Industry Activities
SUNCO Industries— The Hidden Champion Behind Every Connection / How It Built a Global Business Through People, Purpose, and the Humble Screw
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2026-07-28
Have you ever stopped to consider what life would be like without screws? Somewhere within a 3-foot radius of you right now, at least one is quietly holding something together. Yet without these tiny components, virtually every industry would falter. Among the unseen contributors to global stability is SUNCO Industries, Japan’s largest specialized fastener trader—a hidden champion with a growth story written not in cold numbers, but in “people”.
At SUNCO, people are not just assets, but the heart of the organization. Yasuko Tamaki, a 95-year-old female employee recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest administration worker, has served the company since its early days. Her New Year’s cards carry words of appreciation for colleagues across departments she never directly interacts with. With deep knowledge of each employee’s role, she has become a living storyteller, guiding the next generation through firsthand accounts of past challenges that no report could capture.
(Section Manager Yasuko Tamaki (Guiness Record Holder)
(Women-friendly workplace / SUNCO's women power!)
(Socket Boy)
(Grand Ring diorama)
SUNCO’s philosophy extends far beyond its longest-serving staff. More than 50% of its annual new hires are women, and the company has built systems that encourage female participation in decision-making. Its Kurumin certification for childcare support ensures that parental leave and flexible work arrangements are standard practice, not exceptions. Employees return to work with minimal disruption, preserving productivity while honoring life milestones.
The company ships roughly 25 million screws globally each day with a 99.999% accuracy rate. Behind this precision lies SUNCO’s “People × Technology” philosophy: advanced logistics systems integrated with the daily discipline of part-time staff who stand at the center of operations. Some have worked for over 30 years, and their trust in the company is so deep that during the 2018 Osaka earthquake, employees returned to work until 11 p.m. after briefly preparing dinner for their families.
“Play hard. Deliver stronger.”
President Yoshihide Okuyama’s leadership philosophy is simple: “Play hard. Deliver stronger.” He believes work should support life, not dominate it. “People work in order to enjoy their lives,” he notes. This mindset has created opportunities for homemakers and encouraged long-term employment, allowing individuals—especially late-bloomers—to gradually discover where they truly excel.
SUNCO’s creativity extends beyond operations. The company has transformed screws into art—installations made from colorful resin screws, mosaic art, and a diorama recreating Expo 2025 Osaka’s “Grand Ring” constructed entirely from 1,600 stainless steel screws. Even its overseas expansion strategy revolves around “Socket Boy,” a mascot wearing a hexagon socket head cap screw and blue Happi coat. The mascot has become the company’s global brand signature, accompanied by a magazine named after the mascot and a website that celebrates Japanese screw culture.
What unites SUNCO’s initiatives is their mindset of creating what doesn’t yet exist in the industry. From the world’s oldest Guinness-holding employee to single-screw shipping services accounting for over 60% of domestic sales, SUNCO continues pursuing distinctive strategies that no other company has dared to attempt. In a world obsessed with short-term productivity and talent mobility, SUNCO Industries proves that organizational continuity, mutual support, and lifelong engagement can drive extraordinary results. The screws remain unseen, but the people behind them are anything but invisible. (This article is authorized and paraphrased from the original 5-part story by SUNCO Industries published in Business by LA Times Studios.)
Sunco Industries’ contact: Purchasing Dept. International Trade Section
Email: export@sunco.co.jp
Sunco Industries
Japan
fastener trader
screw
President Yoshihide Okuyama
Osaka
日本
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Industry Activities
2026-07-28
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