Topic of this issue: This company started with 23 yuan and earns 48.8 billion every year, becoming the world’s number one with just one gadget
Today is an era where Internet companies are rampant. The annual revenue of giant Internet companies can easily exceed 100 million, gradually widening the gap with traditional industrial companies. However, there is such an industrial enterprise in Japan that after 85 years is still active at the top of the industry and has become an industrial model in Japan and even the world. It is YKK, currently the world's largest zipper manufacturing company.
YKK, founded in 1934, started as a small workshop opened by two young people, with an initial investment of only 350 yen (approximately RMB 23). In just 40 years from its establishment to expansion, YKK surpassed the American Talon Company, the world's largest clothing fastener company at the time, and became the largest manufacturer in the fastener market. Since the 1980s, YKK has been defined as synonymous with high-quality clothing accessories. YKK zippers can be seen everywhere in high-end clothing, daily necessities, bags and other products that require zippers, such as mid-to-high-end brands such as Adidas, Nike, and Reeves. And many brands are not shy about using YKK as clothing accessories. They are willing to mark YKK in product descriptions and regard it as a selling point of their products.
Even at its most glorious moment, YKK went to space. At that time, it was selected as an important material for space suits and was sent to NASA. It followed the astronauts to the moon in the first phase, making YKK a world-famous zipper manufacturer in one fell swoop. According to data, high-end products account for more than 80% of YKK's zipper business. YKK's zipper production accounts for about a quarter of the world, but its output value monopolizes 45% of the global market.
As of 2017, YKK has applied for as many as 1,500 innovation patents on a small zipper. It is just an inconspicuous gadget, but YKK has turned it into the world’s largest business. Since then, people's understanding of Japan has not been limited to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toyota, Fuji Heavy Industries, Canon, Nikon, etc. This zipper manufacturer has since become an important proof representing Japan's traditional industrial strength.
In addition, the company founder Tadao Yoshida is also an enlightened leader. He believes in the entrepreneurial spirit of "circle of kindness" and shares all the shares with company employees except for the 40 shares held by his family and himself. , and stipulates that employees can receive more than 8 months of bonuses every year. However, employees need to deposit 10% of their wages and allowances in the company, and use two-thirds of their bonuses to purchase company stocks. Employees' salaries and benefits are directly linked to the company's business development, so that employees can get higher benefits when the company's stocks appreciate. Dividend bonus. Of course, this approach also effectively "chains" employees and prevents employees from changing jobs and technology outflow to the greatest extent. In this regard, Huawei's Ren Zhengfei is very similar to his approach.
Today, YKK has 108 branches around the world, annual sales of more than 9.5 billion zippers, and 108 companies in 72 countries or regions around the world. In 2018, global sales reached 7657.81 yen ( (approximately RMB 40 billion). This is YKK, a Japanese company that manufactures zippers.