CASE STUDY
Nishinihon Steel Co., Ltd. Omuta Plant

New factory for residential foundation unit production, total coordination

西日本鋼業株式会社 大牟田工場

Company Overview

Company Name

Nishinihon Steel Co., Ltd. Omuta Plant

Industry

Manufacturing of construction steel bars (reinforcing bars)

Business Operations

Manufacturing of construction steel bars, sales of processed products such as reinforcing bars for residential foundation units, protective fencing materials for harmful birds and animals, port and civil engineering materials, and processed products for home improvement stores.

Number of Employees

80 people

Established

April 12, 1948 (Showa 23)

Person Interviewed

Position/Name

President and CEO, Mr. Hiroshi Nishiyama

Career

In 2023, he transitioned from the banking industry and assumed the position of President and CEO of Nishinihon Steel Co., Ltd. He has promoted employee development and multi-skilling, contributing to reduced overtime hours and improved performance. He has also focused on improving employee benefits, with a policy of distributing profits to employees at the end of the fiscal year. Under his leadership, the company has achieved record sales and profits over the past three years. Going forward, the company plans to build a new factory in Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, to expand its business.

Background to Introduction

Until now, we have been engaged in the production of reinforced steel for residential foundations based in Sasebo, but domestic demand for housing is expected to decline in the future, and the challenge was how to continue our business.
In order to solve this problem, we decided to establish a new factory to develop new markets for reinforced steel for residential foundations and expand our business beyond residential foundations.

Key points of introduction

At the Sasebo factory, we had previously used TOYO products and had a track record of production.
TOYO not only handles rebar processing machines but also multi-welding devices and universal testing machines, and they offered a one-stop solution including layout proposals for equipment configuration at the new factory, so we decided to entrust the project to TOYO.

Product Information

Reinforcing Bar Automatic Cutting Machine TFC-S-H 2 units

 

Reinforcing Bar Cutting Conveyor Device TFC-SR(MC-41付) 1 unit

 

Dial-Type Reinforcing Bar Bending Machine B-16-DAB-16-DRB-25-D 1 unit each

 

Reinforcing Bar End Bending Machine EB-16 (for slab bending) 1 unit

 

This product has been replaced by the new model EB-19

 

Mesh Bending Machine FM-5000UD 1 unit

Please refer to the Mesh Bending Machine FM-4000UD for this product.

 

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Semi-automatic multi-welding device for foundation reinforcing bars SY-CG50DEO-2500-7-5000-NC-SL-AR

 

Shimadzu Corporation Universal testing machine UH-F300kNX

 

A complete set of reinforcing bar processing equipment necessary for residential foundations and testing machines essential for quality assurance in the BRS method have also been introduced.

Effects after introduction

[Delivery]
We are now able to respond quickly to requests from foundation contractors in remote areas that were previously difficult to serve.

 

[Productivity]
By reviewing the layout of equipment in the Sasebo factory in light of the issues we faced there, we were able to streamline the production line and improve productivity.
The factory was also designed with future equipment expansion in mind, enabling us to increase production volume and handle rebar processing for non-residential applications.

Future Prospects

In the residential sector, we aim to increase production volume by improving the utilization rate at the Omuta Plant.
Additionally, we plan to expand our business further by processing reinforcing bars for various applications, including concrete secondary products, beyond the residential sector.