The Secret of Why This Company is So Energetic Season 2 [35]"Flexible" Manufacturing, "Flexible" Management
This series follows Dentsu Inc.'s 'Company Design' team as they uncover the secrets behind vibrant companies with 'originality.' In the 35th installment, we introduce Teori, a company in Mabi Town, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, that manufactures and sells beautiful interior items using discarded bamboo as its material. President Kazuyuki Nakayama spoke at length about the appeal of bamboo.
The founder is Chairman Masaaki Nakayama, Kazuyuki's father. I had interviewed him before; he is a gentle-mannered individual. I worked at Dentsu West Japan Inc. for about 13 years. During that time, I interviewed President Masaaki (at the time) for a project introducing "Made in Okayama" products.
Teori was founded in 1989. Originally, it was a company handling tasks like processing parts for chests of drawers. What caught their eye for creating original products was the bamboo of Mabi Town, Kurashiki City. While the town has long been famous as a bamboo shoot production area, they focused not on the shoots, but on the bamboo itself, or rather, the bamboo groves. This, I think, is truly remarkable. The bamboo groves on the hills behind the town. Bamboo shoots have value, but frankly, the idea of figuring out what to do with the wild, overgrown bamboo doesn't easily come to mind.
How do you turn bamboo—that cylindrical, green, springy stuff you picture—into furniture and interior design? That alone is fascinating.
Written by: Satoshi Teshirogi (Dentsu West Japan Inc.)
Kazuyuki Nakayama, President & CEO, Teori Inc .:
Born in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture. After graduating from university, he gained experience at a furniture manufacturer before joining Teori Co., Ltd. He was in charge of manufacturing and engineering, served as Managing Director, and became President and Representative Director in July 2021. In November of the same year, the company received certification for its Management Innovation Plan. Subsequently, they developed new equipment and introduced machinery to increase production of bamboo laminated veneer lumber. They are currently planning further new equipment development. Committed to manufacturing with passion, they aim to build a sustainable 'bamboo circular society' together with local communities.
Turning round things into boards?
"How do you think we turn that green bamboo into furniture and interior items?" President Nakayama cut straight to the point. Turning the bamboo from which Princess Kaguya was born into furniture? What does that mean? "We split that round bamboo into quarters or even tenths, shave it down, and join the pieces to form a single board. Bamboo shoots are delicious, right? That means bamboo is packed with nutrients that insects love. Removing those nutrients is also a labor-intensive process."
It's called bamboo laminated veneer lumber (Editor's note: made by splitting round bamboo, planing four sides smooth, then bonding the pieces with adhesive and pressing them into a board). Initially, they outsourced the board production to overseas factories. Since their furniture-making began with utilizing local bamboo, they naturally aimed for 100% domestic production. That's why, in 2018, they built a factory to manufacture bamboo materials domestically. Of course, it's costly. "We're only at about 30% domestic production now. But someday, I'm determined to make 100% domestically produced laminated bamboo."
Rapid growth is bamboo's defining characteristic.
"Think of cedar or cypress. It takes 30 to 50 years before they can be harvested as lumber. Bamboo, however, matures in just 3 to 5 years. That's its great advantage. Furthermore, to grow cedar or cypress, you have to plant seedlings, right? Bamboo, on the other hand, has rhizomes that spread underground, so it just grows on its own. It sprouts every year. Of course, maintenance and management are demanding. But I thought, couldn't we leverage that advantage?"
President Nakayama explains that the problem lies in the bamboo cut during forest maintenance. For example, when you cut down cypress, it has value. But most bamboo is just waste. Teori buys it up. This creates a win-win relationship between producers and manufacturers, and a future for a circular society. Fast growth is both an advantage and a disadvantage. If you take your eyes off it for a moment, it shoots up like crazy. Bamboo from the back mountain might start growing in your own backyard. Just imagining it makes you realize how difficult it is to maintain a bamboo grove at the right level.
The meaning behind the company name "Teori"
"The origin of the company name Teori comes from the German word meaning 'fundamental' or 'origin'. My father chose it, and in English, it would be 'theory'. As a business owner, I believe that 'theory' is the most important thing we must value."
President Nakayama says he was captivated by the charm of "making things" from a young age, influenced by his father. "When I was in fourth grade, my father started his own business. Back then, he made me a slide out of wood. Before I knew it, I was working at a furniture company, and then I joined my father's company."
"I think it's crucial not to lose sight of your roots," President Nakayama states. As a second-generation owner, he acknowledges some people have opinions. "But you have to be clear-headed about it. As long as you don't lose that core passion for making things, your business won't waver."
During the 2018 Western Japan Heavy Rain Disaster, Mabi Town, where the company is located, was broadcast daily on national news. The factory was submerged up to 2 meters and 20 centimeters. Naturally, business operations were impossible. Even so, President Masaaki (at the time), his father, declared that employee salaries would be guaranteed no matter what. It wasn't exactly 'rain makes the ground firm,' but it solidified the company's resolve, President Nakayama recalls.
We want more people to discover the charm of bamboo
For example, if you say paulownia, people think, "Ah, that's the paulownia used for high-end Japanese chests." It has insect-repellent properties and a pleasant aroma, right? So what exactly is the appeal of bamboo? I deliberately asked this somewhat challenging question. President Nakayama's answer was incredibly sincere. "It's difficult to process, prone to cracking, and requires careful handling to prevent insect infestation. But how many companies genuinely take on such a challenging material? That's precisely why we have no competition (laughs)."
According to President Nakayama, bamboo's appeal lies in its "flexibility" and "sturdiness." Teori leverages these characteristics in its Tension chair series. It offers both robustness and supreme cushioning that harnesses bamboo's natural flexibility.
Supple yet resilient
The word "flexibility" really resonated with me. While it's easy to associate bamboo with Japanese aesthetics, its true charm lies in its flexibility.
"Speaking of flexibility, for instance, the green part of young bamboo is used in bath additives and as a coating for furniture. It's said to have antibacterial properties. Our company wants to shake off the image of bamboo as... ah, that round, green stuff? With knots? Cheap? Found everywhere? But I believe there are countless ways to utilize even that part."
This column has been titled "Flexible Manufacturing, Flexible Management," but I sensed a certain "resilience" within it. This is meant as a compliment. It's a kind of "resilience" that says, "You don't fully understand bamboo's charm, do you? Shall I teach you?" Reading the other party's mind and responding flexibly is fundamental to business. Yet, it simultaneously requires an unbreakable, unwavering "resilient" strategy and conviction.
At the end of the interview, I asked, "President Nakayama, what makes a company truly vibrant?" His answer came back: "A company that adapts to societal changes and delivers smiles to its customers?" Hmm, that's flexible.
Theory's website is here.
This series follows Dentsu Inc. 'Company Design' team as they explore the secrets of 'vibrant companies' possessing 'originality.' Episode 35 introduced Teori, a company in Mabi Town, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, which manufactures and sells beautiful interior items using discarded bamboo as its material.
The Season 1 series can be found here.
The "Company Design" project site is here.
[Editor's Note]
Before the interview, I pondered various things about bamboo. Bamboo stilts, bamboo spinning tops, flowing somen noodles, bamboo brooms, bamboo poles, bamboo shoots, New Year's kadomatsu decorations, menma bamboo shoots, bamboo swords, tea ceremony utensils, folding fans, bamboo baskets, shakuhachi flutes... the list is endless. Is there any other nation in the world that lives so intimately with bamboo? When I mentioned this to President Nakayama, he agreed: "That's right. Bamboo doesn't grow in Europe, after all."
As editors, we really wanted to ask about "the potential bamboo holds." Sixty-seven percent of Japan's land area is forest. Yet, we rely heavily on imported timber. This is largely because the mountainous terrain makes it difficult to maintain forest roads.
President Nakayama says the appeal of bamboo, in a word, is that "there's nothing to throw away, from the root to the tip of the leaves." The other day, I had a "yellowtail party" with some friends. The menu was all about yellowtail: sashimi, teriyaki, shabu-shabu, grilled collar, and simmered with radish. An 11-kilogram yellowtail was delivered from Himi, Toyama Prefecture. Truly, there was nothing wasted. Could it be that we Japanese are overlooking the appeal of bamboo, which shares this quality with such a fish? Yellowtail and bamboo have nothing to do with each other, yet it made me think about this.
Was this article helpful?
Share this article
Newsletter registration is here
We select and publish important news every day
For inquiries about this article
Back Numbers
Author
Satoshi Teshirogi
Dentsu West Japan Inc.
I worked at an advertising agency in Tokyo, but longing for the freedom of local advertising, I joined Dentsu West Japan Inc. in 2006. I organize the "Okayama Advertising Hot Springs," an advertising exhibition where local ads are publicly displayed and judged.
