Nittoku

What Nittoku does

Nittoku (日本特殊織物株式会社 / Nippon Tokushu Fabric Inc.) is a privately held Japanese industrial mesh manufacturer founded in 1954 and headquartered in Katsuyama-shi, Fukui Prefecture. The company controls and creates 'space' ('間') — the micron-precision openings formed when warp and weft threads intersect — across a range of 30 to 2,000μm, weaving polyester, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, fluorine, copper, carbon, PPS, stainless steel, and super fibers into products that serve screen printing, filtration, civil engineering, industrial belting, and carbon fiber composite applications.

The company's portfolio splits into two business segments: Screen Printing Mesh (flagship Smartmesh-HP+ and Smartmesh-P lines, complemented by nylon NNo./SX meshes, Micromesh metal series in ST/HH/WW grades, and polyester LX/LH/TG/TXX meshes, with optional SS-30 and SUPER FINE surface treatments) and Industrial Material Textile Fabrics (filter meshes in four polymer families, TERRA-PAX/Grout Jacket/Concrete Mat civil engineering geotextiles, resin belt base fabrics, and carbon fiber intermediate materials). Nittoku holds proprietary positions including the world's first polyester-nylon composite thread (SX) and the Smartmesh-HP+ line claimed as the world's No.1 ultra-high strength, low-elongation screen mesh. Manufacturing spans the Katase headquarters and Arado Factory in Fukui, two wholly-owned subsidiaries in Shanghai (Shanghai Nittoku Fabric Co., Ltd. established 1993 and Shanghai Smart Fabric Co., Ltd. established 2004), and a Poland-based European entity (Nittoku Europe sp. z o.o., established September 2024) serving as a logistics, technical support, and training hub.

The business model is B2B direct sales to industrial manufacturers, with products sold through the Tokyo Sales Office for domestic Japan and through overseas subsidiaries for international markets. Pricing is contact-based with no public price list; products are specified to customer requirements across applications including PCB and solar cell manufacturing, automotive and medical filtration, civil engineering infrastructure, and aerospace/sporting goods carbon fiber components. The company exports to 37 countries, holds ISO 9001 certification at all domestic plants and the Shanghai operations, and is led by Representative Director and President Tetsuo Emori (江守哲郎). With 249 employees (2024) and 71 years of continuous operation, Nittoku generates revenue through one-time product sales across its diversified mesh product portfolio.

Name

Nittoku

Legal name

日本特殊織物株式会社

Website

https://nt-jp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nittoku (日本特殊織物) is a Japanese industrial mesh manufacturer producing micron-precision woven fabrics (30-2,000μm) for screen printing, filtration, civil engineering, and carbon fiber applications, serving global electronics, automotive, medical, and aerospace customers from manufacturing facilities in Japan, China, and Poland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Woven Mesh Textiles

NAICS

Broadwoven Fabric Mills (31321), Textile Mills (313)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221), Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates) (IMAOABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerospace & Defense Technical Textiles (Ballistic/Parachute/Radar-Absorbing/Composites Reinforcement) (IMAOADAF), Coated & Laminated Base Fabric Mills (Pre-finish Substrates) (IMAOABAI)

Keywords

• Precision screen printing mesh
• Industrial filter mesh
• Woven textile manufacturing
• Geotextile civil engineering
• Carbon fiber base fabric

Headquarters

HQ city

Katsuyama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Screen Printing Mesh Products: Sale of woven mesh fabrics for screen printing applications including Smartmesh-HP+, Smartmesh-P, SX, LX, LH, TG, TXX, NNo., and Micromesh products. Used in electronics (PCBs, solar cells), glass, graphics, textiles, ceramics, and automotive applications.
2. Filter Mesh Products: Sale of filter mesh products in various materials (nylon, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene) for automotive, home appliances, medical, food, and industrial filtration applications. Includes processing and assembly into final filter products.
3. Civil Engineering Materials: Geotextile products including TERRA-PAX, Grout Jacket, and concrete mats for river, port, road, dam construction, and anti-seismic reinforcement applications.
4. Industrial Belt Base Fabric: Base fabric materials for resin belts used in conveyor systems, drive belts, health equipment belts, and non-slip mats for food, logistics, automotive, and sports industries.
5. Carbon Fiber Intermediate Base Materials: Processing of carbon fiber filaments into woven intermediate base materials for aerospace, automotive, sporting goods, and infrastructure reinforcement applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nittoku manufactures precision-woven industrial mesh textiles for two main segments: (1) Screen Printing Mesh used in electronics (PCBs, MLCC, LTCC, solar cells), graphics, glass, ceramics, and textiles; and (2) Industrial Material Textile Fabrics including filter mesh for automotive/appliance/medical filtration, civil engineering geotextiles, industrial belt base fabrics, and carbon fiber intermediate base materials for aerospace and sporting goods. All products are made in-house via micron-precision weaving across facilities in Japan and China.

Product overview

Nittoku is a mesh textile manufacturer offering two main business segments: Screen Printing Mesh and Industrial Material Textile Fabrics. The screen printing mesh portfolio includes Smartmesh-HP+ and Smartmesh-P as flagship products, complemented by nylon meshes (NNo., SX), metal meshes (Micromesh ST/HH/WW series), and polyester meshes (LX, LH, TG, TXX). Surface treatments SS-30 and SUPER FINE are available as add-on options. The industrial materials segment covers filter meshes in various materials (NNo., TNo., PE, PP, LX, LH, TG), civil engineering products (TERRA-PAX, Grout Jacket, Concrete Mat), belt base fabrics, and carbon fiber intermediate materials. All products are manufactured using micron-precision weaving technology across facilities in Japan and China, with full in-house production from raw materials to finished products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smartmesh-HP+: World No.1 ultra-high strength and low elongation screen printing mesh featuring high strength, enhanced printing dimension accuracy, higher mesh open area percentage, and higher resolution
• Smartmesh-P
• Smartmesh-N (NNo.)
• SX
• Micromesh
• LX
• LH
• TG
• TXX
• SS-30
• Super Fine

Products and services

• Smartmesh-HP+ Screen Printing Mesh World's No.1 ultra-high strength, low elongation screen printing mesh designed for high-precision applications including PCBs, solar cells, glass, graphics, dials, decals, nameplates, and automotive panels. Available in 27–34μm thread diameter range.
• Smartmesh-P Screen Printing Mesh Main polyester screen printing mesh line available in standard polyester (64–500μm), high strength polyester (34–54μm), and ultra-high strength polyester (27–30μm) variants, with optional SS-30 or Super Fine surface treatments. Used for PCBs, glass, graphics, ceramics, solar cells, and printed textiles.
• NNo. Nylon Screen Printing Mesh Nylon monofilament mesh leveraging unique elongation characteristics of nylon for curved surface printing applications. Features excellent adhesion to emulsions and ink permeability.
• SX Composite Thread Screen Mesh World's first polyester-nylon composite thread screen mesh combining nylon's adhesion and ink permeability with polyester's high strength and dimensional stability. Used for PCBs, graphics, dials, decals, and nameplates.
• Micromesh Metal Mesh Series Metal mesh product line for solar cells, MLCC, LTCC, PCBs, and ceramic package applications. ST uses high-strength stainless steel, HH uses ultra-high strength stainless (~3.4x standard), and WW uses tungsten for the highest strength screen printing applications.
• LX Polyester Partially-Fused Mesh Polyester intersection-fused mesh (partially-fused) with monofilament warp and weft featuring heat-fused polyester sheath. Resists mesh displacement; ideal for high precision textile printing applications.
• LH Polyester Completely-Fused Mesh Polyester intersection-fused mesh (completely-fused) with monofilament warp and multifilament weft. Designed for cut pattern applications with superior dimensional stability.
• TG Multifilament Polyester Mesh Multifilament polyester mesh (TG600–TG2300) that utilizes the unique texture of multifilament threads. Ideal for textile printing applications requiring specific print characteristics.
• TXX Coarse Multifilament Polyester Mesh Coarse multifilament polyester mesh with thread diameters of 83–130μm, designed for textile printing applications requiring thicker ink deposit.
• Filter Mesh Product Line (NNo., TNo., PE, PP) Filter mesh product line in nylon (high water absorption, resistance to cyclic deformation), polyester (excellent strength retention when wet, chemical resistance), polyethylene (cost-efficient, food-contact safe), and polypropylene (lightest fiber, moisture retention) variants. Used for automotive, agricultural, paint, powder/liquid chemical, water purifier, vacuum cleaner, medical, and tea strainer filters.
• Specialty Filter Mesh Product Line (LX, LH, TG) Specialty filter mesh line including LX partially-fused mesh for air intake, low-voltage, and cosmetic filters; LH completely-fused mesh primarily for home appliance filters; and TG multifilament mesh for ink filtration and chemical filters.
• TERRA-PAX Geotextile Sheet Civil engineering geotextile sheet for scour prevention, suction prevention, soft ground stabilization, mud-pumping prevention, grab frame sheets, pollution prevention film curtains, and leakage prevention in ports, harbors, rivers, roads, and railways.
• Grout Jacket Water Stop Product Tube-shaped product for water stop works at steel pipe sheet pile joints. Inserted into joints with mortar injection for water sealing, featuring high elongation and side wall adhesion using specially treated nylon threads.
• Concrete Mat Fabric Formwork

Quantifiable outcome

• SS-30 treatment reduces exposure time by 30% or more
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 大嘉産業株式会社 (Daika Industries Co., Ltd.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDaika Industries distributes civil engineering geotextile products manufactured by Nittoku, including TERRA-PAX (soil reinforcement sheets), Grout Jacket (steel pipe sheet pile joint water sealing products), and concrete mats for fabric formwork applications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Peers

• Asahi Kasei Corporation:

Direct peers

• Sefar: Swiss-headquartered global leader in precision woven mesh fabrics for screen printing, filtration, and industrial applications. Direct competitor to Nittoku across screen printing mesh (PCB, solar, graphics) and filter mesh segments.
• NBC Meshtec: Japanese manufacturer of precision mesh products for screen printing, electronics, and industrial applications. Closest domestic competitor to Nittoku in micron-precision screen mesh technology.
• Nippon Filcon Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of industrial woven mesh products including screen printing mesh and filtration media. Direct competitor with similar product portfolio and customer base to Nittoku.
• GKD — Gebr. Kufferath AG: German manufacturer of technical woven and spiral mesh for filtration, process belts, and architectural applications. Comparable in technical textile manufacturing and B2B industrial focus.
• Saati S.p.A. Italian manufacturer of precision woven mesh for screen printing and filtration. Direct competitor in screen printing mesh for electronics, graphics, and industrial printing applications.

Broad incumbents

• Toray Industries, Inc. Japanese global leader in synthetic fibers, technical textiles, and carbon fiber composites. While much larger and diversified, Toray competes in adjacent technical textiles and could expand into Nittoku's niche.
• Teijin Limited: Japanese conglomerate with materials and fibers businesses including aramid fibers, carbon fiber, and technical textiles. Broad incumbent with adjacent technical textile capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nittoku
• Instagraminstagram.com/nittoku_recruit

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Nittoku