Chapter 01
A resolve to face the world opens the path to further growth
In 1973, the first oil crisis struck. Amid inflation and soaring prices, Japan’s economy entered the first period of negative GDP growth since the war, marking a major turning point for society.
Sanwa was not immune to these effects. As uncertainty clouded the outlook for the domestic market, the company was confronted with the fundamental question, “How should we create value going forward?”
The answer Sanwa chose was to venture into the uncharted field of overseas markets.
In 1974, Sanwa entered into a cross-licensing agreement with Overhead Door Corporation (ODC) in the U.S. This significant ten-year technical tie-up enabled both companies to deploy their technologies and products in both Japan and the U.S.
At the time, Sanwa focused on overhead doors for large openings, a product yet uncommon in Japan. These provided safe, efficient protection for factories, warehouses, logistics facilities, and other large buildings. The decision reflected foresight into coming changes in industrial structure.
Rather than simply deploying foreign technology, Sanwa sought to internalize it. This stance proved to be the factor that opened the company’s first door to the world.
Expanding operations across Asia
Sanwa’s ambitions gradually extended toward Asia. Local subsidiaries were established in Hong Kong and Singapore in 1986. In 1988, the company established its first overseas production site in Taiwan. By establishing not only sales but also production bases, Sanwa steadily strengthened its business foundation in Asia.
The overseas business was proving to be not a temporary effort but a key pillar supporting Sanwa’s long-term growth.
Chapter 02
Resolve becomes action: Acquiring a U.S. market leader to become a global enterprise
In 1996, Sanwa made its next decisive move: acquiring ODC, the largest shutter manufacturer in the U.S. The acquisition price was $470 million (approximately ¥51.7 billion at the time). At the time, it was the largest overseas buyout ever undertaken in the building materials industry, and attracted significant attention. Then-president Toshitaka Takayama stated at a press conference, “We will become a world-class general building materials manufacturer for the 21st century.”
Founded in 1921, ODC manufactured building materials such as commercial shutters, overhead doors, residential garage doors, and automatic doors. With a network of about 400 companies across North America, it enjoyed strong brand recognition in the North American market as a leading force in the industry. For Sanwa, this acquisition was more than just an expansion of business scale: it represented a desire to break out of its domestic orientation and move toward becoming a global building materials manufacturer. In that moment, resolve became a concrete action.
By welcoming ODC into the group, Sanwa set its course toward become a company that competed on the world stage.
Chapter 03
Full-scale entry into the European market establishes a four-polar global structure
Sanwa’s overseas expansion did not stop at the U.S. and Asia. In 2003, the company made a full-scale entry into the European market by acquiring Novoferm Group (NF Group), one of Europe’s major building materials manufacturers. Based in Germany, NF Group also had manufacturing bases in France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, and operated a network of distributors across Europe. At the time, it held strong market shares in doors, door openers, industrial shutters, and was one of the leading companies in Europe’s door industry.
With NF Group in the fold, the Sanwa Group had established a four-polar structure spanning Japan, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. From stepping into the Americas in search of new markets, to building production and sales foundations in Asia, and solidifying positions in the Americas and Europe, each decision and endeavor contributed the Group’s present global structure, which operates businesses in 28 countries and regions worldwide.
What has remained unchanged since Sanwa’s founding is its stance of pursuing not short-term profit but socially meaningful business. As a Global Leader of Smart Entrance Solutions, the Sanwa Group will continue to strengthen its present in the building materials industry worldwide.
