Namitei Co., Ltd.
Japanese manufacturer of special-shaped wire, precision cold-forged parts and EV motor components, founded in 1945 in Higashiosaka, Osaka.
Last updated September 29, 2026
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Overview
Namitei Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturing company headquartered in Higashiosaka, Osaka, specializing in special-shaped wire (異形線, igyōsen), precision cold-forged parts and related metal components. Founded in October 1945 by Kazuaki Murao as a nail-making business, it was reorganized as Naniwa Seikugi Co., Ltd. in July 1947 and later renamed Namitei Co., Ltd. in 1991. The company is privately held with capital of 30 million yen and employed about 140 people as of August 2024. Namitei's core competence is the design and production of wire with non-standard cross-sections tailored to customer requirements. From coiled wire stock, the company applies plastic working and continuous processing to achieve labor savings and near-net-shape manufacturing. Its product range includes special-shaped wire, Ultra Deformed Wire (UDW) — a 3D wire whose cross-sectional shape changes while maintaining constant cross-sectional area, enabling higher fill factors in EV motor coils — hollow special-shaped wire, copper busbar material for EV automobiles, near-net-shape parts made by precision cutting or forging, cold-forged parts using copper and electromagnetic soft iron, and post-processing such as cutting, rolling and tapping. Production runs around the clock for finishing operations. The company operates multiple plants, mainly in Higashiosaka: the head office plant, Shinnishikiri, Fuse, Takaida, Inada and Nishiiwata plants, plus a Kyushu plant located within Nippon Steel's Kyushu Works in Kitakyushu. Group company Ibaraki Namitei Co., Ltd. in Ibaraki, Osaka, manufactures automotive, construction/civil engineering and machinery/industrial parts. Namitei has been recognized by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as one of the "300 Vibrant Manufacturing SMEs" and as a "Regional Future Leading Company," and has received the Higashiosaka Manufacturing Award (Gold) and the Good Company Award (Special Prize). It also holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications and was certified as a Health Management Excellent Corporation 2025. Strategically, Namitei has shifted toward the electrification market, developing copper special-shaped wire in 2019 and Ultra Deformed Wire in 2022 to serve EV motor winding and busbar applications. The company exhibits at industry trade shows such as TECHNO-FRONTIER, the Automotive Engineering Exposition and INTERMOLD, and maintains a YouTube channel called Wireworks TV.
History
Namitei Co., Ltd. traces its origins to October 1945, when Kazuaki Murao began a sole proprietorship as a nail manufacturer. In July 1947 the business was reorganized as Naniwa Seikugi Co., Ltd. (浪速製釘株式会社), installing nail-making equipment and specializing in round nails. In 1952 the company entered the zinc-plated iron wire field, and in 1954 it added wire-drawing and annealing equipment, discontinued nail-making equipment and installed zinc-plating equipment. In 1963 it expanded into ordinary iron wire and screw wire. In 1965, alongside the development of a domestic nut former, it entered the cold-heading carbon steel wire field, and in 1966 introduced its first domestic nut former. In 1970 Namitei developed special-shaped rebar material for grating and began developing special-shaped wire for automotive, construction and civil engineering uses. By 1972 it had captured the industry's top share for special-shaped nut material, mainly for automobiles. The new head office building was completed in 1973. In 1977 it developed "Namicon," a special-shaped rebar material for concrete products. Masatsugu Murao became president in 1984. In 1985 the company began manufacturing protective special-shaped wire for the third submarine optical fiber cable, followed by the fourth in 1990 and the fifth in 1993. In 1989 the Ibaraki plant introduced a new parts former. In 1991 the company changed its name to Namitei Co., Ltd. In 1992 the head office cold-heading plant was completed, followed by the No. 2 rolling plant in 1994 and a new rolling line in 1995. A new six-stage parts former was introduced in 1997. In 1999 the production line for protective special-shaped wire for submarine optical fiber was expanded to five lines. In 2000 a new continuous rolling line, STC annealing furnace, continuous surface treatment equipment and the Shinnishikiri plant began operation, and the head office obtained ISO 9002 certification. The Kyushu plant was completed in 2001. In 2003 the company completed migration to ISO 9001:2000, and its optical submarine cable work was featured on the NHK program "Project X." In 2007 Namitei developed precision cutting (shearing) technology for special-shaped wire, won the Gold Prize at the Higashiosaka Manufacturing Awards, and was selected for METI's "300 Vibrant Manufacturing SMEs 2007." In 2008 it received the Special Prize at the 42nd Good Company Awards. In 2010 the head office and Shinnishikiri plants obtained ISO 14001:2004 certification. Precision cutting (Fine Cut) mass production began in 2011. In 2012 Koichi Murao became president and Masatsugu Murao became chairman. The Takaida plant was completed in 2014 with a cold-heading plant and precision cutting plant, and a high-performance cold former was installed. An NC plant was established in 2015. In 2017, the 70th anniversary of its founding, Chairman Masatsugu Murao received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays; the company was selected as a "Regional Future Leading Company" by METI; and the Fuse plant was completed. The Inada plant was completed in 2018. In 2019 the company developed copper special-shaped wire, and in 2022 it developed Ultra Deformed Wire (UDW). The Nishiiwata plant was completed in 2024.
- 2001
Kyushu plant completed.
- 2000
New continuous rolling line, STC annealing furnace, continuous surface treatment equipment and Shinnishikiri plant began operation; head office obtained ISO 9002 certification.
- 1999
Expansion of protective special-shaped wire production lines for submarine optical fiber completed (five lines total).
- 1997
Introduced a new six-stage parts former.
- 1995
New rolling line began operation at head office.
- 1994
Head office No. 2 rolling plant completed.
- 1993
Began manufacturing protective special-shaped wire for the fifth submarine optical fiber cable.
- 1992
Head office cold-heading plant completed.
- 1991
Changed company name to Namitei Co., Ltd.
- 1990
Began manufacturing protective special-shaped wire for the fourth submarine optical fiber cable.
Products and positioning
Technology-driven SME specializing in custom special-shaped wire and precision cold-forged parts for automotive, EV, construction and industrial applications.
Special-shaped wire
Wire products processed into various cross-sectional shapes according to customer requirements, rather than standard round, square or hexagonal shapes.
Ultra Deformed Wire (UDW)
A 3D special-shaped wire whose cross-sectional shape changes while maintaining constant cross-sectional area, enabling high fill factor motor coil winding for EVs without compromising conductivity.
Hollow special-shaped wire
Technology to create hollow special-shaped wire by drawing coiled pipe material into special shapes, targeting weight reduction and heat exchange applications.
Copper busbar material for EV
Flat extruded material for EV automobile busbars, offering high yield and greater design freedom for complex routing.
Near-net-shape parts (cut)
Parts produced by precision cutting of special-shaped wire with minimal burrs and sag, usable as-is without additional chamfering.
Near-net-shape parts (forged)
Complex shapes made possible by forging from special-shaped wire.
Cold-forged parts
Parts manufactured by cold forging (heading) or pressing from special-shaped wire using copper and electromagnetic soft iron.
Part processing (cutting, rolling, tapping)
Integrated finishing after cold heading, with various parts produced on a 24-hour basis.
Cold heading quality steel wire
Optimal materials for customer heading processes and applications, leveraging the company's cold-heading and wire-processing know-how.
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