Corporate
Profile

[Company strength]
Our company has the number two position in the domestic Japanese industry. We have led the industry through initiatives such as using CAD/CAM to shorten deliveries of orthoses in response to the recent demand to shorten the duration of hospital stays. We are also actively working in new fields such as robot-assisted rehabilitation, and we actively participate in industry-university collaboration. Our new businesses include manufacturing prostheses and orthoses for pets and other animals, as well as wheelchair manufacturing. 

[Business description]
Our company manufactures and sells prostheses, orthoses and orthopedic equipment, sells nursing care and rehabilitation equipment, and manufactures, sells and leases home remodeling welfare equipment. We mainly target individuals as our principal customers. Our core products are made-to-order prostheses and orthoses. These products are manufactured using plaster and other impression materials to model the shape of a patient’s body under the guidance of physicians at hospitals and other medical facilities. Patients can receive subsidies to cover the cost of these products under health insurance or welfare programs, and pricing is set based on standards formulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

[Industry]
Prostheses and orthoses manufacturing

[Strength of products/technologies]
Mold creation is a fundamental component of manufacturing prostheses and orthoses, and it must be carried out by an artificial limb technician (national qualification). About 50% of our staff members hold this qualification. The bulk of our products are made to order, but there has also been an increase in modularization in recent years. In many cases we only manufacture the interface parts that connect directly to the body. We have also added support for specialized products such as artificial legs for sports. Our company possesses technology such as high-accuracy machining processing for soft urethane foam. We excel in hand-made interfaces based on a craftsman’s technology. We anticipate that we will demonstrate this strength as the need for connecting robotics and other machinery to the human body emerges in the future.

[Representative's message]
The need to develop health-related products outside the medical and rehabilitation fields is bound to increase with the future ageing society. We engage in product development and other operations with this in mind. Our company can also take various approaches as a prostheses and orthoses maker in the emerging field of robot-assisted rehabilitation. 

[Company structure for market development/overseas expansion]
Our sales division is the point of contact for medical-related inquiries. Our planning business division performs the same function for requests from machinery suppliers and so on other than hospitals. Our planning business division handles development and other technical inquiries. Our company currently does not accommodate overseas projects. 

[Market share/Ranking]
We have the second-largest domestic Japanese share in our sector.

[Awards and media coverage]
[Awards]
Aichi Quality Certification (2005); commendation from the Komaki City Association for Safety of Hazardous Materials (2014).

[Media]
NHK, “Hot Evening: Animal Ortho Japan” (December 17, 2014); CBC, “Ippou: The world of craftsmen who create artificial legs and arms to replace lost limbs as a result of labor accidents (March 12, 2015).


[Authorization/Certification]
License for specially controlled medical devices and the like (sales and leasing businesses) (May 1, 2007); nursing care insurance certified business operator (August 1, 2007).
PrivacyMark certification (December 5, 2008).



[Joint research and development]
Registered patents: Prosthetic Leg Equipment (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-333976) and nine others; patents pending: five; utility model registrations: three including Shin Intramedullary Rod Surgery Pillow.



[Main Clients / Business History (domestic)]
Direct delivery of cycling wheelchairs to Francebed (2010 to 2011).