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The firm foundation that supports manufacturing.

Kawatatec supports manufacturing around the world
via its range of machine tools, with a focus on large chucks.
For those who make things in the hope of a better future.
And for the happy lives of people beyond that.
No matter how the times change, our commitment
to continue to support the spirit of those who make things remains unchanged.
We will continue to move forward with a straight posture, without fear of change.

President's Greeting

カワタテック代表取締役の写真

Kawatatec is a manufacturer of machine tool peripheral equipment with a proud 90-year history. We develop, manufacture and sell a wide range of products, including large lathe chucks that safely and accurately hold workpieces during metal cutting, index tables that change the angle of the table, and automatic pallet changers that enable efficient processing.

In recent years, rapid technological progress and changes in social structure have led to significant advances in the way we think about and approach production. In this environment, we are working to further strengthen our product development capabilities and build a more efficient, high-quality manufacturing system in order to meet the increasingly diverse and complex needs of our customers. We will continue to do our utmost as a company to be worthy of your trust.

President Masahiro Kawata

Management Philosophy

Purpose

To be a company that helps realize the dreams of those who make things, with the hope of a better future

Vision

At Kawatatec, we:

  • Value hard work and diligence.
  • Continually evolve by always looking at the value of our work and incorporating new technologies and ideas.

We strive to be a company that embodies these two values.

Mission

Contribute to society through our products

Policy
  • Let's be thorough in our commitment to safety in everything we do
  • Let's have the belief that if you do, you can
  • Let's aim for technological progress and produce reliable products
  • Let's have the belief that we can contribute to society by improving our character.

Company Profile

Check our overseas
Company name
Kawatatec Corp.
Address
Head Office and Factory /
48-1 Hashimoto, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture 633-0047
President
Masahiro Kawata
Capital
38,000,000 JPY
Annual sales
1.1 billion JPY (FY2024)
Number of employees
48 (as of April 2025)
Telephone number
+81-744-45-0360
Fax number
+81-744-45-0364
Check our overseas

Access Map

Headquarters and Factory / 48-1 Hashimoto, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture Zip 633-0047 Japan

By car

From the Tenri Interchange on the Meihan Expressway, approx. 30 minutes south.
From the Koriyama Interchange on the Nishi-Meihan Expressway, approx. 40 minutes south.
From the end of the Minami-Hanna Road, approx. 20 minutes east.

By train

About 10 minutes by taxi or 30 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Sakurai Station
About 15 minutes by taxi from Kintetsu Yamato-Yagi Station

History

1933 to 1979

When our company was first established, we started out manufacturing small chucks, but as there were many competitors and we were a small company, we were forced to struggle. So, in order to avoid competition with major companies and to continue manufacturing reliable products that meet customer needs, we shifted our focus to manufacturing large chucks, which other companies avoided because they were difficult to handle and often required custom orders. We also began exporting to the United States, and trading began when a local trading company evaluated the products we manufactured for domestic manufacturers.

1933
San-X Koki Factory was established, lathe chuck manufacturing began.
1945
Relocated to Abe, Sakurai City, and changed company name to Kawata Ironworks.
1950
Trademarks changed to NOBEL, and main focus shifts to lathe chucks.
1961
Restructured the company as a corporate organization, and changed our name to Kawata Iron Works Co., Ltd
1965
Commissioned a new factory and directed focus to large chucks.
1971
Began sales of index chucks.
1979
Commissioned a new company head office and the Abe factory.
Began exportation of large-sized steel chucks to the US.

1980 to 1999

In the 1980s, a customer approached us with the prospect of manufacturing pallet changers, and with their support, we began. The number of customers also increased, and by the 1990s, sales of pallet changers accounted for half of our sales. As a result, the technical capabilities of Kawatatec also improved dramatically.

1983
Began production of pallet changers for vertical lathes and square pallets.
1985
Commissioned the Hashimoto No. 1 Factory.
Began production of pallet changers for machining centers.
Began production of tool changers.
1992
Changed company name to Kawatatec Corp.
1996
Relocated to our current head office located in Hashimoto.

2000 to 2019

However, in the mid-2000s, the pallet changer business developed into a situation where it was difficult to continue due to intensifying competition with other companies. On the other hand, the market for vertical lathes and multi-tasking machines expanded, and demand for large chucks increased, so the business returned focus to large chucks. The company also focused on developing new products, and it continued to release a series of large lathe chucks with covers, thin scroll chucks, floating chucks, and other products.

2004
Signed a sales agent agreement with OML of Italy for Touchdex products.
2010
Began sales of the Genius vice for 5-axis machining centers.
Began sales of the Thin Scroll Chuck TM series.
2015
Commissioned the 4th factory in our Hashimoto complex.
Commissioned the painting factory.
2017
Selected as a “Future Regional Driving Company” by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

2020 to
to Future

We realized that meeting the growing demand while maintaining high quality using conventional methods might become a difficulty, and as such, Kawatatec has begun to devote focus to strengthening the recruitment and training of young employees, and take on the challenge of automating processing using digital technology to achieve highly efficient production.

2022
Awarded the 2022 (5th) Nara Prefecture Overseas Expansion Leading Company Award.
KAWATATEC Corp.
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