Tensho Electric Industries: leading the plastic industry since 1936

With increasing plastics consumption across a range of industries worldwide, from automotives and electronics, to packaging and medical devices, the global plastics industry is set to grow at 4% annually over the coming years, while the global injection molded plastic segment is projected to see 5.7% growth year-on-year.

With a strong foothold in both industries, Japanese firm Tensho Electric Industries Co., Ltd. is poised to benefit from this growth as a leading supplier of high-quality plastic parts and components to automotives, home appliance and factory equipment manufacturers.

“Being the pioneer in the plastic industry and being a Tier 1 supplier to many clients involved in all the industries mentioned above, when there is growth globally, we are affected positively,” says company president, Tadahiko Ishikawa.

Founded in 1936, Tensho has always been driven by innovation and was the first company to develop plastic cabinets for radios all those years ago. Several decades on and the company is also channeling its pioneering spirit to develop high-performing, light-weight and superior designed plastic parts for the next generation of automobiles.

Manufacturing everything from front grills, bumper guards, spoilers and windshield panels to instrument panels, glove compartments and seat panels, Tensho works closely with its clients and this collaborative approach has been one of the key pillars of the company’s success in the fastmoving automotive industry.

“We are constantly in talk with automakers, which allows us to provide them with the right products at the right time. Therefore, whenever there are new changes, they come to us and tell us exactly what they need,” explains Mr. Ishikawa. “Moreover, we often send our technicians and engineers to the automaker plants, so they can work hand in hand with their R&D departments. We call it co-development and it enables us to create new products.”

When it comes to visible plastic parts for home appliances and factory equipment, beautiful design is just as important as functionality. As such, Tensho strives to create products that are not only of the highest quality, but also aesthetically pleasing to the eye of the end consumer.

Key to the company’s success in this regard has been the wide range of molds and molding techniques, onestop services for assembly and painting, and its integrated production system and cutting-edge production facilities that are the result of its 80-plus years’ experience in plastics engineering.

“Tensho prides itself in total engineering which allows in-house, one-stop production, from planning and development to mold design and fabrication, evaluation of a prototype, molding, and final assembly. Based on best-in-class technical skills in the industry, we can manufacture highquality products at high speed,” says Mr. Ishikawa.

Having cemented its position as a highly reputable B2B parts supplier, Tensho now aims to put more focus on developing more of its own original products, such as ‘Tentaru’ containers, which were originally designed to replace the easy-rotting wooden barrels used in the pickle and fishing industries, but are now deployed in a wide range of industries due to their durability, strength, lightweight and cleanliness. Other flagship original products include ‘TenRainScrum’, a highly durable rainwater harvesting system that reduces the impact of flooding; and ‘Tensert Racks’, which are used to transport electric printed-circuit boards on automated factory lines.

With five domestic factories (and another under construction in Yabuki), two overseas factories in Mexico and China, a joint venture in Poland, as well as U.S. subsidiary Tensho America Corporation, Tensho wants to expand its global foothold in the coming years and sees particular potential opportunities in the North American market.

“My dream is to increase our international footprint by finding partners and continuing our M&A activities especially in the USA, which is the market on which we would like to focus,” adds Mr. Ishikawa. “If we are able to do so, it would represent an important step towards our goal to make Tensho a leading global company.”