Manufacturing materials that support a wide range of fields, including civil engineering and agriculture, such as blue tarps, HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. (hereafter, “HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC.”) began as the tatami mat wholesaler Hagiwara Shoten and continues to thrive globally today as the only publicly listed company headquartered in Mizushima.
Products created using the company’s proprietary technologies of “cutting, stretching, winding, and weaving” are highly durable and exceptionally high quality. These technologies are highly regarded not only in Japan but overseas as well.
What kind of people work at HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC., which continues to take on challenges in Japan and abroad?
We interviewed Hatta Kenji, a young employee at HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC.
The information presented was current when this article was published in February 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC.
HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. manufactures and sells products made using the synthetic resin fiber “flat yarn,” as well as industrial machinery that makes use of flat-yarn technology. The company was established in 1962 in Mizushima, Kurashiki City.
Flat yarn is a tape-like fiber made by slitting polyethylene or polypropylene film into strips and stretching them to give them strength. HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. operates a synthetic resin business, manufacturing and selling a variety of products using flat yarn.
The term flat yarn may not be very familiar, but products made from flat yarn are used in many aspects of our everyday lives, including blue tarps, artificial turf, carpets, and packaging for fruits and vegetables.
Blue tarps, one of HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC.’s signature products, are highly durable and can be used repeatedly for a long time. They are used not only for cherry-blossom viewing and leisure activities, but also during disasters.
The company also operates a machinery business, applying its expertise in “cutting, stretching, winding, and weaving”—essential technologies for manufacturing flat yarn—and focusing on the production and sale of industrial machinery.
Kurashiki Tocotoco also has an article introducing the company, so be sure to read that as well.
Also, on November 29, the company’s founding anniversary, steak is served in the cafeteria in celebration of “Good Meat Day.”
Hatta Kenji, who works at HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC.
Our interviewee is Hatta Kenji, who belongs to the Home Center E-commerce Team in the Home Center E-commerce Section of the Industrial Materials Sales Department. He was born in 1996 and is from Tottori Prefecture.
Hatta devoted himself to research in graduate school at Tottori University. He moved to Kurashiki for work and joined the company as a new employee in 2021.
After joining the company, he first gained experience on the manufacturing floor before being assigned to his current sales department. He says that having firsthand knowledge of the workplace deepens his understanding of the products and makes it easier to communicate their appeal. It also makes it easier to consult with the manufacturing floor when customers make requests.
About Hatta’s work
Hatta’s work has two main parts.
The first is sales, proposing products to home centers. Hatta is responsible for home centers in western Japan.
His main duties include meeting with home-center buyers, handling product orders and inquiries, preparing proposal materials, and sometimes meeting with distributors, making proposals tailored to customer needs. When proposing new products, Hatta says he makes a point of sincerely explaining “how high-quality products can benefit customers.”
Now that online communication has become more common, meeting face-to-face may not always be necessary. However, inspired by his supervisor’s desire to “convey enthusiasm in person,” Hatta says he makes an effort to visit customers proactively.
Meeting face-to-face means conversations don’t end with business matters alone; casual chats arise naturally, too. He says these conversations often spark ideas that lead to new proposals and projects.
I was struck by how strongly he felt that repeat purchases are made possible by the accumulation of this kind of trusting relationship.
The second is sales activities targeting new customers.
He is also responsible for sales of printed sheets, a product launched in 2023 that can be made in extra-large sizes up to 5 m wide by 30 m long. Rather than making indiscriminate cold calls, he identifies and approaches potential customers among the company’s existing connections.
Another important part of his job is coordinating closely with the in-house manufacturing team on delivery schedules and designs. Unlike the blue tarps the company has traditionally handled, printed products require meticulous care in packaging as well. He explained that production through delivery calls for a different perspective and skill set than the company’s other products.
At retail stores and elsewhere, printed sheets are being used as signs, and the company is gradually building a track record of success. “It can be challenging to tailor proposals to each customer, but at the same time, it’s very rewarding,” he says.
How he came to HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC.
Hatta went on to graduate school at Tottori University, where he devoted himself to research. He recalls that as a graduate student, he often had opportunities to travel outside the prefecture because he visited universities in various places for academic conferences and paper presentations.
During his job search, he focused on companies with research positions, looking in nearby Hyogo, Okayama, and Hiroshima as well as Tottori. In the end, he narrowed his choices down to five companies, including HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. It was the only company in Okayama among them, and he says he had not known its name when he first found it online.
As he progressed through his job search, what made a strong impression on Hatta was the president’s passion. When he visited the company for an information session, he saw the president personally showing job seekers around the factory and experienced that passion firsthand.
Hatta says, “Even though HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. is a company of this scale, I was drawn to the president’s willingness to get his hands dirty and work hard, saying, ‘Let’s do this!’ I honestly thought, ‘I want to follow this person.’” He also attended information sessions at other companies, but he never found another company with the same enthusiasm as HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC., and the president’s passion was what ultimately convinced him to join.
At the time, Hatta also wanted to devote himself seriously to his academic research. The selection process was exceptionally fast even during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that he received his first job offer from HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. may also have felt like fate.
What does HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. offer as a workplace, from Hatta’s perspective?
Hatta sees HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC.’s appeal in its many employees who take initiative and its environment that gives them autonomy.
As reflected in its slogan, “Interesting—let’s try it right away,” HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. has a deeply rooted culture of doing together whatever people find interesting. He says that if a young employee proposes, “I want to develop a new product,” the company is open-minded and supportive of that challenge.
From young employees to managers, everyone approaches their work earnestly. Hatta says that it is also motivating to see senior employees carefully observe and recognize the efforts of younger colleagues.
Young employees also have many opportunities to share their opinions with more senior colleagues. Young employees may be entrusted with team leadership or given responsibility for directing sales activities, and frequent communication across age groups is another hallmark of HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. Each employee’s initiative may be fostered through experiences like these.
Hatta joined HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. and will enter his sixth year with the company in 2026. We spoke with him about what he finds rewarding in his current work and his goals for the future.
HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. Information
| Organization Name | HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacture and sale of related products made using “flat yarn,” a synthetic resin fiber whose main raw materials are polyethylene and polypropylene, as well as industrial machinery such as slitters that apply flat-yarn technology. |
| Representative | Asano Kazushi |
| Year Established | 1962 |
| Address | 1-4 Mizushima Nakadori, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-440-0860 |
| Website | HAGIHARA INDUSTRIES INC. Website |
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