Sanken Setsubi Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Japanese building-services engineering firm specializing in HVAC, plumbing, electrical and ZEB (net-zero-energy building) technologies.
Last updated September 27, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Sanken Setsubi Kogyo Co., Ltd. (三建設備工業株式会社) is a Japanese building-services engineering company headquartered in Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. It was founded in March 1946 as Sanken Kogyo Goshi Kaisha with 17 employees by Minoru Matsui, and was reorganized into Sanken Setsubi Kogyo Co., Ltd. in May 1947 with capital of 1 million yen. The company's core business is the engineering of building mechanical and electrical services: air-conditioning, plumbing and sanitary systems, electrical installations, and related architectural work, delivered across the full building lifecycle from planning and design through construction, commissioning, maintenance and renewal. Sanken has expanded nationally through a branch network established from the late 1940s onward, with offices in Sendai, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Yokohama, Chiba and Saitama. Its headquarters moved several times within Chuo-ku, Tokyo, and since September 2013 has been located in Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho. The company operates research and technology centers, notably the Tsukuba Mirai Technology Center (originally established in 1992 as the Tsukuba Research Institute) and the Saitama Technology Center. A defining strategic focus is energy efficiency and decarbonization. Sanken was an early developer of ZEB (net-zero-energy building) technology, achieving full-building ZEB at its Tsukuba Mirai Technology Center in fiscal 2013, followed by ZEB realization at its Hokkaido Branch and Saitama Technology Center. It is registered as a ZEB Planner and promotes ZEB overseas. Its proprietary products include the Sanken Smart BA System® building automation/air-conditioning control system, which the company says cuts maintenance and operating costs by roughly 30% versus conventional control systems, and ECOSALA® (Ecological Sanken Latent-Heat System), a patented dehumidifying air-supply unit that it claims saves roughly 50%–80% of energy compared with conventional overcooling-dehumidification-reheating methods. Sanken serves a broad range of building types: offices and commercial facilities, industrial and R&D facilities, medical and welfare facilities, public and cultural facilities, transportation and information facilities, and leisure facilities. Notable works listed by the company include the Japan National Stadium, Tokyo Big Sight, the Naha Airport passenger terminal building, Nagoya Lucent Tower, and various hospitals, factories and hotels. The company reported capital of 1 billion yen, 1,361 employees (988 technical, 373 administrative) as of April 1, 2026, and revenue of 114.2 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2026. Its representative director and president is Eiichi Matsui. Sanken holds construction business licenses from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for plumbing, building and electrical work, among others, and operates a first-class architectural design office registered in Tokyo.
History
Sanken Setsubi Kogyo traces its origins to March 1946, when Minoru Matsui founded Sanken Kogyo Goshi Kaisha (三建工業合資会社) in Nihonbashi Kabuto-cho, Tokyo, with 17 employees. In July 1946 the company opened a Sendai office (later reorganized as the Tohoku Branch in 1988). In May 1947 it was reorganized as Sanken Setsubi Kogyo Co., Ltd. with capital of 1 million yen, and in December 1947 it opened a Sapporo office (later the Hokkaido Branch). Through the 1950s the company built out a national branch network: Nagoya office in 1950 (Nagoya Branch in 1962), Osaka office in 1952 (Osaka Branch in 1956), Hiroshima office in 1953 (Chugoku Branch in 1985), and Fukuoka office in 1954 (Kyushu Branch in 1975). The headquarters moved to Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo in October 1954. In 1961 the company held its 15th-anniversary ceremony at Chinzanso, Tokyo. A Yokohama office followed in 1962 (Yokohama Branch in 1985), a new head office building was completed in Nihonbashi Kakigara-cho in 1965, and a Chiba office opened the same year (Higashi-Kanto Branch in 1991). A Saitama office opened in 1976 (Kita-Kanto Branch in 1991), and the Head Office Second Building was completed in Hakozaki-cho in 1978. Leadership passed from founder Minoru Matsui, who received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (勲五等双光旭日章) in 1978, to Seiichi Mifune as president in 1981, and then to Akio Teramoto in 1985. The Osaka Branch building was completed in 1984. In October 1992 the Tsukuba Research Institute (now the Tsukuba Mirai Technology Center) was completed as a research and development base. Teramoto received the Medal with Yellow Ribbon in 1995, and the company marked its 50th anniversary in 1996. From the late 1990s Sanken pursued quality and environmental certification: ISO 9000 certification at the head office in 1998, extended to all offices in 1999, and ISO 14000 certification across all offices in 2002. In 2002 the Tokyo Business Headquarters was reorganized as the Tokyo Head Office (becoming the Tokyo Branch in 2005). The company migrated to ISO 9000:2000 in 2003 and ISO 14000:2004 in 2006, and launched the Refresh 60 promotion project in 2005. Teramoto received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2005, and the company marked its 60th anniversary in 2006. Eiichi Matsui became president in June 2008. In January 2010 the Tsukuba Mirai Technology Center began renovation aimed at achieving ZEB. An executive officer system was introduced in June 2012. In September 2013 the head office and Tokyo Branch moved to Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, and the company entered Thailand to develop the ASEAN market. In March 2014 the Tsukuba Mirai Technology Center achieved ZEB. In January 2016 the company received the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Director-General's Award at the FY2015 Energy Conservation Grand Prize. That same year it marked its 70th anniversary, opened a Thailand representative office in March, opened a Jakarta representative office in May, and established a Myanmar subsidiary, SANKEN SETSUBI MYANMAR CO., LTD., in October. In May 2017 it registered as a ZEB Planner, and in October 2017 began rebuilding the Hokkaido Branch toward ZEB. In October 2018 the new Hokkaido Branch and Hokkaido Sanken Service Construction building (Sapporo Sanken Building) was completed. The company continues to position itself as an 'environment-creation company,' promoting ZEB in Japan and overseas and developing proprietary energy-saving products such as the Sanken Smart BA System® and ECOSALA®.
- 2018
New Hokkaido Branch / Sapporo Sanken Building completed.
- 2017
Registered as a ZEB Planner; Hokkaido Branch rebuilding toward ZEB begins.
- 2016
Receives Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Director-General's Award at FY2015 Energy Conservation Grand Prize; 70th anniversary; Thailand and Jakarta representative offices open; Myanmar subsidiary established.
- 2014
Tsukuba Mirai Technology Center achieves ZEB.
- 2013
Head office and Tokyo Branch move to Shinkawa, Chuo-ku; entry into Thailand for ASEAN market.
- 2008
Eiichi Matsui becomes president.
- 2006
60th anniversary of founding.
- 2002
ISO 14000 certification obtained across all offices.
- 1998
ISO 9000 certification obtained at head office.
- 1996
50th anniversary of founding.
Products and positioning
An 'environment-creation company' providing total engineering for building services, combining comfort with energy efficiency and pioneering ZEB technology.
Sanken Smart BA System®
Building automation and air-conditioning control system using open-standard components; company claims roughly 30% reduction in maintenance and operating costs versus conventional systems, remote monitoring and control, and integration with lighting and security systems.
ECOSALA®
Patented (patent no. 6608343) dehumidifying air-supply unit (Ecological Sanken Latent-Heat System) that uses ambient air heat for zero-energy pre-cooling and reheating; company claims roughly 50%–80% energy savings versus conventional overcooling-dehumidification-reheating methods.
ZEB engineering services
Planning, design and delivery of net-zero-energy buildings, including renovation of existing buildings.
Radiant air-conditioning
Air-conditioning system with no draft sensation and minimal temperature unevenness.
Sources5 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/sanken-setsubi-kogyo-co-ltd-japan · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled