Howa Textile has positioned itself at the forefront of innovation for automotive textiles since it was founded in 1955. The company was started by Yasushi Shibuya in Nagoya, with know-how gained from his experience working with material, such as cotton and felt.

Shibuya's strategy of pursuing and applying innovative technologies from the start has made the company one of the leading suppliers of automotive upholstery worldwide today.

From the start, the company employed specially designed machinery specific to Howa's needs. Collaborations with other Japanese engineers and manufacturers in various industrial sectors also led to the production of one-of-a-kind systems. These early partnerships quickly enabled Howa to offer products that no other competitor could produce. Howa has been a pioneer in its field ever since.

In 1967, the company created the world's first "groove headliner", a laminated material for auto interiors, which soon became the industry standard. Howa's continuous standard of excellence has made its products highly sought-after by such major automotive manufacturers as Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Honda.

Another significant part of the company's success is its robust, long-lasting partnerships with its clients. Howa is looked upon as a collaborator more than just a supplier. Its application of specialized knowledge has influenced many final products over the years.

"We are confident about our status as a tier one supplier," said Akiyori Shibuya, a member of the second generation who leads the family-owned company. "We have been recognized as such for 12 years. Howa guarantees quality and meets cost-reduction demands. We create solutions for our client's unique requests."

Shibuya (Akiyori) is continuing in his father's corporate strategy of growth and development based on a strongly innovation-focused model. Even before becoming Howa's president in 1998, he had dreamt of creating research, development and manufacturing centers in the major markets of the world. In 2004, Howa established its first overseas location in the US. In 2005, on the company's 50th anniversary, it opened a plant in China.

Howa now has three manufacturing plants in the country: in Tianjin, Foshan and Wuhan, as well as an R&D center in Foshan.

http://www.howatextile.com/english/e_fst/ef_fst.htm

World Eye Report provided the story.

(China Daily 02/07/2013 page7)