Mechanical Engineering Stec Co., Ltd.

The world is a mechanical one. The prominence of machines in business has risen significantly over the last few decades, as many industries have turned to robotic labor as the backbone of operations, especially in the field of engineering.

However, as many manufacturers of industrial machinery fall into a cycle of producing the same old products to fulfill existing demands in the market, the state of engineering faces the danger of becoming stagnant.

Aiming to rectify the situation is Stec Co., Ltd., a mechanical engineering company driven by a desire for innovation. "We want to create something unique that cannot be found elsewhere," says company president Masatsugu Nagashima. "We want to do things nobody else is doing. So we think of products that haven't been created yet, and we create them. I love making things. That was my motivation for starting this company."

Since its inception in 1991, the Shimane Prefecture-based manufacturer has focused primarily on creating original products by employing a technology that's strictly their own, utilizing steel of high mechanical strength-three times more powerful than standard steel. The results are state-of-the-art machines that have caused a splash in the Japanese market, garnering favor primarily from the iron making, auto manufacturing and medical fields.

Currently, Stec boasts a line of preparation machines (that process materials such as steel and ceramics before they can be manipulated or shaped), cutting machines (to alter these samples and form parts such as car clutches and constant velocity joints or CV joints), and a variety of other industrial machinery.

Of its catalog, Stec's milling machine has proven to be its most in-demand product. The device, developed in 2004, ensures the production of sturdy mechanical parts through grinding and equalizing the samples' exterior, without damaging or compromising the surface.

Stec has also made its name in medicine with the world's first automated system for crystallizing protein molecules-a process that previously could only be carried out manually.

While the buzz about Stec's technology has grown internationally, the business has remained largely protective of expansion to maintain exclusivity. "The technology and devices we use are an essential component in our process of steel adjustment," Nagashima states. "We initially didn't want to export them to prevent them from being copied." Due to high demand, however, Stec now deploys their machinery to industries worldwide, from China to Mexico.