HI-LEX Corporation

Name

HI-LEX Corporation

Legal name

株式会社ハイレックスコーポレーション

Website

https://hi-lex.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Components and Control Systems

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing (33632), Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing (336320), Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing (3363), Motor Vehicle Brake System Manufacturing (336340)

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Electric Motors & Actuators Manufacturing (EPS/Brake-by-wire/Seat/Window) (IMACAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive ECUs/Control Modules & Embedded Electronics Manufacturing (IMACAJAC), Passenger Vehicle Electrical & Electronics Manufacturing (ICE) (IMACAAAK), Automotive Interior Comfort & Convenience Components Manufacturing (Armrests/Cupholders/Storage/Interior Hardware) (IMACAKAJ)

Keywords

• Automotive control cables
• Window regulators
• Automotive door modules
• Electronic parking brakes
• Medical microcatheters

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices69 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Automotive Components Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling control cables, window regulators, door modules, ECUs, and system products to automotive manufacturers globally. Revenue is generated through long-term supply contracts with major OEMs.
2. Industrial Equipment Components: Sales of mechanical components for construction machinery, housing equipment, marine vessels, and nursing care equipment. Includes accelerator actuators, dampers, drain valve cables, and operation boxes.
3. Medical Devices and Components: Sale of medical devices including microcatheters for cancer treatment and fine-diameter precision tubes and wires for medical equipment manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HI-LEX Corporation manufactures and sells mechanical and electronic control components for automotive OEMs, including control cables, window regulators, door modules, electronic parking brake systems, power lift gate systems, wheelchair anchoring systems, and in-house ECUs. The company also produces industrial equipment components (construction machinery actuators, housing dampers, marine operation boxes, nursing care bathing aids) and medical devices (microcatheters, polymer and coil-reinforced tubes, artificial blood vessels, and assist artificial hearts). Revenue is generated through long-term supply contracts with major global automotive and industrial OEMs and medical device manufacturers.

Product overview

HI-LEX Corporation is a specialized manufacturing company offering a diversified portfolio of control system products and solutions. The portfolio comprises four main product categories: (1) Automotive products including Power Lift Gate Systems, Electronic Parking Brake Systems, Wheelchair Anchoring Systems, Door Modules, Window Regulators, Control Cables (Push-Pull, Pull, SPIRAX), Actuators, and ECUs; (2) Industrial Equipment including Accelerator Actuators, Damper Controls, Elevated Grilles, High Window Operators, Drain Valve Cables, and Operation Boxes; (3) Nursing Care Equipment including Bath Assist bathing assistance devices; and (4) Medical Devices and Components including microcatheters (Komichi, PASSGARD Pro, Estream 2.0 IGT Plus, ABILITIER III), polymer tubes, coil-reinforced tubes, braided tubes, stranded wires, and coated cables. The company's core competency lies in control cable technology (holding nearly 60% market share in Japan for automotive control cables) with capabilities spanning mechanical design, electronic control systems, and modular integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HI-LEX Medical: Medical equipment division specializing in microcatheters and medical devices
• EVAHEART
• SPIRAX
• HI-LEX GRAFT
• HI-LEX GRAFT PLUS
• Bath Assist

Products and services

• Power Lift Gate System (PLG) Electrically operated lift gate system that automatically opens and closes rear doors, featuring resin-based lightweight actuator and improved deceleration mechanism for noise reduction, with integrated touch sensors, latches, and ECUs for coordinated vehicle communication. Sold to global automotive OEMs.
• Electronic Parking Brake Systems (EPKB) Electronically operated parking brake systems combining proprietary control cables with downsized actuator units and ECUs for vehicle stopping functionality. Sold to automotive OEMs including Isuzu and Hino.
• Wheelchair Anchoring Systems Systems that control and actuate wheelchair boarding and secure anchoring in vehicles, reducing helper workload and enabling stress-free mobility for wheelchair users. Sold to automotive OEMs.
• Door Modules Integrated door assemblies combining window regulators, door latches, and other components on resin plates, simplifying door assembly and improving glass operation stability, noise reduction, and weight savings. Sold to automotive OEMs including GM, Stellantis, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, and Toyota.
• Window Regulators Window raising and lowering systems for vehicles with extensive lineup for various door structures, using in-house developed and manufactured cables. Sold to automotive OEMs including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, BMW, VW, Audi, Stellantis, and Mitsubishi Fuso.
• Push-Pull Control Cables Control cables that transmit force and displacement bidirectionally (push and pull) with high accuracy, smooth operation, and durability. Sold to automotive, industrial, and other OEM customers.
• Pull Control Cables Control cables transmitting force in pull direction, used from light fingertip operation to train parking operations with extensive lineup. Sold to automotive and industrial OEM customers.
• SPIRAX Control Cables Proprietary spiral control cables that combine cable flexibility with rack-and-pinion long-stroke capabilities for use in curved areas. Sold to automotive and industrial OEM customers.
• Actuators Electric unlocking actuators for reclining mechanisms, gas flaps, and charging socket flaps, with cable backup operation capability when battery is depleted. Sold to automotive OEMs.
• ECU (Electronic Control Unit) In-house developed ECU hardware and software for vehicle system integration including functional safety and cybersecurity requirements, controlling mechanisms and sensors for optimal mechanical component operation. Sold to automotive OEMs.
• Accelerator Actuator Hand dial-operated accelerator actuator for construction machinery that detects engine speed and position with cable-based layout flexibility for comfortable operation. Sold to construction equipment OEMs including Komatsu.
• Damper for System Air Conditioners Temperature and humidity control device for system air conditioners with highly controlled airflow for comfortable humidity management. Sold to housing equipment OEMs including Daikin.
• Elevated Grille Electric raising/lowering device for ceiling-installed air conditioner grilles and filters using cables, facilitating filter maintenance and energy-saving operation. Sold to housing equipment OEMs.
• Operator Unit for High Window Opening/closing device for residential high windows enabling window operation and switching mechanism with a single cable. Sold to housing equipment OEMs including YKK.
• Drain Valve Cable Remote bathtub drain lid operation device with absorber mechanism for durability and hollow-contact-type inner cable for comfortable operability. Sold to housing equipment OEMs including TOTO.
• Operation Box Ship operating lever with disc brake mechanism for constant speed navigation and fine-tuning adjustment bolt. Sold to marine vessel builders and operators.
• Bath Assist Water pressure-operated bathing assistance device for physically disabled and elderly, automatically raising/lowering by sitting down without electricity for safety. Sold to nursing care and housing equipment customers.
• Microcatheter Komichi Fine-diameter microcatheter for medical applications. Sold to medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers.
• Microcatheter PASSGARD Pro Precision microcatheter for medical procedures. Sold to medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers.
• Microcatheter Estream 2.0 IGT Plus Advanced microcatheter for image-guided therapy applications. Sold to medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers.
• Microcatheter ABILITIER III Specialized microcatheter device for medical applications. Sold to medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers.
• Micro-catheter Gold Crest Microcatheter for cancer treatment launched in 2015. Sold to healthcare providers and medical device users.
• Polymer Tubes (Medical) Fine-diameter precision polymer tubes for medical device applications. Sold to medical device manufacturers.
• Coil-Reinforced Tubes and Braided Tubes (Medical) Reinforced tube structures for enhanced medical device performance. Sold to medical device manufacturers.
• Multi-Layer Tubes (Medical) Multi-layer construction tubes for specialized medical applications. Sold to medical device manufacturers.
• Stranded Wires and Wound Coils (Medical) Stranded wires and wound coils for medical device applications. Sold to medical device manufacturers.
• Coated Wires and Cables (Medical) Coated wires and cables for medical device applications. Sold to medical device manufacturers.
• Integrated WR Door Module Integrated window regulator door module combining window regulator and other door components. Sold to automotive OEMs.
• Integrated WR Door Module (DL) with Door Latch Door latch integrated module variant with enhanced functionality combining window regulator and latch. Sold to automotive OEMs.
• Integrated WR Door Module (SL) with Speaker/Latch/Harness Speaker, latch, and harness integrated door module variant combining window regulator with additional integrated components. Sold to automotive OEMs.
• Hi-Lex Graft Artificial Blood Vessels Artificial blood vessel (vascular graft) product for medical use. Sold to healthcare providers and medical device distributors.
• HI-LEX GRAFT PLUS New standard model of HI-LEX artificial blood vessel product launched in April 2024. Sold to healthcare providers and medical device distributors.
• EVAHEART-2 Assist Artificial Heart Downsized ventricular assist artificial heart for patients with severe heart failure. Sold to healthcare providers and hospitals.
• Stranded Wires (Industrial) In-house manufactured inner cables (stranded wires) using accumulated wire-drawing, stranding, winding, and coating technologies. Available in single-strand and multi-strand configurations. Sold as components to internal divisions and external customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 60% market share in Japan for automotive control cables
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kansai UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHI-LEX is collaborating with Kansai University's Carbon Neutral Research Center on minimally invasive coral propagation methods. This research aims to develop techniques to fix carbon dioxide (CO2) through coral cultivation, contributing to long-term carbon sequestration and marine ecosystem restoration. Coral reef restoration leads to nature-positive effects by increasing biodiversity.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Brose: Major supplier of window regulators, door systems, power liftgates and closure mechatronics, competing directly with HI-LEX's door module and PLG lines.
• U-Shin (Minebea AccessSolutions): Japanese supplier of access mechanisms, latches and door/closure control components overlapping HI-LEX's door module portfolio.
• Ficosa: Spanish Tier-1 producing control cables, gear shift systems and automotive mechanisms, closely aligned with HI-LEX's mechanical cable and actuation offerings.
• Mitsuba Corporation: Japanese supplier of automotive motors, actuators and door/window systems serving the same domestic OEMs as HI-LEX.
• Inteva Products: Specializes in closure systems, window regulators and latch systems for global OEMs, a direct competitor in HI-LEX's door/closure segment.
• Kongsberg Automotive: Norwegian Tier-1 supplier of control cables, actuation and vehicle interior mechatronic systems, directly overlapping HI-LEX's core control cable and actuation business.
• Küster Holding: German manufacturer of automotive cables, window regulators and actuators, overlapping HI-LEX's cable and mechanism product categories.

Emerging players

• Stoneridge: Supplier of vehicle electronic control modules and electrical/electronic systems, overlapping HI-LEX's growing ECU and automotive electronics focus.

Others

• Mitsui Kinzoku ACT: Automotive door latch and closure specialist recently acquired by HI-LEX, now an affiliated business rather than an external competitor.

Regional players

• Shiroki Corporation: Japanese maker of window regulators, door frames and seat mechanisms for Japanese OEMs, a regional competitor in door and window systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hi-lex-corporation

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries32 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HI-LEX Corporation