Three Approaches to Rising Raw Material Costs | What CTSH Values to Protect Quality
Maintaining “Price” Without Sacrificing “Value.”
Currently, the global prices of metal raw materials such as brass and stainless steel, as well as energy costs, continue to rise. For those of us involved in manufacturing, this is an extremely difficult challenge.
However, we have no intention of resorting to easy price hikes. This time, we would like to talk about the “efforts” we continue behind the scenes.
“Material Purity” is a Line We Will Never Cross
The easiest way to cut costs is to lower the grade of the material or switch to cheaper molded parts. But the moment we do that, we lose the “substantial, solid feel” and “deep patina” that define CTSH’s identity. We will never compromise on continuing to use the highest purity metal ingots as the canvas for our precision machining.
The Challenge of “Improving Efficiency” to Save Every Second
To keep price revisions to a minimum and deliver products at a fair price, we devote ourselves every day to **“thoroughly improving operational efficiency.”**
-
Optimizing Programming: We are working to review the movements of lathe and machining center tools in 0.1-second increments and thoroughly eliminate wasted motion.
-
In-House Jig (Fixture) Development: We design and manufacture our own dedicated fixtures to reduce setup time while maintaining machining precision.
-
Expert Collaboration: We streamline the movement of our craftspeople and make the flow from machining to inspection and packaging as smooth as possible. We do not just machine materials; we also place great importance on “time” as a cost, fiercely maintaining the balance between quality and price.
“Sustainable Value” That Can Be Enjoyed for Years to Come Especially now, with soaring raw material costs, we believe it is important to create “products that do not need to be replaced.” Rather than consumables that deteriorate in a few years, we make brass lighting that becomes even more beautiful over 10 or 20 years. We are convinced that maintaining a quality that can be enjoyed for a lifetime once purchased is what truly protects our customers’ interests from a long-term perspective.
The Key Point!
-
Innovation for the Sake of “Kindness”: Our drive for efficiency is by no means “cutting corners.” Rather, it is a sincere effort to maintain “unchanging value” by mobilizing the latest technology and ingenuity.
Our Promise to Keep Refining Value Due to circumstances, there are times when we are forced to review our prices. But behind those decisions is always our struggle to push efficiency to its limits and cut costs by even a single yen. We will continue to manufacture so that you can say, “I’m glad I was able to get this product at this price.”
When we discuss with our workshop team, “We can shorten this machining program by another three seconds,” there is a sense of tension similar to that of a race team’s pit crew. Knowing that the accumulation of those few seconds supports the “fair price” of the products we deliver to you naturally gives us strength.
