Insight

SUNCO Industries is one of Japan’s leading master distributors, specialising in fasteners and related products, with a tradition and track record going back over 75 years. To ensure it continues to meet the needs of its customers, the company has consistently used innovation across its business in order to meet growing requirements.

Today SUNCO Industries Co Ltd collaborates with approximately 1,300 fastener manufacturers of high-quality products and serves 6,000 clients, including international customers. SUNCO’s strength lies in its extensive product line-ups, with the company boasting over 2 million types of items – predominately JIS (Japenese Industrial Standard) products, with 300,000 types consistently in stock. 

“While JIS fasteners may not be the mainstream choice outside of Japan, their significance is underscored by the multitude of Japanese companies manufacturing automobiles, machinery and electronical products worldwide,” explains SUNCO. “We believe that Japanese screws stand as world leaders in terms of the security and reliability for the final product. This has been proven for a long time and we believe it will stay the same in the future. That is why we offer support to those looking to broaden their product range, including both JIS items and other standard products.”

A prime example is SUNCO’s new ONIBA PIAS, which is an innovative product that can be screwed directly into 4mm stainless steel material – with a cross recess 4mm diameter SUS410 drilling screw. “Our ranges of flat washer sizes and pre-assembled screws are also one of the widest in the world,” reports SUNCO. “We have, for example, machine screws in increments of 1mm length, threaded rods with varying 5mm diameter and products plated with trivalent zinc cr+3. We also deal with a wide range of fine pitch screws.”

SUNCO adds: “This approach has served us well in Japan and we are extending this service for overseas companies too. Our motto of ‘your special is our standard’ reflects our commitment to fulfilling our customers’ unique requirements.” 

Throughout its inventory SUNCO’s commitment to quality is also unwavering. “We have a dedicated quality assurance department that conducts regular product checks and collaborates closely with our purchasing teams during supplier visits,” points out the company. “In addition, we are the organiser of Sanko-kai, which is the biggest fastener association in Japan. Sanko-kai has more than 170 suppliers as members, all of whom are striving to improve quality on a daily basis from various angles, including regular quality study sessions and awards for quality initiatives during the year.”

As a business SUNCO has also always been committed to innovation, especially when it comes to providing additional value to its customers. “We continuously invest in our logistics centres, where we have recently shifted our focus to accommodate small quantity shipments, even as little as a single unit, in order to cater to our customers’ diverse needs. To do this, our logistic centres have leveraged a unique mathematical model to enhance systematisation, efficiency and labour savings – creating a system that sets a new industry standard.”

SUNCO has also made investments within rotary racks for fulfilling individual item orders and additional rotary racks that are dedicated to small boxes to enhance the efficiency of small box picking. “Looking ahead, we plan to introduce one of the largest automated warehouses in the industry,” states SUNCO. “Our commitment extends beyond borders, addressing customer needs both locally and globally. We are actively expanding our reach into international markets, striving to meet the swift and safe delivery of products that our domestic and international customers require. We recognise that not all customers need large quantities of niche sizes or products, which is why we use our logistical expertise and product range to promptly deliver the exact quantities our customers need, exactly when they need them.”

SUNCO has also looked to invest in digitisation in order to help it grow overseas sales, which is why it has launched an English version of its web catalogue, 3Qnet, which was initially aimed at domestic customers. “We have updated the system to enable the generation and download of pro forma invoices within the platform, with the option to purchase in Japanese Yen or US Dollars. Customers can also pay via PayPal and orders are dispatched the following day after payment is received,” points out SUNCO. “Upcoming enhancements include adding the capacity to search for products using DIN and ISO standard names, which correspond to JIS standards, and making it possible to carry out transactions in other currencies on 3Qnet, such as Euros and British Sterling.”

To add to this, SUNCO has also created an English language website that will be launched in June – with the new platform designed to help both existing and prospective customers gain a clearer understanding of the company and facilitate smoother communication.

SUNCO concludes: “There are numerous compelling reasons to consider Japan as a supply source, we excel in delivery time management and take pride in our high-quality products. Additionally, the recent weakness of the Japanese Yen has created a price advantage. We invite everyone to explore SUNCO and Japan as their solution to the instability in the supply chain.”