Founded in 1953 and based in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, OKAHASHI Co., Ltd. (President: Mikio Okahashi) is stepping boldly into the future as a packaging printer where tradition and innovation coexist. As the packaging market grows more diversified and premiumized, OKAHASHI continues to deliver end-to-end production across a wide range of sectors—from cosmetics and pharmaceuticals to food—printing on substrates including board, PP, and PET sheets. With its core operations in Nara and a network that spans Tokyo, Osaka, and Wuxi, China, the company is pursuing global growth.
In 2024, OKAHASHI installed three new state-of-theart systems: the Speedmaster CX 104-7+L press, the MK Promatrix 106 FC hot foil stamping machine, and the MK Diana Eye 55 inspection system. “It’s not only about solving immediate problems,” says President Okahashi.
“The key is how these investments contribute holistically to our company’s growth.” With a long-term perspective, OKAHASHI is making its 70th anniversary a launchpad for a bold new era.
OKAHASHI is tackling the dual challenge of labor shor¬tages and operational strain by aggressively investing in automation. “Where machine performance can enhance our output, we proactively invest,” says Okahashi, citing the measurable results already visible. The Speedmaster CX 104 was selected for its stability and reduced risk of downtime. According to Plant Manager Masayuki Fuji¬kawa, the press now averages 340 jobs and 1.5 million sheets per month, with 30-minute makeready times and a waste rate of just 2%—a substantial leap in productivity.
Complementing the press are new machines from MK Masterwork, Heidelberg’s strategic partner in China. Founded in 1995, MK Masterwork specializes in die-cut¬ting and foil stamping solutions. “After numerous tests, we selected equipment that met our performance and quality standards,” says Okahashi.
To streamline quality control, OKAHASHI has expanded its inspection processes, aiming to reduce manual visual inspection in favor of full automation. Even as these innovations take hold, Okahashi emphasizes that em¬ployee happiness remains central: “Are our employees enjoying their work? Are they fulfilled?”
Automation is also viewed as a necessary long-term solution to the anticipated shortage of skilled inspec¬tors. OKAHASHI is breaking traditional gender roles by encouraging more women to take up machine and press operation roles. In fact, in August 2024, the company launched a women-led, women-only production faci¬lity—a first step in shaping an inclusive, future-ready workplace.
Looking ahead, President Okahashi sees color manage¬ment as the next strategic priority. Historically reliant on the skill of individual operators, OKAHASHI now aims to streamline color matching through data-driven processes that ensure consistency and efficiency. Since last year, Heidelberg has supported the company in standardizing color across existing Speedmaster presses. The next phase is expanding these standards to the CX 104, with target density and dot gain values currently under review. By implementing color ma-nagement using Prinect’s Inpress Control, the company has dramatically improved the stability of process color reproduction, reduced waste, and eased the inspection burden in final quality checks.
Okahashi anticipates a broader industry shift away from special spot colors to process equivalents: “By reproducing spot colors with CMYK, we gain flexibility and improve customer response time. To do this, color management is essential.” The company is now explo¬ring Prinect Multicolor as a means of achieving difficult color matches in packaging applications where spot color use has traditionally been the norm.
OKAHASHI’s corporate slogan, “Be United”, reflects the company’s emphasis on connection and unity. It also ser¬ves as a prompt for each employee to reflect on what they need to thrive within the company’s growth. “I want OKAHASHI to be a true industry leader—a ‘Gul¬liver’ in the field,” says Okahashi. “To get there, we must build strong communication between our people and our clients, and continue bringing excellent products to the world.”
