Source:
https://scmp.com/country-reports/country-reports/topics/japan-business-report-feb-2019/article/2184235/hokusho-lifts Country Reports
Hokusho lifts customers’ manufacturing efficiency with leading goods distribution systems
- Family business has come a long way since developing its first product, a slat conveyor, in the 1950s
Supported by:
Discovery Reports
Takahiro Kitamura, president
Country Business Reports interviews and articles by Discovery Reports www.discoveryreports.com
Industries today face many challenges such as wage increases, labour shortages and demand for more sophisticated products. To improve production speed while maintaining exceptional results for customers, the implementation of the right material handling system is crucial. As industries increasingly turn to automation and other Industry 4.0 solutions, the region’s leading material handling equipment maker Hokusho evolves with the market changes as it upholds manufacturers by providing material distribution equipment backed by the latest Japanese technologies.
Starting as a machine trader and distributor, the decades-old family business developed its first product, a slat conveyor, in the 1950s after the company’s founder witnessed the cumbersome way Japanese farmers lifted and stockpiled 60-kilo rice sacks. Hokusho has since created a range of patented material distribution systems under the helm of third-generation scion and president Takahiro Kitamura.
“As investments in automation grow, we act fast to incessantly develop new solutions while regularly improving and modifying existing ones,” Kitamura says.
Some of the company’s standard products used in multilevel factories and warehouses are the vertical transfer system, automated sortation systems such as the piece assorting system and the sorting and transfer system, and the clean vertical transfer systems. Hokusho also carries system engineering products such as palletising, production line, and packaging systems that save on labour costs and streamline operations.
Hokusho applies its solid technical know-how to develop environmental systems that improve frozen warehouse efficiency. As consumers demand fresher produce and food products, companies are looking for more innovative and reliable food storage and handling solutions. Hokusho seeks to penetrate China’s burgeoning frozen warehousing market in addition to cementing its presence in Japan, South Korea and across Southeast Asia.
“Our company exists to contribute to society,” Kitamura says. “We serve customers by continuously bolstering our capabilities to meet delivery, cost and quality demands.”