From Subcontractor to Creator: A 50-Year-Old Local Factory's Mission to Soothe Anxiety with Light

Maruhachi Kasei Co., Ltd. (Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture; President Masanori Kaneda) will speak at "LiB.MEETING 01," to be held on June 23, 2026, at Nagoya Musubu Tech Lab (within the Nagoya City Industrial Research Institute), presenting the development story of its in-house brand "OUROBOROS."

Event Overview

Event Name: LiB.MEETING 01

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 14:00–17:00

Venue: Nagoya Musubu Tech Lab (within Nagoya City Industrial Research Institute) 3-4-41 Rokuban-cho, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya

Registration: https://www.nmiri.city.nagoya.jp/musubu_lab/event/

Notes

Admission: Free

Presentation Topics: - Behind-the-scenes of developing the glow-in-the-dark brand "OUROBOROS" - A local factory's challenge into new business ventures - Case studies on crowdfunding utilization - Outlook on the disaster preparedness market

For about 50 years since its founding, this local factory has manufactured plastic products centered on automotive and industrial components. But why has it now taken on the challenge of developing its own brand?

The driving force behind this move is a strong desire to move beyond subcontracting.

Kagerou S-Bina in bright light

Kagerou S-Bina in the dark

Why "Glow-in-the-Dark" (Products)?

This journey began with a conical glow-in-the-dark product I saw as a child, attached to the pull-cord of my room's light switch.

The essence of darkness is not merely the absence of light.

When it gets dark, people feel anxious.

They can't see what's ahead.

They lose sense of where they are.

They can't tell direction.

They feel alone.

Perhaps the true nature of darkness is not just the lack of light, but the disappearance of things that bring us reassurance.

The glow-in-the-dark brand "OUROBOROS," developed by Maruhachi Kasei, absorbs daylight and softly emits light in the dark.

This is not a bright beam like a flashlight.

It is a small light that reveals the location of your belongings and signals their presence in the dark.

This small light aims to bring peace of mind to people.

Dura-glow: Metal meets glow-in-the-dark

"A carabiner wrapped in light"—glows in the dark at its luminescent part

Infusing objects with light, and hearts with reassurance

For many years, Maruhachi Kasei has manufactured products that support people's lives, such as automotive and industrial components.

However, most of these products are embedded within final products and never seen by consumers.

Even if unseen, they support someone's daily life.

This quiet presence resonates with our glow-in-the-dark products that softly glow in the dark.

Maruhachi Kasei has adopted the brand statement:

"Infuse objects with light, and hearts with reassurance."

As a company, we define our purpose as:

"Creating quietly present value within people's lives."

13 Challenges, 8,455 Supporters

The in-house brand initiative, launched in earnest in 2020, was far from smooth sailing.

Product planning, design, sales channel development, crowdfunding, overseas expansion—each was an unfamiliar frontier for a local factory.

As a result, we achieved:

- Number of crowdfunding campaigns: 13 - Total support amount: 25,849,332 JPY - Number of supporters: 8,455

The messages we received from supporters included:

"Easy to find in the dark"

"Want to use it for disaster preparedness"

"Want to attach it to my child's belongings"

All reflecting shared value in "reassurance."

Acquiring Disaster Prevention Certification: The Next Challenge

President Kaneda has obtained disaster prevention certification and is now developing disaster and risk-reduction products utilizing glow-in-the-dark technology.

Amid growing needs for preparedness against earthquakes, heavy rains, and other natural disasters, we aim to provide "visible reassurance" useful during power outages and evacuations.

Maruhachi Kasei will continue to move beyond being just a manufacturer.

Under the banner of "From subcontractor to creator,"

we will keep challenging ourselves to create products that quietly support people's lives.

Small-lot, multi-variety production made possible by in-house manufacturing

This product is planned and manufactured by Maruhachi Kasei Co., Ltd., a plastic injection molding manufacturer founded in 1974.

Leveraging decades of injection molding expertise and quality control from automotive and industrial components, along with newly acquired know-how in luminescent materials, each item is meticulously produced at our domestic factory. The result is a compact, lightweight, yet durable carabiner.

This product symbolizes the journey of a small local factory striving to become a "creator from subcontractor."

Inquiries

Maruhachi Kasei Co., Ltd. Contact: Kaneda

TEL: 052-793-6827 Email: kaneda@maruhachi-kasei.co.jp

[Company Information]

Company Name: Maruhachi Kasei Co., Ltd.

Representative: President and CEO Masanori Kaneda

Address: 673 Kawami-cho, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi

Founded: 1974

URL: https://maruhachi-kasei.co.jp

Rakuten Market: https://www.rakuten.co.jp/ouroboros-08/

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maruhachikasei/

Official X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/maruhachi_kasei

Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maruOUROBOROS

Company Overview

Company Name: Maruhachi Kasei Co., Ltd.

Representative: Director Masanori Kaneda

Headquarters: 673 Kawami-cho, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 463-0081

Founded: 1974

Business: Planning, manufacturing, and sales of plastic products