Hanwa Horo Co., Ltd. - Interview

Back in June, the GK team had the chance to head to Osaka and meet with Mr. Yukio Takano, president of enameling specialist Hanwa Horo Co., Ltd. to hear all about how the ancient practice still holds up in modern and industrial society. Throughout our interview for TIME Magazine, we got a deep dive into President Takano's future plans and a look at their new 'ovject' line of stylish consumer goods.

What benefits does enamel still present as a material in the modern age??

Enamel itself has existed for more than 4,000 years, dating back to ancient Egypt. The mask of Tutankhamun was decorated with enamel and using glass materials and precious stones was commonplace. In Japan, enamel is a decoration using glass materials, typically fired onto iron or metal as a ‘vitreous enamel’. The strength of enamel is that it is all-natural – in some way, it is sustainable thanks to the materials all being things that occur naturally. Enamel is also a material that lasts for a long time and can be enjoyed for many, many years.?

How has the burgeoning outdoor products industry affected your operations??

We developed a kind of 'ovject' magnetized ‘hook’ and mug that are available in a number of colors, so consumers may choose the one that suits them the most. Due to the enamel, it can be held directly over fire and will enable you to cook things like soup – the mug is also relatively unbreakable and very portable, making it a hit for campers. At first, the design was the product’s strength we believed since it uses matte enamel which is very rare in the market, but campers have proved us wrong! The product is made in Japan and exhibits very well the strengths of enamel. We have a variety of sizes, too.?

What was your initial inspiration for expanding into more B2C markets??

As I mentioned before, our main business relates to OEM parts for electronic manufacturers. That said, we are not just interested in the B2B market and are actively exploring B2C and developing new products for customers. We want to be able to reach them directly and are very interested in their feedback – our first product was based on Japanese ‘Nambu’ cast iron which is known for its high quality and we wish to continue to produce products that are very high quality.??

Our strength is our background in enamel which might set us apart from competitors such as Le Creuset and give us a leading edge. Enamel manufacturers are separated typically between B2C and B2B since the technology involved is often quite different. It is rare for a company such as ours to do both. B2B manufacturers that work in electronics often possess very high precision technology and that is something we would like to transfer to our B2C products.