Chapter 01
Implementing year-round 24-hour full-time service
For Sanwa, which operates under its integrated responsibility system, the responsibility that follows installation is maintenance. To ensure that customers can use their shutters safely and securely, regular inspection and appropriate maintenance are essential. In 1982, Sanwa became the first company in the construction industry to establish a service command center providing 24-hour full-time service (FTS). Repair requests were accepted at all hours via a nationwide toll-free number, and waiting service staff were dispatched immediately to job sites. It was a revolutionary initiative at the time. The service was launched at the Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto branches under the Kansai Regional Business Division and expanded to Tohoku, Yokohama, and Kyushu. Nationwide coverage was achieved with the commencement of service in the Kanto region. At the FTS opening ceremony, then-president Toshitaka Takayama stated, “While this FTS may create a major market, its greater significance lies in fulfilling social responsibilities through maintenance and service.”
Shutters play an important role in security and fire prevention. A swift response is essential when faults or malfunctions occur. Believing that the industry as a whole should focus more effort on inspection and repair, and anticipating that periodic inspections could become compulsory in the future, Sanwa took the initiative and launched FTS ahead of the trend.
“We will always come when you are in need.” FTS was a system that gave shape to that resolve.
Chapter 02
Inspection and maintenance for peace of mind at all times
In 1998, about 15 years after FTS was launched, an accident occurred at an elementary school in Urawa City, Saitama Prefecture, in which a child was caught in a fireproof shutter. In response, the government mandated the installation of emergency stop devices (entrapment prevention devices) in 2005. Shutter safety came to be widely recognized as a social issue. Sanwa anticipated this shift by developing the industry’s first emergency stop device in 1999 and redoubling efforts to provide products with safety features.
Subsequent years saw a series of deadly fires, including a hotel fire in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 2012, as well as a nursing home fire in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture and medical clinic fire in in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture in 2013. In these cases, malfunctioning fire doors and fire protection equipment were cited as factors that exacerbated the spread of damage.
In light of these events, the periodic inspection and reporting system for fire prevention equipment was formalized into law in 2016. Inspections that had previously been voluntary or treated as part of fire equipment checks became compulsory once a year under uniform national standards. Specialized inspections and reporting were required that covered, among other things, functionality and activation. Inspections had to be conducted by a nationally certified Fire Protection Equipment Inspector. Sanwa’s pioneering efforts to ensure the ongoing safe use of shutters had finally become the industry standard.
At Sanwa, further changes were instituted. The company promoted personnel development and the acquisition of fire protection equipment inspector qualifications among employees. In addition to spot repairs, full-scale periodic inspection and maintenance were offered under service contracts.
Chapter 03
Greater safety with digital technology
Sanwa’s commitment to striving for safe, reassuring use at all times continues into the present and future. In recent years, the company has been working to further enhance safety through products and services that incorporate digital technology.
IoT integrations that enable electric window shutters and garage doors to be operated via smartphones or smart speakers are now available in Japan, the U.S., and Europe. While allowing voice control, timer settings, and remote operation, these systems are also designed with full consideration for safety. Moreover, accumulating data on opening/closing frequency and abnormalities, it is possible to objectively assess inspection and maintenance requirements—which contributes to promoting preventive maintenance that pre-empts failures.
By expanding these technologies and services, Sanwa will continue to support customers’ daily lives.
The relationship does not end with installation. As long as the products are operational, we will stand with our customers to take care of safety. That resolve will never waver.
