Sanyo Trading’s history of pursuing the best solutions for customer success, driven by an open, down-to-earth, and entrepreneurial corporate culture

Gets on a fast growth track after founding
When the Mitsui zaibatsu (family-run conglomerate) was ordered to dissolve after the war, Sanyo Trading Co., Ltd. was established in 1947 by former employees of the Kobe branch of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. At the time of its founding, Eiichi Tamaki, the president of the company, was the only member well-versed in the trading business, and it was his professional background and determination that got the company off the ground. In the late 1940s, Sanyo Trading was designated by Public Corporation for Ironworks Trade as an official agent for importing and rationing out rubber. The company expanded its import business by becoming sole distributors for Japan on behalf of several foreign manufacturers. Having survived an economic downturn with financial support of banks, Sanyo Trading grew into a leading trading company in Japan. As an entity independent of corporate groups, the company fostered an open and inclusive culture that encouraged its employees to fulfill their potential and pursued its own path.

Down-to-earth approach to business propels the company into a global arena In the 1960s, as the majority of the company’s thriving business came to be conducted out of its Tokyo office, Sanyo Trading relocated its head office from Kobe to Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, in 1964. With the establishment of subsidiaries in diverse sectors, Sanyo Trading evolved into a prominent corporate group. Geographically, its operations expanded into a global arena, with offices in Bangkok, Detroit, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, and New York. When a bubble economy, which had started in Japan in the late 1980s, collapsed in the early 1990s, it was the beginning of a long period of economic lethargy for the nation. While many other Japan-based trading companies were burdened with mounting bad loans from failed speculative investments they had made during the booming economy, Sanyo Trading, focused on its core trading business, was free from bad loans and managed to weather the economic downturn unscathed. It paid off to hold on to its down-to-earth management ethos.

The company chooses to focus on what it can excel at and goes public to accelerate growth Just before the turn of the century, Sanyo Trading made a bold strategic move by discontinuing its pesticide business, which had long been one of its core businesses but had been losing money as it was prone to fluctuations in the market prices of the primary commodities. The company chose to focus on profitable business lines. One of them was the fast-growing industrial products business that imports auto interior parts for Japanese automakers. This strategic realignment proved vital for the growth of the Sanyo Trading Group. Another strategic move was going public in the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2012. The company’s stock listing was upgraded to the first section in the following year. Having the company’s stock listed was a challenging endeavor but, combined with a series of aggressive acquisitions of blue-chip companies, turned out to be a key growth driver for the Group. When the Tokyo Stock Exchange reorganized its market segments into the Prime, Standard, and Growth Markets in 2022, Sanyo Trading’s stock was listed on the top-tier Prime Market, which is for enterprises that maintain a higher level of stock liquidity and governance practices and are committed to sustained growth based on constructive dialogues with investors.

Committed to pursuing the best solutions for customer success Today, Sanyo Trading is focused on the mobility, fine chemicals, sustainability, and life science markets. In these four markets, our business model encompasses end-to-end support ranging from product development to mass production and quality control to fulfill corporate customers’ diverse commercial needs. We have maintained a single-source procurement policy to establish strong and long-term relationships with selected suppliers. The combination of placing a high priority on delivering customer success and upholding commercial ethics has enabled us to continue providing greater value beyond merely selling merchandise and earn the lasting trust of our corporate customers. That is Sanyo Trading’s management ethos upheld since its founding. Our open, down-to-earth, and entrepreneurial corporate culture fostered over the years will continue to drive the growth and success of the Sanyo Trading Group. We intend to maintain our unique and sophisticated business models and remain at the forefront in pursuing the best solutions for making the world a better place for everyone.