Takefu Special Steel Co.Ltd.

Takefu Special Steel Co.Ltd. /TSS/

The last trip to Japan was really hearty. No wonder, because the pandemic of the Covid-19 virus and the subsequent closure of Japan caused the cancellation of two planned trips. The schedule therefore included a visit to all the main islands except northern Hokkaido. This time I was especially looking forward to one special destination – Takefu. This small town is currently called Echizen and is located on the island of Honshu in Fukui Prefecture. My good friend Tomohiro Hasegawa, president of Marusho Industries (Mcusta and Zanmai brands) offered to go with me and arrange a visit to Takefu Special Steel (TSS). What can I tell you, Christmas in September.

We set off by car from Tomo's place of work, Seki. The road went through the 3 prefectures of Gifu, Shiga and Fukui. The whole time we were accompanied by mountains and in some places I felt like I was somewhere in central Slovakia. We passed Japan's largest lake, Biwa, and after 2 hours of driving, we arrived at Takefu. In the suburbs, we were greeted by the JR Shinkansen station. The city itself consists of densely built lower buildings connected by countless electric cables running through the air. Newer buildings are built of wood due to the risk of frequent earthquakes. We were originally supposed to check in first, but I saw a hint of tension on Tomo's face. "We'll go to the steel mill at once, we mustn't be late." The following events explained Tomo's nervousness to me.

                                                                                 With Tomo, Sales Director and CEO

Takefu Special Steel Co. Ltd. is a family business with a 70-year history. It is one of the smaller steel mills, as it has approximately 50 employees. Well, size is one thing and meaning is another. Just look at the production program that specializes in layered materials. Here we can find three-layer, multi-layer and coreless composites using the following steels:

Carbon steel: V1, V2, V2C, Shiro2 

Cast steel: V-Toku1, V-Toku2 

Semi stainless steel: V-Gin1, Gin2, Gin3B 

Stainless steel: VG1, VG2, VG5, VG10, CoSP 

Powder steel: SPG2 

Other: Vinno1 

As you may have guessed correctly, the steel mill cannot cover the demand for their products in capacity and therefore literally chooses its customers. And since Marusho Industries belongs to the premium ones, I was very lucky. The sales director was waiting for us in front of the building, who welcomed us with the proverbial Japanese politeness. He led us to a luxuriously furnished meeting room, where we watched a demonstration video thoroughly "cleaned" of company know-how. After the video ended, the CEO entered the room to thank us for our visit in excellent English.

We got the "safety" caps and headed to the production hall. It was clear that asking permission to take pictures would be completely useless. I therefore activated visual memory, which I then converted into notes at night at the hotel. Watching the sizzling hot packets pass back and forth through the cylinders until they reached 16 times their original length was breathtaking. This was followed by cutting, straightening, cold rolling, tempering and more straightening. We left the hall and I instinctively headed for the second one. With the politeness that only a Japanese knows how to do, it was indicated to me that the tour was over. But not our visit. We were given 30 minutes for accommodation, but the TSS car was already in front of the hotel 10 minutes before the agreed time. We moved to the restaurant where the TSS president was waiting for us in a privately rented room. The 13-course dinner was held in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. On the second day, we visited the local sales and contracting exhibition, where TSS also had its official representation. Although the exhibition was not worth much, a visit to the TSS booth made up for it. We were received by a white-haired older man, before whom Tomo bowed at least 6 times. He then timidly encouraged me to meet Mr. Kono, the chairman of the board and the son of the founder of Takefu Special Steel. As I left, I could only say: "Good job, Tomo!"

Showroom

                                                                                     Model of the rolling station