Factory Tour No.3 (2/3)

2.Nakaden Keori Co., Ltd.
The next company we visited was Nakaden Keori Co., Ltd., which was established in 1960, and is known as the top company in the Lady's wear section, in the Bishu district. They produce mainly woolen textiles, chemical synthetic fiber textiles, and knit yard goods. President Nakajima spoke on the background of the textile industry, the characteristics of the Bishu production center, and a brief history of his company, and how they innovated their weaving machines (from Schoenherr weaving machine to rapier loom). In addition, we learned about the significance of the affiliated overseas factories, and the grouping of the domestic dyeing companies.
The Bishu production area is one of the two biggest production districts in the world, (the other being Italy), in the field of finest Lady's wear based on woollen goods. Nakaden Keori Co., Ltd. is a company which is distinguished from table makers, and specificly in the Bishu production centers, has built a production system of planning, production, and sales based on spinning, dyeing, the organizing of affiliate companies.
President Nakajima has been developing the company, anticipating the change of focus from quantity to quality. We learned a lot from his unique insights which only the head of the company would know, such as the risk of innovating with new machines, the educational issues to take over techniques to the next generation, and maintaining them in Japan.
Looking on many process there, we were much impressed by various machines which were rich in originality as we observed the facilities; warping (drawing), warping machines just for supplying its parts, original multi-purpose winders, weaving machines (from traditional weaving machines as Schoenherr, Dornier, Picanol, and Sulzar to innovative weaving machines as leno weaving apparatus, jacquard machines).

3, Takihyo Co., Ltd (Ichinomiya factory)
The last factory visit on the first day was to Takihyo Co., Ltd. a well-established fiber specialized trading company and established in 1751; in the first year of Hōreki. We learned about the orgins of the company as a manufacturer of thread to textile and the long history of operations in Ichinomiya.
The facilities related spinning machines (openers, blendor, carding machines, English method spinning machines) and weaving machines (Schoenherr weaving machines with the ear name jacquard) were installed in the factory, and allowed them to learn how raw materials such as cotton or wool would be spun and woven. They intended the factory to be, what we call, "the mother factory" to review "polite manufacturing of Bishu" and to consider their "manufacturing" when they decided to set up the factory. They told us about the dream of "the textile development engineers" with detailed explanation of the precious English method spinning machine, Schoenherr weaving machines.