Meiwa Gravure Co., Ltd.

Meiwa Gravure Co., Ltd. (明和グラビア株式会社) is a Japanese specialty printing and converting company headquartered in Higashiosaka, Osaka. Founded on 26 February 1953, the company describes itself as the first firm in Japan to commercialize printing on vinyl (polyvinyl chloride resin). It has since grown into an unusual vertically integrated manufacturer that develops its own inks and treatment agents, makes printing and molding plates in-house, and even designs and assembles its own production machinery. The company's business spans gravure printing, lamination and embossing, and a proprietary technology it calls "Mold Print," which grew out of its gravure printing expertise. Mold Print enables continuous molding of various functional resins and has been applied to a wide range of products: household goods sold under its own brands, sales promotion materials, apparel materials, civil engineering and construction materials, medical materials, and home appliance and electronic components. Meiwa Gravure positions itself around the slogan "making products others cannot make" (他人がやれない商品作り) and states that it was the first in the world to succeed with water-based, solvent-free printing in gravure. As of September 2025 the company reported 281 employees and annual sales of 107 billion yen (approximately 10.7 billion yen as stated in its disclosure). Its main domestic sites are the Osaka head office and plant in Higashiosaka and a plant in Gyoda, Saitama, supported by regional sales offices in Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Overseas, it operates P.T. MEIWA INDONESIA in Jakarta, Indonesia. The company also runs online shops for its consumer products and offers OEM and custom-order production, including prototyping and contract processing. Meiwa Gravure remains a private, independent Japanese manufacturer. Its recent public activity includes exhibiting at converting technology and upcycling technology trade shows and promoting antiviral/antibacterial tablecloths. It also issued a warning to customers about counterfeit websites impersonating the company.

Meiwa Gravure Co., Ltd. was established on 26 February 1953 in Japan. According to the company's own account, it was the first enterprise in Japan to put printing on vinyl (polyvinyl chloride resin) into practical commercial use. This early specialization in printing on a then-novel substrate set the direction for the company's subsequent development. From its base in Higashiosaka, Osaka, Meiwa Gravure built an unusually broad in-house capability. Rather than relying solely on external suppliers, it developed its own inks and treatment agents, produced printing plates and molding plates internally, and even designed and assembled its own manufacturing machinery. This vertical integration supported its identity as a pioneer in gravure printing and converting. Over the decades the company expanded beyond conventional gravure printing into lamination and embossing of stretchable materials. It also developed a proprietary process called "Mold Print," which grew out of its gravure printing know-how and enables continuous molding of various functional resins on a mass-production scale. Applying these technologies, Meiwa Gravure diversified into household products sold under its own brands as well as industrial materials for promotion, apparel, civil engineering and construction, medical, and home appliance and electronics applications. The company has also pursued environmental and technical firsts. It states that it was the first in the world to succeed with water-based, solvent-free printing in gravure, reflecting an ongoing emphasis on new technology development. Its management philosophy, expressed as "making products others cannot make," has guided this approach. Geographically, Meiwa Gravure operates its head office and Osaka plant in Higashiosaka and a second plant in Gyoda, Saitama. It maintains regional sales offices in Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya and Fukuoka to cover different parts of Japan. Overseas, it established P.T. MEIWA INDONESIA in Jakarta, Indonesia, extending its manufacturing footprint beyond Japan. The company's recruitment messaging notes that it succeeded both as a small workshop of about ten people and later when it expanded into Indonesia, crediting cooperation among employees. As of September 2025, Meiwa Gravure reported 281 employees and sales of 107 billion yen (as stated in its company profile). It remains a private company. In recent years it has continued to promote its technologies and products through trade exhibitions, including the Converting Technology Exhibition and an Upcycle Technology Exhibition, and through consumer-facing channels such as online shops and the Ameba Choice platform, where its antiviral/antibacterial tablecloth was featured. It has also had to respond to brand-abuse issues, issuing a public warning about counterfeit websites impersonating the company.

• Meiwa Gravure Co., Ltd. is established.

• Becomes the first company in Japan to commercialize printing on vinyl (polyvinyl chloride resin).

• Develops Mold Print technology from its gravure printing expertise.

• Succeeds with water-based, solvent-free gravure printing, described as a world first.

• Establishes P.T. MEIWA INDONESIA in Jakarta, Indonesia.

• Announces URL change due to always-on SSL.

• Antiviral/antibacterial tablecloth featured on Ameba Choice.

• Announces exhibition at Upcycle Technology Exhibition 2025.

• Announces exhibition at Converting Technology Exhibition 2026.

• Issues warning about counterfeit websites.

A technology-driven specialty converter and gravure printer that emphasizes proprietary processes and "making products others cannot make," serving both consumer and industrial markets.

• Mold Print technology

  Proprietary process developed from gravure printing that enables continuous molding of various functional resins on a mass-production scale.

• Water-based solvent-free gravure printing

  Environmentally oriented gravure printing process the company says it was first in the world to commercialize.

• Antiviral/antibacterial tablecloth

  Consumer tablecloth product featuring antiviral and antibacterial properties, featured on Ameba Choice.

• Household goods

  Own-brand consumer products including tablecloths and related household items.

• Industrial materials

  Materials for sales promotion, apparel, civil engineering and construction, medical, and home appliance/electronics applications.

1. 1明和グラビア株式会社 公式サイトmggn.co.jp
2. 2会社案内｜明和グラビア株式会社mggn.co.jp
3. 3Meiwa Gravure Co., Ltd. (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org