Comparing Japanese companies with German SMEs, this article examines the background to Japan's stagnant productivity and highlights Task Co. and BMW's Leipzig plant as examples of hidden champions.
This article examines the factors that enable Germany's hidden champions to outperform Japanese companies, focusing on the growth of companies with a high share of overseas sales and local procurement and tendering systems. Alongside charts showing sales trends, it introduces the profile, history and track record of 株式会社タスク in Tochigi Prefecture as a Japanese company that could become a “hidden champion” in the near future.
株式会社タスク manufactures and sells medical devices, including biopsy needles, through distributors in Japan and overseas, with sales in more than 30 countries. Sales in fiscal 2023 were ¥6.06 billion, with overseas sales accounting for 86%. The company has 287 employees, and its headquarters and plant are located in Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture. It was founded in 1974, and its current president is Kawashima Ken (川嶋健).
The company's distinguishing features include an “international peddler” sales approach focused on overseas markets, a genba-genbutsu principle of incorporating doctors' views from the field, expressed as “Did you see it, hear it and touch it?”, and thorough manual inspections in its manufacturing operations. Its stated targets are sales of ¥10 billion in 5 years and ¥40 billion thereafter.
Meanwhile, interviews at BMW's Leipzig plant revealed that German automakers conduct tenders for each order, establish procurement standards and purchase components from around the world. The site was also expanding production lines for component manufacturers in the surrounding area, taking advantage of the availability of large plots of land and low labor costs.