#5. State-of-the-art cutting tools: drills

Why not come visit the festive exhibition of cutting tools? This past November I went to JIMTOF, an exhibition of cutting tools and machine tools in Japan, at the invitation of Kyowa, the creator of MINASE. The venue, Tokyo Big Sight located in the Tokyo Bay area, was bigger than I had imagined. The show floors were packed with about 10,000 engineers with a red ID card (indicating manufacturing industry) hanging around their necks from many countries, including Europe, the USA and Asia, all speaking various languages.

This is where manufacturers in various industries get together in search of the latest cutting tools and machines. A variety of drills ranging from gigantic drills for excavating ground to micro drills for use by specialists such as dentists attracted a lot of attention, and drills with sharp and shiny cutting edges were surrounded by people passionately talking business.

I realized that this is where the latest technologies that determine the direction of the world’s manufacturing in the coming years are exhibited. I had no difficulty finding the Kyowa booth. If the location of an exhibitor’s booth indicates the importance of the exhibitor’s brand, the booth was ideally located near the entrance, probably due to the amount of attention the brand has received. The sight of MINASE watches neatly displayed in the black theme at one corner of the booth made me happy. Managing Director Makoto Watanabe , who manages the Akita plant, proudly explained: “Kyowa is a corporation capable of developing and manufacturing small-diameter PCD, CBN and carbide cutting tools in accordance with custom specifications. Among the several thousand manufacturers that have booths at this exhibition hall, we are the only company that manufactures both cutting tools and watches.”

But first, why did Kyowa come up with the idea of creating watches?
What amazes me is their challenging spirit to develop, from scratch, mechanical watches that require design quality and refined sensitivity while competing in the field of technology that pursues numerical excellence in terms of attributes such as performance and efficiency. It’s like someone who has been researching the materials and fineness of paintbrushes has suddenly created and unveiled an outstanding work of art. MINASE has a strong presence as a brand of mechanical watches, but MINASE is also very unusual in the field of cutting tools, too. This may be why the beauty created by the MINASE brand makes me feel something deeper than the history and tradition of other watch brands. The original starting point of development was different. That’s why they can create free and bold designs.

This is an in-depth travelogue of Mr. K. Kawakami who specializes in writing reports on various factories. He takes a look at the fundamental value of MINASE, with incisive insight and observation refined over the years, as a seasoned expert on the watch industry.

K. Kawakami is a professional writer specializing in exploring diverse factories, reporting on their unique manufacturing practices in Japan and around the world. He travels to the factories of many manufacturers that operate on the principle of perfection, including watches, electrical appliances, shoes, fashion items, buildings, foods, confections, and traditional crafts.