Jumping Town Factory Technology to the World with the Power of Art! ~cotas Talk Session

On June 29, the open innovation information media " cotas " ( http://cotas.jp/ ) held a talk session titled "New Initiatives in Springs Made by Small Factories: JUMP UP! with Unexpected Perspectives" at cotas studio, a satellite space in Caretta Shiodome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, themed around co-creation. With Megumi Wakabayashi, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED Japan, as facilitator, speakers included Hidetoshi Murai from Goko Spring, designer Takuya Nishimura, and Tetsu Shikiya, an employee of Dentsu Inc. and sculptor. The event also drew attention as the launch event for the " JUMP UP JAPAN " project, an initiative where artists, designers, and consultants support Japan's small factories.

From left: Wakabayashi, Murai, Shikiya, Nishimura

 

 
 	Mr. Murai

The factory managed by Mr. Murai produces precision springs with diameters under 2 millimeters. However, demand for springs themselves has declined. Coupled with low unit prices and increased overseas production, continuing to manufacture springs in Japan has become an extremely challenging situation. Therefore, Mr. Murai decided to transform his current business model and compete by enhancing added value.
He had ideas for new products, but he didn't know how to package them or market them. It was then that he encountered a lecture by enmono, a consulting firm specializing in small factories. "Until then, I was thinking about how springs could change society," Murai explains. "But when they told me, 'Make something you genuinely want,' my perspective shifted dramatically." From there, the planning began for new spring products that wouldn't just be ordinary industrial parts.

	 
Spring Jewelry Collection	 

Meanwhile, Nishimura and Shikiya faced challenges unique to creators. Nishimura, who works on co-creation with small factories, noticed many companies had the technical skills but struggled with what to produce. It was during a joint workshop between enmono and Gokohatsu Spring that he encountered the springs Murai was making. This encounter sparked the "Spring Jewelry Project" – creating accessories using spring factory technology.

 
 	Shikiya

Sculptor Shikiya felt that while Japanese products boast excellent technology, they seemed "stuck" in terms of their impact as commercial goods. Seeking to break through this shell and explore unprecedented possibilities led him to accessories using springs. "In the future, we want to involve people who love accessories and commercialize products that everyone involved feels good about," says Shikiya. The goal is to continue co-creation centered around Murai, ultimately aiming for the business to run independently even without the creators themselves.

	 
Nishimura	 

Here, Nishimura introduced the JUMP UP JAPAN project. Spring Jewelry is part of this initiative, where creators and consultants support makers like Murai to develop products with new value. Apparently, other small factory owners have already shown interest.

Mr. Wakabayashi asked Mr. Murai for advice for small factory owners looking to follow his lead.
He noted that small factory owners tend to keep ideas to themselves and overthink them. Mr. Murai responded, "It's crucial to involve people from different fields, like creators, and solve problems through open innovation."

 
 	Numerous spring jewelry pieces displayed at the venue

So what is needed to bring breakthroughs to small factories? "Small factories can't recognize the 'objective beauty of springs,' nor are they skilled at 'methods for commercialization,'" stated Mr. Nishimura. "By starting together to uncover the hidden value in what small factory workers create, we can move forward with mutual understanding."

	 
Wakabayashi	 

Finally, Wakabayashi concluded, "Sometimes the makers themselves don't understand the value of what they're creating. It's difficult to discover the potential value of a spring alone. We need to expose the manufacturing process to the outside world and work together. Only through repeated trial and error can we begin to see what emerges."