Meiko Shokai

What Meiko Shokai does

Meiko Shokai Co., Ltd. (株式会社明光商会) is a privately held Japanese manufacturer and distributor of office and security equipment, headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, founded in 1959 and operating a workforce in the 251–500 band. The company began Japan's first shredder manufacturing operation in 1960 and has since become the country's largest office-shredder maker by domestic share, with cumulative shipments exceeding 3 million MS Shredder units across personal, office, and industrial formats.

The product portfolio spans six brands: MS Shredder (cross-cut, micro-cut to DIN P-7, and power-cut machines from ¥50,800 personal models to ¥3.3M industrial MSO-1000AB units), MS Voice Call (queue management and ticket-dispatching systems for government and corporate counters, including the NEO/QUICK/QUICKmore/NEXT/PRO line), MS Pouch (laminating machines — full product line suspended August 2024 following a fire-risk recall of QVJ340), MS UV-C System AIRVIO+/AIRVIO (UV-C air-purification hardware co-developed with Tech Revolution in 2021), MS Battery (lithium-ion emergency power 390Wh), and MS Antibacterial Service (Delfino-coating application sold per unit). Technology differentiators include proprietary cutter geometries, 5-year warranties on Power-series cutters, JEMA safety certification on three models, and Kyoto Smart Product 2021 certification for AIRVIO+.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time hardware sales via a Japan-wide dealer/distributor network complemented by a regional direct sales force, with a recurring layer of multi-year maintenance packages (A-1/A-2/A-3 plans at ¥130,000–¥280,000 over 5 years on the ID-431MCFII alone), consumables (MS Pack waste bags, voice-call roll paper), and the per-unit antibacterial coating service. Customer segments are government/municipal offices, financial institutions, large enterprises (including special-subsidiary companies employing people with disabilities for large-scale shredding operations), and SOHO/SMB buyers. Marketing relies on trade-show presence (Government/Public Week, Local Government IT Promotion Fair, Infection Control Expo), a YouTube channel, a recently opened Instagram account, and an extensive library of named customer case studies across 18+ disclosed municipal and enterprise deployments of MS Voice Call NEO.

Name

Meiko Shokai

Legal name

株式会社明光商会

Website

https://meikoshokai.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Meiko Shokai is a privately held Japanese manufacturer and distributor of office equipment, best known as Japan's #1 office shredder maker with 3 million+ cumulative units sold since 1959. It also markets MS Voice Call queue-management systems to government offices, UV-C air purifiers, emergency batteries, and antibacterial coating services across a nationwide dealer and service network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Office Equipment / Document Security Solutions

NAICS

Office Supplies (except Paper) Manufacturing (339940), Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing (33421), Polish and Other Sanitation Good Manufacturing (325612)

SIC

Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus (3661), Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro primary industry

Confidential Document Destruction & Secure Recycling (Shredding) (IMAIAFAO)

Keywords

• Office shredders
• Document security equipment
• Queue management systems
• UV-C air purification
• Office equipment manufacturer

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. MS Shredder Sales: Sale of office, personal, and large-scale industrial paper shredders. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales via dealer/distributor network. Prices range from approximately ¥50,800 for personal models to over ¥3,000,000 for large-scale industrial shredders. Accessories and consumables (MS Packs, oil) provide recurring ancillary revenue.
2. Shredder Maintenance and Service Packages: Annual maintenance packages (保守パッケージ) offered for shredder products, including on-site repair, periodic inspections, and parts replacement. Various plan tiers (A-1, A-2, A-3) available with different coverage levels. The company also charges for delivery and installation services.
3. MS Voice Call System Sales: Sale of queue management systems (MS Voice Call series) including hardware (ticket issuers, displays, controllers) and annual support plans. Systems sold primarily to government offices, municipal offices, and financial institutions.
4. MS Antibacterial Service: Antibacterial coating service applied to shredder touch points using Delfino coating agent. Offered as a one-time service at ¥25,000-30,000 per unit for new purchases or existing equipment.
5. MS Pouch (Laminator) Sales: Laminating machine and pouch film sales. Note: MS Pouch full product line was suspended from sale in August 2024 due to fire risk incidents.
6. MS Battery Emergency Power Supply Sales: Sale of MS Battery-400A emergency lithium-ion battery (390Wh) and optional solar panels. Portable power for disaster preparedness and everyday charging needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Meiko Shokai (株式会社明光商会) manufactures and sells document shredders (MS Shredder series), queue management / number-calling systems (MS Voice Call), UV-C upper-room air purification units (AIRVIO+/AIRVIO), emergency backup batteries (MS Battery), and an antimicrobial coating service (MS Antibacterial Service). The company holds the #1 domestic market share in paper shredders in Japan, with 3 million+ cumulative units shipped across more than 65 years of operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MSシュレッダー: オフィスシュレッダー製品ブランド。MS-prefixed document shredders including office, personal, and large-format models.
• MSボイスコール
• MSパウチ
• MS UV-Cシステム
• MSバッテリー
• MS抗菌サービス

Products and services

• MS Shredder Paper and document shredders with proprietary cross-cut and micro-cut cutting mechanisms supporting up to DIN P-7 (highest) security levels. Product line spans Personal, Office, and Industrial capacity models. Primary buyers are government agencies, financial institutions, and corporate offices that require compliant destruction of classified and personal-information-bearing documents.
• MS Voice Call Queue management / number-calling system for offices, bank branches, government service counters, and retail. Variants include NEO Ver.2, NEXT, PRO, QUICK, and QUICKmore, providing ticket issuance, voice calling, display signage, and analytics to manage customer waiting flows.
• MS UV-C System AIRVIO+/AIRVIO Upper-room UV-C air purification unit designed to reduce airborne viruses and pathogens in offices, waiting rooms, and reception areas. Co-developed with Ushio Inc. to extend Meiko Shokai's footprint from document security into air quality.
• MS Battery

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3 million MS Shredder units sold since founding
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 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

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Tech Revolution Corporation (株式会社テックレボリューション)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-developed the MS UV-C System AIRVIO+ (airborne droplet-attracting acrylic panel with UV-C deep ultraviolet virus suppression). This product was certified as a Kyoto Smart Product 2021. The partnership represents a strategic co-development in the infection prevention/product enhancement category.
• Shinko Trading Corporation (新光商事株式会社)coreTechnology or IntegrationSupplies the 'No-Touch Frame®' (ノータッチフレーム®), a frame-type device that attaches to the MS Voice Call NEO ticket machine panel to enable touchless/non-contact operation. Shinko Trading holds the trademark for this product (registered trademark 第6325351号).
• KOKUYO Co., Ltd. (コクヨ株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as one of the manufacturers whose products (MS Shredders) are sourced and resold through second-hand office furniture channels such as Office Busters in Tokyo, for corporate renovation projects.
• Okamura Corporation (株式会社岡村製作所)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as one of the manufacturers whose products (MS Shredders) are sourced and resold through second-hand office furniture channels such as Office Busters in Tokyo, for corporate renovation projects.
• Itoki Corporation (イトーキ株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as one of the manufacturers whose products (MS Shredders) are sourced and resold through second-hand office furniture channels such as Office Busters in Tokyo, for corporate renovation projects.
• Meiko Shokai itself (株式会社明光商会)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as one of the manufacturers whose products (MS Shredders) are sourced and resold through second-hand office furniture channels such as Office Busters in Tokyo, for corporate renovation projects.
• Gyosei System Corporation (行政システム株式会社)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-exhibited at local government fairs and expos. Gyosei System offers MAINAPIT (automated application creation system) which integrates with MS Voice Call NEO for government window services. Recommended by Gyosei System at public exhibitions for integrated government solutions.
• Uchida Yoko Co., Ltd. (株式会社内田洋行)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMeiko Shokai's MS Voice Call NEO was reference-exhibited at Uchida Yoko's booth at the Local Government IT Promotion Fair 2024, as part of integrated office solutions.
• Delfino Care Corporation (株式会社デルフィーノケア)coreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of Delfino antibacterial coating agent used in the MS Antibacterial Service. Delfino combines titanium oxide, silver, and platinum catalysts to provide antiviral and antibacterial coating effects tested by Japan Food Analysis Center and Japan Textile Product Quality Technology Center. Coating effects last approximately 1 year.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KOKUYO Co., Ltd.
• Iron Mountain Incorporated: Global leader in secure document storage and destruction services. Broad incumbent in confidential information management that competes indirectly with Meiko's on-premise shredding value proposition through outsourced shredding services.

Direct peers

• Fellowes Brands: US-based global office shredder manufacturer with broad product lineup across personal, office, and commercial segments. Most direct global peer to Meiko Shokai's MS Shredder business, competing in the same P-1 to P-7 security tiers.
• ACCO Brands: US office products conglomerate owning shredder brands (Swingline, GBC) and laminator brands (GBC). Comparable to Meiko in offering cross-cut and micro-cut shredders plus related office equipment, with global distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@meikoshokai1959
• Instagraminstagram.com/meikoshokai_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meiko-shokai-co-ltd-

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 Meiko Shokai