What Tosho does

Tosho (株式会社トーショー) is a Japanese medical equipment manufacturer founded in 1971 and headquartered in Tokyo, specializing in automated pharmaceutical dispensing and packaging systems for community pharmacies, hospital pharmacy departments, and home-care pharmacy operators. The company's core products include fully automatic tablet packaging machines (Xana-UF, Xana-EU, Ci-2680), automatic tablet and powder packaging machines (Ai-1920win), automatic powder packaging machines (Mi series), and automatic weighing powder packaging machines (Elen-01). Supporting this hardware, Tosho sells a software stack that covers the full dispensing workflow: progress management (Protrace2), core dispensing management (SPHERE), prescription checking (IRIS), counting dispensing management (F-WAVE), final injection inspection (F-AUDIT), unit-dose image-based inspection (MDM Core), and a patient-facing medication notification cloud service (i-Number/Pad-Number Cloud). It also distributes the BD Rowa automated storage and retrieval robot in Japan under partnership with Becton Dickinson.

Tosho generates revenue through direct sales of equipment to pharmacies and hospitals under individually quoted multi-year contracts, complemented by recurring maintenance, calibration, and software subscription revenue. It operates an extensive Japan-wide direct sales and service network of 20+ branches covering all major regions from Hokkaido to Okinawa, supported by a dedicated overseas division. Internationally, Tosho has installed dose dispensing and tablet packaging equipment in Taiwan (since 1989), Thailand, Singapore, China, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and the United States, with international dose dispensing built around the European "packing center" model.

The company addresses structural pressures in Japanese pharmacy practice: pharmacist labor shortages, rising prescription volumes driven by demographic aging, dispensing errors, long patient wait times, and the Ministry of Health's task-shifting initiative that pushes pharmacists from dispensing toward patient counseling. Tosho's value proposition rests on automation, image- and barcode-based verification, workflow software, and a deep service network that supports post-installation reliability across a fragmented pharmacy and hospital customer base.

Name

Tosho

Legal name

株式会社トーショー

Website

https://tosho.cc

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Tosho is a Japanese medical equipment manufacturer founded in 1971 that produces automated tablet and powder packaging machines, image-based dispensing inspection systems, and pharmacy workflow software for community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, and home-care pharmacy operators in Japan and select overseas markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Dispensing Equipment

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Filling & Dosing Machines (Liquid/Powder/Solid) (IMAHAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medication Adherence, Packaging & Fulfillment Services (Blister/Unit-Dose) (HLAFALAJ), Compounding Pharmacy & Sterile Prep Workflow Systems (HLACAKAM)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical dispensing equipment
• Automatic tablet packaging
• Powder packaging machines
• Pharmacy automation systems
• Medication inspection software

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Dispensing Equipment Sales: Sale of automated tablet packaging machines, powder packaging machines, dispensing shelves, inspection systems, and other pharmaceutical equipment to pharmacies and hospitals.
2. Maintenance and Support Services: Ongoing maintenance, calibration, and support services to ensure equipment precision and safe operation after installation.
3. Application Software: Software applications including progress management systems (Protrace2), dispensing management systems (SPHERE), and prescription checking systems (IRIS).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tosho manufactures and sells automated pharmaceutical dispensing equipment, including fully automatic tablet packaging machines, automatic powder packaging machines, and weighing powder packaging machines, alongside supporting software for dispensing workflow management, image-based inspection, barcode verification, and patient notification. Their solutions are sold to pharmacies and hospitals across Japan and select international markets, with hardware installations forming the core revenue base supplemented by recurring software subscriptions and maintenance services.

Product overview

Tosho (株式会社トーショー) provides a comprehensive portfolio of pharmaceutical dispensing equipment and pharmacy automation solutions for Japanese pharmacies and hospitals. The core offerings center on automatic tablet and powder packaging machines (全自動錠剤分包機, 全自動散薬分包機) including the Xana-UF, Xana-EU, Ci-2680, Mi series, and Elen-01 weighing machines. Supporting systems include inspection support systems (MDM Core, PeechR, C-correct II, F-AUDIT) that use image analysis and barcode verification to detect dispensing errors. Hardware solutions encompass automatic dispensing cabinets (Multicase-unit), drug management devices (LITERAⅡ), injection dispensing systems (UNIPUL), monitoring sensors (MIMAMO-RU), and medication support robots (服薬支援ロボⅡ). Software applications include progress management (Protrace2), core dispensing management (SPHERE), prescription checking (IRIS), counting dispensing management (F-WAVE), and patient notification systems (i-Number/Pad-Number Cloud). The company also offers dispensing supplies, clean equipment, and pharmaceutical accessories for complete pharmacy operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Protrace2: Progress management system for pharmacy dispensing operations
• SPHERE
• F-WAVE
• MDM Core
• C-correct II
• UNIPUL
• Genie
• LITERA II
• MIMAMO-RU
• i-Number
• Xana-UF series
• Ai-1920win
• Mi series
• Elen-01

Products and services

• Xana-UF Series (Fully Automatic Tablet Packaging Machine) Full automatic tablet packaging machine series for unit-dose packaging of medications. Features high-speed packaging, barcode printing, and pharmaceutical-grade sealing. Used by pharmacies and hospitals for unit-dose tablet dispensing.
• Ci-2680 (Fully Automatic Tablet Packaging Machine) Full automatic tablet packaging machine with integrated tablet counting and packaging capabilities for pharmacy unit-dose dispensing.
• Xana-EU Series (Fully Automatic Tablet Packaging Machine) Full automatic tablet packaging machine series designed for unit-dose packaging in pharmacies and hospitals.
• Xana-4001U2 Advance (Fully Automatic Tablet Packaging Machine) Advanced full automatic tablet packaging machine with enhanced speed and precision for high-volume pharmacy dispensing.
• Ai-1920win (Fully Automatic Tablet and Powder Packaging Machine) Full automatic tablet and powder packaging machine with touchscreen control for integrated dispensing operations, handling both tablet and powder medications.
• Mi-93W (Fully Automatic Powder Packaging Machine) Full automatic powder packaging machine with wide-format capability for bulk powder medication dispensing.
• Mi-93S (Fully Automatic Powder Packaging Machine) Full automatic powder packaging machine for pharmacy dispensing of powdered medications.
• Mi-48S (Fully Automatic Powder Packaging Machine) Full automatic powder packaging machine for smaller-scale pharmacy powder dispensing needs.
• Elen-01 (Fully Automatic Weighing Powder Packaging Machine) Full automatic weighing powder packaging machine that automatically selects, weighs, portions, divides and packages powdered medications based on prescription data input.
• MDM Core (Tablet Packaging Inspection Support System) Tablet unit-dose packaging inspection support system that uses image analysis to scan each packaged dose and identify discrepancies between packaged products and prescriptions, flagging suspicious packages for pharmacist review.
• PeechR (PTP Inspection Support System) PTP (press-through packaging) inspection support system that assists pharmacists in verifying blister-packed medications.
• C-correct II (Prescription Dispensing Inspection System) Prescription dispensing inspection system that verifies dispensed medications against prescriptions for accuracy and safety.
• Multicase-unit (Automatic Dispensing Cabinet) Automatic dispensing cabinet system for storage and automated retrieval of pharmacy medications, improving inventory management and dispensing efficiency.
• i-Number / Pad-Number Cloud (Medication Display and Notification System) Patient notification and medication display system allowing patients to check dispensing status remotely via smartphone, improving patient convenience and reducing wait anxiety.
• Protrace2 (Progress Management Application) Dispensing workflow progress management system that visualizes dispensing status and wait times, enabling pharmacy workflow optimization.
• SPHERE (Dispensing Management System) Core dispensing management system providing integrated pharmacy operations including prescription management, inventory control, and workflow coordination.
• IRIS (Prescription Check System) Prescription check system that assists pharmacists in verifying prescription accuracy and detecting potential medication errors or interactions.
• F-WAVE (Counting Dispensing Management System) Counting dispensing management system with mobile terminal that displays drug storage locations and supports inventory picking with verification, enabling non-pharmacist staff to perform picking tasks safely.
• F-AUDIT (Final Inspection Support System) Final inspection support system that verifies injection medication types and quantities via barcode scanning (GS1), supporting dispensing error prevention.
• UNIPUL 5000 Series (Automatic Injection Dispensing System) Automatic injection medication dispensing system for hospital pharmacy injection preparation and dispensing workflows.
• LITERA II (Drug Management Device) Drug management and inventory control device for pharmaceutical storage and tracking.
• MIMAMO-RU (Monitoring Sensor) Monitoring sensor system for patient safety in healthcare facilities, providing observation and alert capabilities.
• 服薬支援ロボⅡ (Medication Management Support Robot II) Second-generation medication management support robot assisting patients with medication adherence and adherence tracking.
• Genie (Automatic Tablet Sorting and Return Device) Automatic tablet sorting and return device for managing returned medications and inventory organization.
• EQUASHIELD (Closed Drug Transfer System) Closed drug transfer system for safe handling of hazardous medications, preventing contamination and exposure.
• GO BAG (Enteral Nutrition Injection Set) Enteral nutrition injection set for home-based nutritional support applications.
• DPR UNIT (Dispensing Table System) Dispensing table system designed for optimized workflow layout in pharmacy dispensing areas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce dispensing errors through automated inspection systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BD (Becton Dickinson)coreTechnology or IntegrationTosho offers the BD Rowa system, an automated storage and retrieval robot for pharmacies, as part of their product portfolio. This partnership integrates BD's robotic pharmacy automation technology into Tosho's pharmacy solutions. The BD Rowa system handles automated medication storage, picking, and inventory management with traceability capabilities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Omnicell, Inc. US-based leader in pharmacy and medication management automation, offering central pharmacy dispensing, point-of-use dispensing, and patient adherence solutions. Operates globally across thousands of hospital and retail pharmacy customers.
• BD (Becton Dickinson): Global medical technology giant whose BD Rowa robotic pharmacy automation system is distributed via Tosho in Japan. Operates broadly across medical devices and life sciences while competing in pharmacy automation globally.

Emerging players

• Capsa Healthcare: Provider of healthcare workflow solutions including automated medication dispensing carts, pharmacy automation, and point-of-care medication management. Overlaps with Tosho's medication management and dispensing hardware offerings.
• ScriptPro LLC: US-based pharmacy automation company specializing in robotic dispensing, prescription management, and patient adherence packaging. Compares to Tosho's dispensing workflow focus but with a software-led approach.
• PHC Corporation: Japanese healthcare company (formerly Panasonic Healthcare) producing pharmaceutical dispensing systems, medical refrigerators, and healthcare IT solutions. Competes with Tosho in Japan across pharmacy dispensing and medication management.
• Swisslog Healthcare (Körber): Provider of pharmacy automation solutions including automated packaging, storage, and dispensing systems under the Körber group. Comparable to Tosho in pharmacy packaging equipment with stronger international footprint.
• ARxIUM: Pharmacy automation and compliance packaging company offering central fill, unit-dose packaging, and inventory management solutions. Direct competitor in international dose dispensing markets where Tosho has historically operated.

Regional players

• Willach Pharmacy Solutions: Australian pharmacy equipment specialist focused on automated dispensing, storage, and patient medication management. Comparable in product category to Tosho but primarily serves the Australian market.

Direct peers

• Yuyama Co., Ltd. Japan's largest domestic pharmacy automation and dispensing equipment manufacturer, producing tablet packaging machines, dispensing systems, and automated medication storage. Directly competes with Tosho across the same pharmacy and hospital customer segments in Japan.
• Takazono Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of pharmaceutical dispensing equipment including automatic tablet packaging machines, powder packaging machines, and dispensing systems. Competes head-to-head with Tosho in the Japanese pharmacy and hospital dispensing market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Tosho