‘The future opened by Japanese fasteners.’ Sunco Industries holds a roundtable discussion with key suppliers, focusing on international expansion, future opportunities, and the strength of Japanese fasteners worldwide.
Sunco Industries aims to share Japanese fasteners with the world. Through their Socket Boy mascot, playful advertising graphics, and celebration of Japanese culture, the Sunco team never fails to put a smile on our faces at Fasten.it.
In February 2026, Sunco Industries brought together five key suppliers for a second roundtable discussion, following the first session in July 2025. Under the theme “From importing to exporting: overseas markets opened by Japanese fasteners”, the participants discussed their international experience, strengths of Japanese products and services, barriers to overseas expansion and opportunities they see ahead.
Participants:
- Yoshifumi Taniguchi, President, Nakaumi Industries Co. Ltd.
- Atsushi “Attsie” Hashimoto, President, Unytite Corporation
- Tateo Murakami, Deputy General Manager, Fastening Division, Nippon Fastener Corporation
- Daisuke Shiba, Executive Managing Director, Kishu Fastener Group
- Yuki Kariya, Managing Director, QP Fastening Works Co. Ltd.
- Miki Hiraoka, Manager, Sunco Industries Co. Ltd.
- Tomokazu Takada, Assistant Section Manager, Sunco Industries Co. Ltd.
Summarise your international experience and current position…
Hashimoto: Unytite established a US subsidiary in 1986, began local manufacturing and sales in 1990 and opened a factory in China in 2005.
The Chinese site now produces bolts and nuts as well as moulds and tools, although its exposure to the automotive sector has created recent challenges.
Kariya: QP Fastening Works began overseas business around 1987 by supplying its Pias Bis drilling screw to a German customer, a relationship that continues today. Its bi-metal PIASTA screw is now sold worldwide, particularly in Europe, and overseas markets account for around 60% of total sales.
Taniguchi: Nakaumi Industries, founded in 1961, established its Vietnam factory in 2017. European anti-dumping duties on Chinese threaded rods created a major opening for the company, which now supplies approximately 20 customers across Europe.
Shiba: Kishu Fastener currently exports through trading companies rather than directly. It withdrew from direct US exports around 30 years ago when exchange-rate movements made the business unprofitable, but changes in costs and global conditions have encouraged the company to begin preparing for a return to overseas markets.
Murakami: Nippon Fastener’s business is built around cold-heading and cold-forging wire, hexagon socket head cap screws and JFE high-strength bolts. Although it does not export directly, its socket head cap screws reach China and India for use in robotics and machine tools.
Takada and Hiraoka: Sunco remains primarily focused on Japan but created its International Trade Section around eight years ago. The section initially concentrated on imports and is now expanding exports, supported by the company’s publications, advertising and wider PR activity. Its immediate objective is steady customer growth, adding new overseas relationships one at a time.
What gives Japanese companies an advantage overseas?
Hashimoto: Unytite’s greatest strength is its people. Employees with US and Chinese experience, including younger staff placed in international roles, have created a culture with relatively little resistance to overseas business.
Kariya: QP Fastening Works benefits from the established reputation of Pias Bis and PIASTA. European customers associate these brands with premium, dependable construction drilling screws.
Taniguchi: Because threaded rods are difficult to differentiate and overseas manufacturers often have greater scale, Nakaumi relies on its culture of experimentation and willingness to pursue new ideas: “That sounds interesting, let’s try it.”
Shiba: Kishu Fastener plans to take its domestic strengths abroad, including integrated production from wire drawing and heading through to plating and packaging, combined with high service standards.
Murakami: Nippon Fastener’s quality assurance begins with the raw material. Its origins as a wire manufacturer and longstanding relationships with steel producers support strict control from the material stage onwards.
Takada and Hiraoka: Sunco handles around two million SKUs, centred on JIS fasteners, and offers overseas buyers small quantities, broad choice and rapid delivery. Its Higashiosaka logistics centre is particularly valuable when customers urgently need products that are difficult to source locally.
Why does ‘Japanese quality’ mean more than just the product?
Hashimoto and Kariya: Japanese fasteners are widely trusted overseas, but quality is not limited to manufacturing. QP Fastening Works combines reliable products with fast, attentive responses to enquiries. This level of
service, consistency and care is viewed as a competitive advantage as much as the product specification itself.
Taniguchi: In the threaded rod market, repeated price reductions can quickly become unsustainable. Nakaumi deliberately shifted one customer discussion from price to product performance. The customer concluded that the products could not be substituted and continued purchasing, eventually placing large-volume orders.
Murakami: The strongest opportunities may lie in high-specification sectors.
A Chinese machine-tool customer explained that cheaper bolts would have little effect on the total cost of its equipment, so it preferred to pay slightly more for dependable Japanese products. This illustrates why quality can outweigh price in demanding applications.
What must companies strengthen?
Hashimoto: Overseas business should not depend on one specialist department. Unytite wants to communicate its added value more clearly and build a company-wide structure in which every employee can respond with consistent speed and quality.
Kariya: More direct exposure to overseas markets is essential. Companies need first-hand knowledge of trends and customer requirements, along with personal relationships built beyond formal meetings through meals and regular contact.
Taniguchi: Rapid growth has concentrated knowledge in a small number of employees. Nakaumi therefore needs stronger internal education, information sharing and systems that reduce dependence on individuals.
Shiba: Labour shortages and cost pressure make automation increasingly important. Kishu Fastener plans to begin construction of a new automated factory in October 2027, with the aim of improving competitiveness and building a manufacturing system customers actively choose.
Murakami: Excellent products cannot succeed overseas if buyers cannot find or understand them. Nippon Fastener is prioritising branding, external communication, online visibility and search performance alongside continued product development.
Takada and Hiraoka: Sunco is creating clearer import and export standards as sales and purchasing teams become more involved. It will also broaden its product range, strengthen multilingual online communication and continue improving the delivery of JIS fasteners worldwide.
Where will future opportunities come from for Japanese companies?
Taniguchi: There is strong potential for manufacturers whose quality clearly separates them from competitors. Overseas customers are actively looking for reliable partners in the same way that Japanese exporters seek dependable international partners.
Takada: The global fastener market is expected to continue expanding. Japanese companies can benefit by promoting not only product quality but also the service, responsiveness and reliability surrounding it.
Hashimoto: Industry associations and public organisations can help individual companies overcome limited budgets and resources. Coordinated participation in overseas exhibitions, similar to Taiwan’s association-led approach, could raise Japan’s profile more effectively.
Kariya: Mature product categories require clearer added value. One route is to position products within regulatory or standards-based frameworks so that their performance and importance are formally recognised. QP Fastening Works also sees potential in distinctive and longer-length bi-metal products, where consistent quality remains a challenge.
Shiba: Products considered ordinary in Japan may be unusual elsewhere. Kishu Fastener discovered that its nut and conical spring washer assembly, although familiar domestically, is relatively rare in the United States. New products such as contamination-preventive rolled nuts may open additional markets.
Murakami: Nippon Fastener has historically entered the US market in roughly 40-year cycles and believes another turning point may be approaching. Changing products, technologies and customer needs make the United States a market worth renewed attention.
Hiraoka: Sunco is receiving increasing enquiries from the United States but intends to remain flexible rather than concentrating on one country. Each incoming order can reveal a new market, customer need or opportunity for wider research.
Can you share lessons from successful overseas expansion?
Hashimoto: Participation in standardisation can create a lasting advantage. When Unytite opened its US factory, there were no established standards for tension control bolts. The company helped shape requirements that later became ASTM F1852 and F2280, strengthening its position in the market.
Taniguchi: Nakaumi plans to open a new plating factory in Vietnam in April 2027. Its experience suggests that volume-dependent projects may require a decisive commitment rather than an overly cautious start. Ambitious projects can succeed when a company builds slightly beyond its current capacity and grows into the structure.
What are your priorities for the next stage?
Hashimoto: Unytite will continue developing both Japanese and local overseas staff. Long-term investment in people has already produced major results, including monthly orders of 70,000 sewing-machine components secured by an employee who helped establish the company’s Chinese operation.
Kariya: QP Fastening Works intends to reinforce its position as a bi-metal pioneer by expanding beyond standard products and helping raise quality expectations in growing segments such as long-length fasteners.
Taniguchi: Nakaumi will continue pursuing challenging ideas from its ten-year plan, including the planned launch of Nakaumi EU in 2027. The company sees timing, opportunity and a willingness to act as central to its progress.
Shiba: Steel tariffs, geopolitical change and the prolonged weakness of the yen are reshaping the market. Rather than seeing disruption only as a risk, Kishu Fastener believes it can create openings and plans to visit the United States and other markets.
Murakami: As Nippon Fastener enters its second century, traditional quality, cost and delivery expectations will become harder to maintain. Practices considered normal in Japan can themselves become powerful selling points if supported by investment in people, equipment, IT and factory efficiency.
Takada and Hiraoka: Sunco will continue promoting Japanese suppliers, expanding sales channels and raising its international profile. It aims to become a trusted overseas partner while improving online visibility, increasing customer acquisition and ensuring that suppliers’ products and information contribute consistently to long-term sales growth.
Conclusion:
The discussion highlighted that Japanese fasteners have much to offer global markets, from trusted quality and reliable service to specialist products and strong technical expertise. While overseas expansion brings challenges, the participants agreed that greater collaboration, stronger communication and continued investment in people and technology will create new opportunities. By combining traditional Japanese manufacturing strengths with a more outward-looking approach, the industry is well placed to build lasting international growth.
Source: Let’s Fasten.it https://bit.ly/letsfastenitautumn2026_IndustrialNow
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