By: Atsushi Kuwasaki, Staff Editor, SEISANZAI Japan 

Accelerating customer development across the Hokuriku region 

Brother Industries is strengthening its sales network to expand sales of its SPEEDIO series compact machining centers (BT30 spindle taper) to customers in the Japanese market. As part of this effort, the company established a new Hokuriku Sales Office in Kanazawa in October this year, building a structure to accelerate new customer development in the three Hokuriku prefectures. The company aims to win orders for 60 units annually by 2030 by promoting SPEEDIO’s high productivity and diverse product lineup to customers in the Hokuriku region. 

Target: 60 units annually by 2030 

A barrel-opening ceremony celebrated the establishment of the Hokuriku Sales Office.

Brother Industries established the Hokuriku Sales Office for its Industrial Equipment Business Division, which develops and sells SPEEDIO, in Kanazawa and began operations in October this year. The Hokuriku Sales Office handles SPEEDIO sales expansion in the three Hokuriku prefectures: Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyama. 

On October 16, the company held an opening ceremony at a hotel in Kanazawa, attended by approximately 20 representatives from major trading companies and local dealers. At the ceremony, the newly appointed chief, Takuya Kobayashi, introduced the office’s strategy and addressed regional needs. “In the Hokuriku region, demand has been increasing since 2022 for process consolidation using 5-axis machining centers and replacement of BT40 machining centers, with both order numbers and volumes growing annually,” Kobayashi stated. 

Brother showcased SPEEDIO’s diverse product lineup at MECHATRONICS TECHNOLOGY JAPAN (MECT) 2025 in October this year

The Hokuriku region is home to several concentrated industries—eyewear in Sabae, Fukui; machinery in Ishikawa; and aluminum in Toyama—creating significant demand for precision parts machining. Previously, however, the company conducted sales activities from its Nagoya Sales Office in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture. Due to the distance, it was difficult to respond quickly to customer needs in the Hokuriku region. By establishing the Hokuriku Sales Office as a regional sales base, the company can promote SPEEDIO’s high productivity and diverse product lineup to customers in the three Hokuriku prefectures. The office will encourage replacement of BT40 machining centers and accelerate new customer development. “We want to achieve orders for 60 units annually by 2030,” emphasized Chief Kobayashi. 

Covering all of Japan “comprehensively” 

“We will strengthen the sales and service functions at each base going forward,” said Senior Managing Executive Officer Shin Hoshi.

“Looking at the industry as a whole, domestic demand faces a tough situation compared to foreign demand, as capital investment demand in the automotive industry and other sectors remains sluggish. However, by expanding SPEEDIO’s product lineup, we’re capturing new demand from medical, aerospace, and semiconductor-related industries that we couldn’t reach before. This allows us to perform well despite the challenging environment.” 

Makoto Hoshi, Senior Managing Executive Officer and Head of the Machinery Business Division, explained the business climate for the Industrial Equipment Business Division in the Japanese market. 

The company has been strengthening partnerships with dealers in recent years to further expand SPEEDIO’s market share. It also actively proposes utilization of various subsidies, including the “Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Labor-saving Investment Subsidy (Catalog Order Type),” working to cultivate domestic demand. 

In its three-year medium-term strategy “CS B2027,” which ends in fiscal year 2027, the company set a goal to increase Industrial Equipment Business Division revenue to ¥100 billion by fiscal 2027. Japan is incorporated as one of the priority markets for achieving this goal, and the company will continue to focus on strengthening sales bases. The establishment of the Hokuriku Sales Office is part of this effort, with plans for showroom relocations, expansions, and new openings in other regions. 

Senior Managing Executive Officer Hoshi stated: “With the Hokuriku Sales Office, we’ve generally established a sales structure that ‘comprehensively’ covers all of Japan. However, individual bases still lack sufficient human resources, so we want to strengthen sales and service functions at each base going forward.”