Sankyo Co.

What Sankyo Co. does

Sankyo Co., Ltd. (株式会社三協) is a privately held Japanese corporation founded in May 1963 in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It operates two integrated divisions: a Health Supplement Division providing comprehensive OEM contract manufacturing for health foods and cosmetics, covering formulation proposal, development, manufacturing across soft capsules, seamless capsules, hard capsules, tablets, granules, and final packaging; and a Machinery Division that designs, manufactures, and sells capsule filling machines, automatic visual inspection systems, laser printers, and related equipment. With approximately 410 employees, four factories across Shizuoka and Shimane prefectures, plus a Tokyo sales office, Sankyo operates a vertically integrated production model in which the Machinery Division's equipment is validated on the Health Supplement Division's own manufacturing lines, creating a feedback loop between equipment design and contract manufacturing execution.

The company's core technology centers on capsule manufacturing, including patented High-Absorption Soft Capsule Technology, three-layer seamless capsule technology enabling simultaneous oil and powder filling, and proprietary seamless capsule filling equipment that operates at 200 capsules per second. It claims the largest soft capsule production volume in Japan (as of June 2019) and has delivered over 234 capsule filling machines globally. Sankyo holds GMP certification (since 2005) across multiple factories, FSSC 22000 registration (2020), ISO 22000, ISO 9001 (machinery division), Organic JAS, and a Cosmetics Manufacturing License, and received the Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association GMP Excellence Award in 2024.

Revenue is generated through two channels: recurring contract manufacturing fees (per-batch, quote-based pricing) for Japanese pharmaceutical and health food manufacturers, and one-time machinery sales to global buyers including customers in the USA, India, China, and Taiwan. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales via a dedicated sales department and planning division (企画課), supplemented by trade show participation (e.g., Food Development Expo) and direct website inquiry forms. The company is privately held with ¥30 million registered capital and no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or public listing.

Name

Sankyo Co.

Legal name

株式会社三協 (Sankyo Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://sankyohd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sankyo Co., Ltd. (株式会社三協) is a privately held Japanese OEM contract manufacturer founded in 1963, providing health supplement and cosmetics manufacturing across multiple dosage forms, alongside designing and selling proprietary capsule filling and inspection machinery to global pharmaceutical and food manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fuji

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 健康食品・化粧品受託製造 (Health Supplement and Cosmetic Contract Manufacturing): The company provides comprehensive OEM/contract manufacturing services for health foods and cosmetics, covering formulation proposal, product development, manufacturing, and final packaging. Revenue is generated through per-batch manufacturing fees based on production volume, dosage form type, and complexity. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. カプセル製造機械の設計製造販売 (Capsule Manufacturing Machinery Design, Manufacturing and Sales): Design and manufacture of soft capsule filling machines, seamless capsule filling machines, inspection machines, laser printers, and peripheral equipment for sale to pharmaceutical and health food manufacturers globally. Revenue is generated through one-time equipment sales. Over 234 soft capsule filling machines have been delivered worldwide.
3. 健康食品・化精品の企画・開発 (Health Food and Cosmetic Product Planning and Development): The company offers product planning and development services through its dedicated planning department (企画課), providing formulation proposals, ingredient sourcing, and functional claims support to customers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sankyo Co. provides B2B contract manufacturing services for health supplements and cosmetics across all major dosage forms (soft capsules, seamless capsules, hard capsules, tablets, granules) plus final packaging, supported by formulation proposal, ingredient sourcing and functional food claim support. In parallel, the company designs, manufactures and sells its own capsule filling, inspection, laser printing and related machinery to pharmaceutical and health food manufacturers in Japan and overseas.

Product overview

Sankyo Co. operates two main divisions: the Health Supplement Division providing comprehensive contract manufacturing services and the Machinery Division manufacturing capsule filling and inspection equipment. The health supplement offerings include soft capsules, seamless capsules, hard capsules, tablets, granules, and packaging services. The machinery division produces soft capsule filling machines with tumbler dryers, automatic visual inspection machines, seamless capsule filling machines, laser printers, and automatic alcohol atomizers. The company leverages synergies between manufacturing and machinery to offer integrated solutions from product planning to final packaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 12-month randomized double-blind parallel-group clinical trial demonstrated that the perilla seed oil and ponkan powder formulation (developed with Shimane University) improved age-related cognitive decline in healthy elderly subjects by enhancing serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and antioxidant capacity while increasing omega-3 fatty acid levels in red blood cell membranes.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 静岡県 (Shizuoka Prefecture)minorOthers · 1 April 2025Shizuoka Prefecture recognizes Sankyo as a Bronze-level health promotion workplace under the Fuji no Kuni Health Promotion program, supporting the company's employee wellness initiatives.
• NPO 법인 키즈ドア (NPO Kids Door)minorOthers · 14 November 2022Sankyo supports the NPO Kids Door through an SDGs lease agreement (Mirai 2030 donation-type), contributing to social contribution activities for children.
• 島根大学 (Shimane University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 January 2022Sankyo Co. collaborates with Shimane University Faculty of Medicine on joint research regarding health functional ingredients. The partnership has produced multiple peer-reviewed publications in the journal Food & Function (Royal Society of Chemistry) on cognitive health benefits of perilla seed oil combined with ponkan powder (2022) and Anredera cordifolia leaf powder combined with perilla oil (2022). Research involved 12-month randomized double-blind clinical trials on elderly subjects.
• 株式会社オーサン (Osan Co., Ltd.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Listed as a co-researcher in the joint research papers with Shimane University on perilla-based formulations for cognitive health applications.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Recipharm: Recipharm is a European contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) serving pharmaceutical customers with multiple dosage forms. Comparable to Sankyo's health supplement OEM business in contract manufacturing model, but operating at much larger European scale with broader service offerings including sterile fill-finish and biologics.
• Aenova: Aenova is a European contract manufacturer serving pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries with multiple dosage forms including soft capsules. Comparable to Sankyo's OEM business in health supplement and pharmaceutical contract manufacturing, but with broader European geographic footprint and more extensive customer portfolio across major pharma brands.
• GEA Group: GEA Group is a German engineering company providing process technology and components for the food, pharmaceutical, and related industries. Comparable to Sankyo's Machinery Division in supplying production equipment to pharmaceutical and food manufacturers, but operating with a far broader equipment portfolio and larger global scale.
• Catalent: Catalent is a global CDMO serving pharmaceutical and consumer health customers across multiple dosage forms including soft capsules. Comparable to Sankyo's OEM business in contract manufacturing services, but operating at much larger scale, broader geographic reach, and with integrated development capabilities beyond Sankyo's manufacturing-only focus.
• Patheon (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Patheon is a global pharma CDMO now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, offering multiple dosage form manufacturing services for pharmaceutical and consumer health customers. Comparable to Sankyo's OEM business in supplement and pharmaceutical contract manufacturing, but operating at much larger global scale with significantly broader capabilities including clinical packaging and biologics.

Direct peers

• IMA S.p.A. IMA is an Italian global leader in packaging and processing machinery for pharmaceuticals and food, including capsule filling equipment. Directly comparable to Sankyo's Machinery Division in soft capsule filling machine technology, target customers (pharmaceutical manufacturers), and equipment product portfolio.
• Capsugel: Capsugel, now part of Lonza, is a global leader in capsule and dosage form solutions including soft capsule contract manufacturing for health and pharmaceutical applications. Directly comparable to Sankyo's health supplement OEM business in capsule technology, customer base (pharmaceutical and nutraceutical brands), and B2B contract manufacturing model.
• Qualicaps: Qualicaps is a Japanese manufacturer of empty capsule shells (gelatin and HPMC) for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications, part of the Mitsubishi Chemical group. Comparable to Sankyo in capsule industry participation, with overlapping Japanese pharmaceutical customer base and shared expertise in capsule technology for the supplement and pharmaceutical markets.
• Changsung Corporation: Changsung Corporation is a Korean manufacturer of soft capsule filling machines and pharmaceutical processing equipment with significant global market share. Direct competitor to Sankyo's Machinery Division in soft capsule filling technology, serving the same pharmaceutical and health food manufacturer customer base across global markets.
• Suheung: Suheung is a South Korean manufacturer of empty capsule shells and related capsule products serving pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets. Comparable to Sankyo in capsule industry participation, with overlapping customer base among health supplement manufacturers across global markets, though focused upstream on capsule shells rather than finished contract manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaj0bJw6PdrCT6LQ31Hoc9g

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sankyo Co.