Omae Co., Ltd.
Originally Published in Cutting Tool Engineering Magazine, January 2024.
Mazak machines' power to draw out smiling faces of customers
Omae Co., Ltd. (Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture) established a two-pillar production system for bending pipe and punching machining at the headquarters factory and for sheet metal and canning processing at Kawachi factory. The company is working on this practice with the operating principle of "creating products that bring smiles to our customers."
Introduction of laser machine aimed at improving manual labor
"I have always wanted to improve the manual process such as cutting iron plates and using patterns. At that time, I learned about the existence of SPACE GEAR-48 Mk II, saw the actual machine at an exhibition, and was attracted to the fact that it can process not only flat sheets but also pipes."Mr. Yoichi Omae, president of Omae Co., Ltd. explains the background behind the decision to introduce a laser processing machine.
At the time of its founding, the company was involved in the production of iron formwork for pouring concrete during tunnel construction. The company entered the stainless steel processing industry when it began producing parts for food machinery. The company captured the customer base through pipe and sheet metal processing.
President Omae pursues "providing products that meet the trust of our customers in terms of delivery, price, and quality" to embody the company's philosophy.
These are also strengths that other companies cannot match. "From a customer’s perspective, delivery time is our top priority. We provide products that satisfy customers at a price and quality to match. This is our mission, and all of our employees work with this mindset."
Reduction to a few minutes for tasks that took a whole day
The company regards Mazak's laser processing machines as "machines that can make customers smile," and expanded the range of work according to the characteristics of each machine.
Following the first model, the company expanded its customer base by gradually introducing 3D FABRI GEAR 400 Ⅲ (2017), SUPER TURBO-X 3015 (2022), and FT-150 FIBER (2023). Among these, the 3D FABRI GEAR 400 Ⅲ attracted attention from customers for its ability to handle long structural materials, opening up new business fields. This led to orders for mass-produced items related to public works.
The SUPER TURBO-X 3015 is active as a successor to the SPACE GEAR-48 Mk II. "Depending on the content of the work, we have achieved a speedup of 20%," President Omae said.
The FT-150 FIBER is a strategic machine that the company is so focused on that it has built a dedicated building for it near its head office. President Omae praised the machine's high-speed cutting performance, saying,
"In some cases, work that would have taken an entire day can be completed in a few minutes." Senior Managing Director Masayoshi Omae, who is in charge of product design and program creation, said," This is a reliable ally for our company as we move forward with automation and production capacity.
The advantage is that cutting begins just by loading the material onto the loader, and the workpiece is automatically unloaded. We hope to get the mass production system on track as soon as possible."
Aiming to increase customers through open house with actual equipment
"Not only the main body but also the evolution of CNC system and software that pursues ease of use are unique to Mazak machines. Despite the complex processing, I think it is a friendly machine that even new workers can operate intuitively."
The production lead time reduced by the rapid processing of the installed machines has resulted in tighter delivery deadlines and shorter delivery times. The company's customer strategy of prioritizing delivery times is bearing fruit.
"If the products we produce with Mazak machines bring a smile to our customers, the smile will come back to us. As a result, it will lead to more rewarding work for our employees. That's the kind of company I want us to be," President Omae said strongly.
n the spring of 2024, the company plans to hold an open house at the head office and Kawachi factory with the aim of pursuing customer orientation and increasing the name recognition.
"We would like to show the Mazak machines in action and have an opportunity to listen to our customers' requests and the customers to get a feel for our company's potential."
In December 2023, the company opened a DIY rental space in the corner of the Kawachi factory, holding workshops and steadily progressing with activities suitable for Higashiosaka, one of Osaka's leading manufacturing towns.
