance amongst these aspects was extremely challenging and was definitely the part we put most of our effort into. I was so nervous every day that the phone would ring from our supplier, telling us they wouldn’t be able to do it. Demanding a margin of error of only 0.5mm to a supplier that normally would be allowed 1-2mm—we knew we were asking for a lot.
Kakio: I mean, cellular material is normally used inside building materials to fill walls—not intended for top boards that affect the surface of an end product.
ーWhat did you discuss in particular with the supply company?
Ooshita: A company based in the Tohoku region became our manufacturing partner on this project. When we visited their factory to explain the project before moving on to mass production, we met the president there who was very passionate and proactive. In the case of cellular material, when there is an order for a few centimeter-size cut, it’s okay to bring out a machine and roughly cut out its size. However, when we asked for a 15mm cut for the project, the president came back carrying a caliper, measured it, and cut it for us. It definitely isn’t an industry where you use a caliper. Seeing that, we knew he was the one that would get the job done.
With that said, in the real mass production period, it was still quite difficult. What worked during prototyping, didn’t in mass production. There was unevenness in thickness and flatness. I believe we didn’t hear from them for over a week after asking them to figure out the reason.
During that time, at our company, people were discussing the idea of looking for another supply company. Honestly, it was quite a severe situation. I explained to my colleagues that I had directly spoken with the company's president and that I trusted him—yet in my mind, I feared what would happen if he didn't come up with a solution. Partnering with our company means meeting a certain level of quality, and when one does not, we have to go searching all over again. I doubt whether there was any other company that could have performed at such a high level.
ーHow did you solve the problems that arose during mass production?
Ooshita: In the early stages of prototyping, we only required small proportions of the material, so we cut out what we needed from our factory’s stock. However, try to produce 100 or 200 of those, and you’ll need to cut out material from an extremely large block. The bigger the block is, there is higher possibility that the inside of it won’t be completely dry. We cut the blocks using heat rays, so the slightest amount of moisture could cause the surface to melt, resulting in an uneven thickness.
After many times of trial, we were able to have them specially dry out the pieces for ideaboard. Normally, they wouldn’t do this much, but because they did, we were able to discover that a high-quality, clean cut could be possible.
Being in the same “manufacturing” business, I can understand the supply company’s president being hesitant to give an answer at first. He needed time in order to try out different methods where he could come to us with a solution that could possibly work. I was relieved when he brought us that proposal, and I am so glad that he was able to go that far for us.
3. Aspirations for the future: collaborating with new industries
ーNagasaki-san from NKC told us how the project was able to move forward, thanks to your positive attitude when facing complex issues.
Ooshita: I have experience working in the factories for over 30 years. There, whenever talking to clients, I learned from my former superior not to say, “I can’t,” but to say, “I can if….” There are definitely times when you just “can’t.” However, it’s about having pride as a manufacturer. Even when knowing that something is nearly impossible, the conversation will end if someone doesn’t propose an idea. Since the old days, I’ve always been told to move the conversation forward.
Kakio: It is a completely different thing to 1. struggle through that continuous process of trial and error to reach an end and to 2. give up from the start. Working in sales, I expect people in manufacturing to truly go after and figure out what other options may be possible. To decline an offer is easy, but to acquire new customers is tough—in that way, I would like to see them push themselves a little bit. We are currently heading in the direction of working on new projects and fields. The manufacturers also understand that and are freeing themselves from existing conventions, creating new ideas. I think we are on a good path.
ーPlease tell us about your future projects or prospects.
Ooshita: Even if we have made a completely original “ideaboard” from TOKIWA Manufacturing, I doubt it would have come out into the world like this. Although we have launched tables and office furniture in the past, not many people are aware that they are made from urethane. In the end, it’s not communicated to the outside world. People just don’t “know.” The demand for durable, strong products will continue to rise, so I think it would be interesting to collaborate with outside sources like this project and see where it’ll lead us next.
Kakio: Members of KAIMEN are quite daring, and I am amazed how so many ideas come to them, one after the other. Having that kind of energy nearby will definitely have a positive impact on our company as well.
(Interview, translation, and photos by Mone Nishihama and Kyoko Yukioka, NINI Co., Ltd.)
▼Click below to see the original Japanese version / 原文はこちら