Toyo Kanetsu K.K is one of the largest full-range suppliers of automation and material handling systems in Japan. The company has been integrating components from Dematic, one of the leading suppliers of automation technology, into its solutions for many decades. Customers from Toyo Kanetsu's food, e-commerce, clothing and industrial sectors benefit in particular from the Dematic Multishuttle. The two companies have been working together for almost 60 years. The cooperation is characterized by far more than just product-related and economic interests. On the occasion of Dematic's 200th anniversary, Hiroki Shinohara, Managing Director of Toyo Kanetsu, and Shin Yamashita, Director Global Research & Innovation Dematic, look back on the milestones of the partnership.

materialfluss: When did the collaboration between Toyo Kanetsu and Dematic begin?
Shinohara: That was in 1960, when Toyo Kanetsu was still a licensee of Rapistan Systems in Michigan, a predecessor company of Dematic and the market leader in materials handling technology. We started to introduce Rapistan technologies to the Japanese market. In 1989, the 30-year partnership was celebrated in the form of a valuable wooden grandfather clock with carvings.

mfl: In the meantime, the Dematic Multishuttle in particular has met with a positive response in Japan. How did this come about?
Yamashita: When a former head of development at Toyo Kanetsu visited Dematic on a business trip in 2009, he came into contact with the Dematic Multishuttle for the first time. He found it so interesting that he decided to introduce it in Japan. He even took a shuttle with him to Japan in his checked luggage. Shortly afterwards, Toyo Kanetsu received an order from Japan's largest e-commerce company to install a Dematic Multishuttle with the patented double lifter module. Toyo Kanetsu tailored the parameters of the shuttle system precisely to the customer's operations and was thus able to achieve a very high throughput.

Hiroki Shinohara, Managing Director of Toyo Kanetsu © Toyo Kanetsu

mfl: How has the Dematic Multishuttle fared in Japan since then?
Shinohara: Since then, we have sold more than 3,000 shuttles. We have become the market leader for shuttle systems in Japan. We plan to install another 1,600 shuttles in Japan by 2021.

mfl: What do you see as the key to a successful business relationship between the two companies?
Yamashita: The key to the success of such a partnership is mutual trust and the ability to recognize and leverage the strengths of the companies involved. Dematic's global perspective, strategic thinking and innovative intralogistics solutions, combined with Toyo Kanetsu's willingness to take risks and meticulous project management, have enabled both companies to exploit synergies and achieve success.

mfl: What major changes have characterized the partnership over the past 60 years?
Yamashita: The most significant change was the transition from a licensee relationship to a partnership. The turning point was when Toyo Kanetsu introduced the Dematic Multishuttle to the Japanese market and secured market leadership for shuttle systems there. Today, the company is well known throughout the Japanese industry.

Shin Yamashita, Director Global Research & Innovation Dematic © Dematic

mfl: How do customers benefit from the partnership?
Shinohara: The customer benefits from the strengths of both companies. Together, Toyo Kanetsu and Dematic have succeeded in bringing new technologies and innovative concepts to the market - earlier than their competitors. Toyo Kanetsu uses Dematic's innovative solutions and has developed them further in a unique way. The company then shares the resulting knowledge with Dematic. This is just one example of how the two companies work together successfully.
Yamashita: We also work together continuously to improve the quality of the systems. We know the high requirements in Japan and have therefore been able to further improve the advantages of the Dematic multi-shuttle. To this end, we have integrated new components that meet the expectations of customers not only from Japan, but from all over the world.

mfl: What joint projects and developments are planned for the future?
Shinohara: Over time, the two companies have not only built up a respectful business relationship, but have also increasingly leveraged their individual strengths in a number of research projects. Recently, for example, Dematic and Toyo Kanetsu joined forces for a research project to make the Dematic shuttle lift more effective. The aim was to increase performance by more than 50 percent. Further projects are already in the pipeline for the time after that, including Toyo Kanetsu's involvement in the product development of the third generation of the Dematic multi-shuttle.

mfl: What are the biggest challenges for the coming years?
Shinohara: We value a corporate culture and structure that is geared towards putting the customer at the center. We don't just want to sell conveyor technology and efficient shuttle systems for as long as possible, we want to offer a complete solution with added value. Because in this case, everyone wins: the customer, Dematic and Toyo Kanetsu.

About Dematic
Dematic, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, is a leading provider of integrated automation technology, software and services for supply chainoptimization. Dematic employs more than 7,000 logistics professionals and operates development centers and manufacturing facilities worldwide. The company is part of the KION Group and has implemented more than 6,000 integrated systems for its customer base, which is made up of small, medium-sized and large companies from numerous different industries. The Group is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in Europe, number two worldwide and a leading supplier of automation technology.