FUJI SEISAKUSHO EXPLORES CROSSOVER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUJI NINJA WHEEL
An omni wheel with no blind spots in all directions that can carry up to 1,000kg when four are used in an automated guided vehicle or a cargo pallet is presenting immense crossover opportunities across industries.
Launched in Japan in 2020 by Fuji Seisakusho, the product is aptly called FUJI NINJA WHEEL to highlight its ability to move in tight spaces whether vertically, horizontally or diagonally. FUJI NINJA WHEEL won the special Good Focus Award Design of Technique & Tradition (Small and Medium Enterprise Agency Commissioner Award) for outstanding product design through high-level technology or technique in Japan’s 2020 Good Design Award.
“We’re very excited to see how our FUJI NINJA WHEEL will touch people’s lives and revolutionise industries all across Asia,” says Yoshihide Murakami, president of Fuji Seisakusho.
The company is an industry-leading manufacturer of pressed bearings and conveyor components that are essential to automated manufacturing. Founded in 1939 to produce lighters and thermos flasks, Fuji Seisakusho evolved throughout the decades with its total commitment to continuous product innovation. Building up its expertise in cutting and shaping metals, it penetrated the pharmaceutical and automotive industries with high-precision pressed bearings and multidirectional movement wheels that are sold globally today.
Considering the precision required for pressed bearings, Fuji Seisakusho jointly develops the products with clients as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in a broad range of fields. Always mindful of economic efficiency, the company developed low-cost automation in its own factories to ensure the affordability of globally distributed products. As an OEM in the automotive industry, Fuji Seisakusho is distinguished for speed-to-market because its pressing machines can produce car parts within seconds.
“Our focus is really on developing products and systems that would create a new culture or a new civilisation in the industries and markets we are in,” Murakami says.
As an example, the FUJI NINJA WHEEL impacts the materials handling industry with its capabilities for 360-degree rotations in minimal space and horizontal movements without reserve space. Its high load capacity of 300kg (150mm outer diameter) per wheel makes it perfect for transporting people, whether on wheelchairs for the elderly, gurneys in hospital settings or bicycles for the young. Crossover opportunities also exist for imaging, medical manufacturing, retail, aerospace, construction and more.
Fuji Seisakusho has established subsidiaries in Singapore and Shanghai, China, to assist its global expansion. It is also exploring manufacturing sites in Vietnam and product development opportunities across different industries.
“You cannot create an amazing product on your own, you always need help from other companies or other industries,” Murakami says.