Ochiai Cutlery Manufacturing Company has been delivering high-end technology to its clients in the tea industry and beyond since 1919
“My goal is to use the experiences I have gained to chart a new 100-year course for the company.” Masunao Ochiai, President, Ochiai Cutlery Mfg. Co., Ltd.
In the 100 or so years since it first introduced a manual tea picking shear to the market, industry giant Ochiai has been obliged to adapt to many challenges.
Perhaps that is why company president Masunao Ochiai remains bullish in the face of Japan’s much-discussed demographic situation: “While it is true that the domestic market is limited (due to the aging population), there are great opportunities overseas not only for tea, but also in other industries such as flower harvesting.”
In fact, Mr. Ochiai argues that the biggest issue for the company is not the country’s shrinking agricultural sector, but rather the no
Not that he is cowed by that either. With various zero emission products in development, Ochiai will launch its first battery-powered hedge trimmer in the near future, and it is hoped that existing collaborations with companies such as Yanmar, Yamabiko and Makita will go from strength to strength.
Overseas, Mr. Ochiai is looking to expand the company’s presence in China, with India and Africa representing potential target markets as urbanization in those countries increases. In Europe, meanwhile, there is “great potential for applications other than tea.”
With a range of “advanced and complex manufacturing technology” at its fingertips, the key, according to Mr. Ochiai, will be “pushing it to the forefront and marketing it.”
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