EngNet » Press Releases » New subsidiary opens in Japan

Beckhoff opened a new branch office in Yokohama, Japan on May 9, 2011. The company, which has already been represented in Japan by a distributor since 2004, is expanding its presence due to positive business developments in the country. Beckhoff sees big opportunities going forward in the Japanese market, in particular, gaining customers via its advanced technologies. The advantages of PC-based control, such as the ultra-fast control technology XFC (eXtreme Fast Control) and the simple integration of engineering science into automation (Scientific Automation), are understood and accepted by Japanese engineers in particular.

“Germany is traditionally one of Japan?s most important foreign trade partners and the foreign trade volume continues to increase. Made in Germany still enjoys a very strong reputation in Japan, says Kai Ristau, Head of International Sales and Business Development at Beckhoff Automation, Verl, describing the market situation.

In Toshimitsu Kawano, an experienced automation expert has been appointed Managing Director of the Japanese Beckhoff subsidiary. The Japanese company?s head office is situated in the Bay of Yokohama, in Minato-Mirai. The Japanese Beckhoff team presently consists of five employees. Cooperation with the Japanese distributor K.MECS will continue on the basis of partnerships with specific accounts and projects.

“The Japanese market is dominated by the large Japanese hardware controller manufacturers. Our opportunity lies in convincing the rather traditional Japanese market of our high-performance control philosophy based on PC and IT standards. One door opener here is EtherCAT technology, which Beckhoff developed. The Ethernet-based fieldbus has been well-accepted in Japan. The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) already has over 160 members in Japan,” Kai Ristau reports.

Preparations for opening the new Beckhoff branch office came to a standstill due to the earthquake and tsunami disaster in March 2011. “Despite the continuing normalization of everyday life, the focus is on reconstruction,” says Toshimitsu Kawano. “We are supporting the industrial companies affected in the recovery as quickly as possible and getting their production up and running again. In parallel to that we are pushing sales in the fields of machine building, plant manufacturing and building automation.”