Hightechno

What Hightechno does

Hightechno Co., Ltd. is a privately held Japanese consulting and education firm founded in 1974 (incorporated under its current name in 1985) and headquartered in Yokohama after relocating from Tokyo in May 2021. The company specializes in surface treatment and electrochemistry technology, with a core offering portfolio built around the Advanced Surface Treatment Technology Course, an 8-month Plating Factory Mechanical Design Engineer Training Course (limited to 15 students per cohort with one-on-one instruction), hands-on electrochemistry and electroless plating seminars, certification exam preparation, and the monthly translated technical journal "Trendy" backed by 30 years of archived foreign literature. Supporting the live courses are a 97-volume educational DVD series (19,800 yen per disc) and on-site/regional customized seminars for plating firms outside the Kanto region.

The underlying "technology" is human expertise rather than software: Hightechno packages decades of accumulated electrochemistry and surface treatment knowledge, academic affiliations (notably with Kanto Gakuin University), and a 2,200+ alumni network into instructor-led programs and consulting engagements. Its go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, relying on industry associations, academic partnerships, referrals, and direct enrollment via fax/mail/email.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring membership consulting fees at 10,000 yen per month billed quarterly, one-time seminar/course enrollment fees (e.g., 60,000-80,000 yen per attendee for the Electrochemistry Practical Seminar), and DVD unit sales. The company employs 1-10 people, has 15 million yen in registered capital, and operates exclusively in the domestic Japanese plating market, with no disclosed funding, parent company, or M&A activity.

Name

Hightechno

Legal name

株式会社ハイテクノ

Website

https://hightechno.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hightechno is a privately held Japanese consulting and education firm that delivers surface treatment and electrochemistry training courses, workshops, and a translated technical journal to plating industry professionals and companies across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Setagaya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Consulting Fees: Monthly membership fees providing access to consulting services, priority enrollment and discounts on seminars, free monthly Trend magazine, DVD purchases at member prices, and technical/management consulting support.
2. Training Programs and Seminars: Revenue from various training programs including the Advanced Surface Treatment Technology course, plating factory mechanical design training course, electrochemistry practical seminars, and exam preparation courses. Each program has its own enrollment fee structure.
3. DVD Sales: Sales of the Plating Classroom Series DVDs covering fundamentals, production technology, management techniques, and testing methods for plating. DVDs are priced at 19,800 yen per disc including tax and shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hightechno provides consulting and technical training courses for the surface treatment and plating industry, centered on the Advanced Surface Treatment Technology Course (over 50 years of history, 2,200+ graduates). Its offerings include membership-based consulting services, hands-on electrochemistry seminars, an 8-month plating factory mechanical design training program, an Electrical Plating First-Class Skilled Worker certification prep course, a monthly translated technical journal "Trendy," and a Plating Classroom DVD series. Target buyers are companies and individual engineers in the Japanese plating and surface treatment industry.

Product overview

Hightechno operates as a specialized surface treatment technology consulting and education company offering a multi-product portfolio centered around professional development services. The core offerings include the Advanced Surface Treatment Technology Course (上級表面処理技術講座), the Plating Factory Machinery Design Engineer Training Course (めっき工場のための機械・装置設計技術者育成講座), hands-on Electrochemistry Practical Seminars, Electroless Plating Training Courses, and Electrical Plating First-Class Skill Worker Exam Preparation courses. Supporting these training programs are the monthly technical journal 'Trendy' (会報誌トレンディ) providing translated foreign technical literature and patents, and the Plating Classroom Series DVD (めっき教室シリーズDVD) containing 97 volumes of video-based instruction. The company also provides membership-based consulting services and on-site/customized training seminars. Together, these products form an integrated ecosystem serving the professional development needs of the surface treatment and plating industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advanced Surface Treatment Technology Course (上級表面処理技術講座) A flagship long-term training course on electrochemistry and surface treatment with more than 50 years of history, covering fundamentals of electrochemistry, plating technology, application techniques, quality and environmental safety management, and plating equipment. The course includes video-based electrochemistry experiments, plant tours, group research discussions, and completion certification. More than 2,200 graduates have completed the program.
• Plating Factory Mechanical and Equipment Design Engineer Training Course (めっき工場のための機械・装置設計技術者育成講座) A long-term training program (the only one of its kind in Japan) for plating factory mechanical and equipment design engineers, held biennially over 8 months from September to April, with 16 sessions every other week. The program enrolls up to 15 students and provides dedicated man-to-man instruction from Matsushita Tetsuo.
• Advanced Plating Technology Seminar (先端めっき技術セミナー) An advanced seminar covering cutting-edge developments in surface treatment and plating technology for industry professionals.
• Electrochemistry Practical Seminar for Plating Technicians (めっき技術者のための電気化学実習セミナー) A 4-day hands-on seminar teaching electrochemistry theory and measurement methods essential for plating technicians, including electrode potential, decomposition voltage, polarization curves, impedance methods, and corrosion evaluation. Priced at 60,000 yen per person for members and 80,000 yen per person for non-members.
• Electroless Plating Fundamentals and Applications Practical Course (無電解めっきの基礎と応用実習講座) A practical training course covering the fundamentals and applications of electroless plating techniques for plating technicians.
• Electrical Plating First-Class Skilled Worker Exam Preparation Short Course (電気めっき一級技能士受験対策短期講座) A short-term preparation course for the First-Class Electrical Plating Skilled Worker certification exam, supporting plating technicians preparing for the national qualification.
• Plating Classroom Series DVD (めっき教室シリーズDVD) An educational DVD series of 97 volumes (22 DVD titles) covering fundamental plating knowledge, production technology, management techniques, and testing methods. DVDs are sold at 19,800 yen per disc including tax and shipping, with approximately 50% member discount.
• Monthly Journal "Trendy" (会報誌「トレンディ」) A monthly technical journal providing full Japanese translations of recent foreign technical papers, patent information, and industry insights drawn from US, Dutch, UK, and German journals. Includes a searchable archive of 30 years of accumulated translated foreign literature combined with its predecessor publication "Ashita no Gijutsu." Distributed free to member companies.
• Membership Consulting Service (会員制コンサルティングサービス) A membership-based consulting service at 10,000 yen per month (billed quarterly at 30,000 yen per 3-month period) providing prioritized access to seminars, member-discounted seminar fees, free distribution of the Trendy journal, discounted DVD purchases, and ongoing technical and management consulting.
• Customized On-Site Education Seminar (目的別出張教育セミナー) Customized education seminars delivered on-site at client company locations, tailored to specific workforce training needs in surface treatment and plating.
• Mobile Regional Training Seminar (地方移動教育セミナー) Mobile education seminars held in regional locations (including Tohoku, Nagano, and Kyushu) in partnership with local plating industry associations to extend access to plating technology training outside major cities.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Kanto Gakuin University (関東学院大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985Long-standing academic partnership where university professors serve as instructors for Hightechno's training programs. The university hosts the company's research activities and several staff members hold concurrent positions at the university. Many lecture halls and research facilities are shared.
• Central Plating Industrial Association (中央鍍金工業組合)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1975Hightechno provides consulting services and training programs to member companies. Former representative Saito serves as advisor. Joint activities include seminars and training programs for the plating industry.
• Nakamura Management Research Institute (中村経営研究所)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPredecessor organization founded in 1974, which evolved into Hightechno in 1985, inheriting all business operations and the Advanced Surface Treatment Technology Course.
• Central Plating Industrial Complex (中央鍍金工業団地)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIn 1975, Hightechno (then Nakamura Management Research Institute) was commissioned to design the system and supervise construction of the Central Plating Industrial Complex in Ota City's Keihin-jima area, with a total project cost of approximately 4 billion yen.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Element Solutions Inc: Global specialty chemicals parent of Atotech and MacDermid Enthone Electronics Solutions, both leaders in plating chemistry, equipment, and surface finishing. A broad incumbent whose products underpin the same electroplating processes Hightechno's courses teach, but at dramatically larger scale and with a chemicals-supply business model rather than education.
• Henkel AG & Co. KGaA: Henkel's Adhesive Technologies business includes surface treatment and coating solutions for metal finishing, automotive, and electronics applications. A broad European incumbent with substantial Japanese presence that supplies plating-related chemistry to many of the same corporate customers Hightechno serves with training.
• BASF Coatings: BASF operates a substantial coatings and surface treatment business supplying chemicals and treatments to the automotive, industrial, and electronics finishing markets. A broad incumbent in the same plating/finishing end-market Hightechno serves, but operating as a global chemical supplier rather than a specialized educator.
• DuPont Electronics & Industrial: DuPont's Electronics & Industrial segment supplies plating chemistries, photoresists, and surface finishing materials globally. A broader incumbent in the same end-market (electroplating and surface treatment), competing for the same plating customers via chemistry rather than education.

Direct peers

• C. Uyemura & Co., Ltd. Long-standing Japanese manufacturer and supplier of plating chemicals, equipment, and surface treatment technology. Serves the same Japanese plating customer base that Hightechno trains and consults, and is one of the largest homegrown surface treatment suppliers competing for the same industrial customers' attention and budget.
• JCU Corporation: Japanese plating chemicals and equipment supplier (formerly Ebara-Udylite), serving the same surface treatment customers Hightechno trains. Closest Japanese pure-play in the plating industry value chain. Notably, Hightechno's incoming CEO Kimizuka Ryoichi was previously President and Vice Chairman at JCU, underscoring deep industry overlap.

Others

• The Electrochemical Society: International professional society for electrochemistry and solid-state science, including significant overlap with plating and surface treatment. While not a commercial peer, ECS publishes journals (Journal of The Electrochemical Society—one source Hightechno translates in Trendy), symposia, and educational content that competes for surface treatment professionals' attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Hightechno