A case study of SYNC INNOVATION Inc. which has installed the UJF-7151 plus and DCF-605PU, etc., was published in the order goods magazine "OGBS magazine" , Vol. 81 (November 2022 issue).
The following is the published article in its original form.
Producing 100,000 units a month with about 40 UV printers! What is the future vision of a leading manufacturer of goods?
Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Tokyo Revengers... Many companies have experience in producing these popular anime goods as subcontractors, but few have obtained official licenses to manufacture and sell them as their own products. One such company is SYNC INNOVATION Inc..
The company was founded in 2014. Originally, they sold sundries and iPhone cases purchased from China to end users on Rakuten Ichiba, a famous Japanese online shop. But when the yearly turnover exceeded 10 million yen, they had too much inventory so they switched to a method of UV printing on plain materials.
More than 40 UV printers, including Mimaki Engineering's UJF-6042MkII and UJF-7151 plus, are lined up in a row in SYNC INNOVATION's office.
"Then we realized that we could make as many products if we have UV printer and designs. We started with one UV machine, and around 2018, when that number exceeded 15 machines, we launched the OEM division to start manufacturing products for manufacturers," said company president Naoyuki Miwa.
The OEM business, which began for general merchandise suppliers, grew steadily, with 35 UV printers and annual sales exceeding 1 billion yen. However, President Miwa, who believed that iPhone cases would eventually disappear, developed a variety of UV printing products. The company has greatly expanded the range of products it handles, and now more than 80% of its products are other than iPhones. They also realized the need for fabric printing and began working on DTG and various transfer printing methods.Recently, the company has also introduced DTF, and is developing its business by taking advantage of its wide variety of merchandise and on-demand machines.
Naoyuki Miwa, representative director of SYNC INNOVATION Inc.
The COVID-19 led to small-lot and more variety of products.
Although the company appeared to be doing well, the impact of the COVID-19 was significant.
"The company's production of large-lot production in China was affected, and we realized that we needed to produce smaller lots and a wider variety of products. To establish a system that would allow us to undertake design work from a single unit, we hired 12 salespeople and designers at once. Fixed costs increased while sales remained flat. In order to adjust for this, we have begun new initiatives."
In 2021, the company launched MD division, and based on the contacts it had cultivated in the OEM business, it acquired licenses for popular animated cartoons, becoming involved in as many as 28 big titles in a single year. With this, the company has succeeded in establishing three pillars of business: EC business for end users, OEM business for manufacturers, and MD business for licensees. The company has established a system that enables it to undertake all processes from planning, design proposals, prototyping, mass production, and packaging for its clients. They were grown to be a grateful presence for customers, who can send one logo to create several design patterns, complete a sample in one to three business days, and consult with us about mass production.
Mimaki Engineering's UV printers and laser processing machines are installed in SYNC INNOVATION's office to print on plain materials and acrylics. On another floor in the same building, a solvent printer and other equipment are installed to produce a variety of goods. Another location in Nagoya-shi is equipped with DTG and DTF printers to print on fabric products.
Started selling more than 300 types of plain products with proven sales records
Furthermore, as a new challenge, the company has started selling plain materials for UV printing. The company has developed more than 300 plain materials to expand its product lineup. The photo below shows just a few of them. In addition to the standard products, the company has a lineup of popular products that have sold well, such as sandals, coin pouches, hand mirrors, and badges. The company not only sells these products, but also provides corresponding jigs and jig data. In addition, if a consulting contract is concluded, advice on how to create a website and sales methods is also provided.
"We are keenly aware that handling UV is not easy. Therefore, we provide the knowledge and technology we have cultivated and support UV users in various aspects so that they can expand their business. We have also started selling machines, so even if you are just starting out in the business, we will provide comprehensive backup," said president Miwa.
In addition, the company has teamed up with Mimaki Engineering to start selling plain materials through "Club Mimaki" (photo below). The products are delivered flat so that they can be set in a UV printer as they are taken out of the bag, reducing the amount of labor required. This will also contribute greatly to production efficiency.
Some of the plain materials sold by the company. There are standard items such as phone cases, but also many products that cannot be found anywhere else.
Club Mimaki (https://club.mimaki.com/), where you can purchase supplies and merchandise developed by Mimaki Engineering. About 120 types of plain materials for UV by SYNC INNOVATION are available.
Another challenge is to promote acrylic coating with Mimaki Engineering's DCF-605PU. The company proposed coated acrylic key chains to major publishers with whom it has licensing agreements, and appealed to them that the printed surface would not be damaged. They received a favorable response.
"If this is accepted, future orders will be based on the coating. If the technology spreads to other publishers, the declining production price of acrylic key holders should improve. Although coating increases the number of processes, we are planning to introduce an additional DCF-605PU in anticipation of this becoming the norm for our company".
Mimaki Engineering's DCF-605PU digital coating machine.
The third challenge is the creation of a completely new key holder using a 3D printer by Mimaki Engineering. By using clear ink to create a design that looks like a three-dimensional figure enclosed in acrylic, the company is developing a product that no one has ever seen before.
It is rare for an order-made goods business to be able to fully utilize the characteristics of on-demand machines to produce small lots of as little as one piece, a variety of more than 300 types of goods developed in-house, and to plan, propose designs, and mass-produce goods. It will be interesting to see how the company's future will come to fruition.
User profile
- NameSYNC INNOVATION Inc.
- IndustryUV printing and transfer printing business, OEM business, textile printing business, etc.
- AddressTokai-Shoji building 4・5 floor 1-29-27 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi, Japan
- Phone number+81-52-212-8595
- URLhttps://sync-innovation.co.jp/
