ABOUT US
We develop, manufacture and sell various stationery items such as the popular "Logical” Notebook Series, the long-selling product "FUEL” photo album its 50th anniversary, the paper box type storage product series "Lifestyle Tool".
In recent years, in addition to stationery, we have focused on consumers and everyday life by developing products that are in line with the times, such as gadget-related products such as mice, cables, and PC peripherals, and simple security products that can be easily installed at home. We aim to create a lifestyle that develops and provides products with enhanced affinity.
Established in 1951, Nakabayashi offers a tastefully curated selection of Japanese stationery products that are both simple and logical in design. The standard practice of organizing things would not be complete without the simultaneous organization of thoughts. Each item is traditionally made to elicit the values and core principles of keeping organized, focusing on the way that ideas and thoughts can be genuinely captured neatly together through design.
OUR HISTORY
1923
Nakabayashi is one of the leading stationery and office products and services companies in Japan. Founded in 1923 as a book binding company by Yasuemon Nakabayashi, his namesake company has grown into an international group encompassing 10 manufacturing facilities in Japan, China and Vietnam, 17 regional sales and logistics operations and 17 wholly owned subsidiary companies. With products ranging from journal books, photo albums, shredders, office furniture and consumer electronics, Nakabayashi achieves in excess of half billion US dollars in annual sales.
Yasuemon Nakabayashi
1950
Nakabayashi's founder, Yasuemon Nakabayashi, apprenticed and worked in the book binding business for many years, perfecting his skills and learning from the industry's best. In 1923, he went independent and proceeded in creating his own business in the book binding field in the southern city of Osaka. The core of his customer base included many wealthy customers and the cultural elite of Osaka, who appreciated the hand made craftsmanship of Nakabayashi's products.
That same year, the Great Kanto Earthquake hit the Tokyo region of Japan, destroying much of the city and its industrial abilities. From tragedy came opportunity for Osaka based businesses like Nakabayashi's book binding operation, which were unaffected by the Kanto Quake. With Tokyo no longer able to support the ever growing book binding industry, Nakabayashi flourished and grew to accommodate the increased business volume.
With increased volume required innovations to allow production to keep up, and Nakabayashi continued to refine the production process of a once all hand-made cottage industry. This included mechanization and the use of modern manufacturing principles, including the assembly line. With state of the art manufacturing infrastructure for book binding came other opportunities using similar production techniques, including diaries and personal organizers and journal notebooks. Nakabayashi quickly embraced these new product categories and grew its manufacturing and sales scope.
1960
In the 60's, one product category boomed in Japan which Nakabayashi proceeded to pioneer: the photo album. With increased economy came a wealthier middle class in post-war Japan, allowing for more leisure travel, both domestically and abroad. Camera sales took off to support these new Japanese travelers, who collected countless photos of their global adventures. And when they returned home, these travelers needed a device to store all their cherished photos: the Japanese photo album business was born.
2000
Structurally and fundamentally the same in manufacturing to traditional book binding, photo albums allowed Nakabayashi to ride the cultural and commercial boom of its day. After cornering the Japanese photo album market, the category continues to be an important backbone of the company even to this day.
2019
Nakabayashi continues to look for market opportunities and manufacturing efficiencies to increase its product offerings to its loyal and strong domestic Japanese market. As future growth and opportunities loom, Nakabayashi has looked outside it own domestic borders, first, in manufacturing and sourcing synergies. Through its production facilities in China and Vietnam, Nakabayashi now realizes not only its own infrastructure growth, but the widening network of raw material suppliers and subcomponent manufacturing partners. With its manufacturing side of the organization well established beyond the borders of Japan, the sales side now looks for distribution opportunities to further this global network at all levels of its business.
As with any successful organization, Nakabayashi looks for growth opportunities to sustain its core business while achieving new sales. Even since its inception, Nakabayashi has studied new and better ways to manufacture, and through economies of scale come new ideas for new product categories or industries, not all of which directly corollate with existing segments and drastically taking us out of our comfort zone. It is this willingness to expand, I believe, that has led to our success.
Not only have we created or invented our own new products, but we have acquired other companies in the process of our growth. Many times, we learn from these companies and are able to incorporate this newly learned skills and ideas into the rest of our organization. This allows us to continually improve ourselves and yield even better products for our customers.
“Save Memories, Connect to Tomorrow”
Our Creed
challenge to New Technology Development
Challenge to New Demand Creation
Swift Response to Social Changes
Our Objectives [NAKABAYASHI WAY]
1. We offer to you emotional experience and satisfaction with our own technologies and ideas.
2. We meet customers' confidence with whole heart and integrity as our motto.
3. We pursue higher performance by improving our skills and enhancing our abilities day after day.
4. We are not content with the present situation, and try to attain improvements and innovations with creative ideas and means.
5. We emphasize the importance of profitability and shoot for No. 1 in the niche markets.
6. We respect diversity and realize a workplace vibrant with life and a cheerful atmosphere.
NAKABAYASHI CO., LTD.
TOKYO : 5-1, Higashi-Sakashita 2-Chome, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 174-8602 JAPAN
Established: June 1951 (70 years)
Number of Employees: 2,222
Number of Factories: 6
NAKABAYASHI USA., LTD.
800 Sandhill Avenue, Carson, CA, 90746, USA
BOUS Co. - International Agent
17322 Murphy Ave., Irvine, CA 92614 USA
Email: nakabayashi@bous.co