Ask Technica

What Ask Technica does

Ask Technica Corporation (株式会社アスクテクニカ) is a Japanese industrial materials manufacturer headquartered in Ichikawamisato-cho, Yamanashi, tracing its origins to 1944 as Asahi Asbestos Industry Co., Ltd. and operating under its current name since May 15, 1991. The company develops, manufactures, and sells three core product families: friction materials (brake linings for motorcycles and light vehicles, plus industrial brake and clutch facings), sealing materials (general-purpose and heat-resistant joint sheets, semi-metallic gasket sheets, and oil/water-swelling beater sheets), and insulation materials (mill board and disc carrier rolls for 1150–1200°C heat treatment lines, plus heating expansion sheets for fire prevention). Production relies on proprietary processes including the calender-sheeter (製板法) and beater addition (抄造法) methods, with a non-asbestos product line developed as a substitute for traditional asbestos-based materials.

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of A&M Material Co., Ltd. (株式会社エーアンドエーマテリアル) and operates two Yamanashi plants, three domestic sales offices (Tokyo, Hamamatsu, Osaka), an Overseas Planning Division, and a consolidated Indonesian subsidiary, PT. Ask Technica Indonesia, in Karawang, West Java. Customer concentration is skewed toward enterprise B2B accounts, principally domestic motorcycle and four-wheel vehicle OEMs supplying drum brake linings, and industrial machinery manufacturers using friction components in electromagnetic brakes, clutches, torque limiters, elevators, industrial robots, and agricultural equipment. Additional revenue comes from steel and glass manufacturers (carrier rolls) and the construction sector (EXP/MXP fire-prevention sheets).

Ask Technica generates revenue through direct hardware sales with quote-based, application-specific pricing and no public pricing disclosure. Go-to-market is sales-led via regional offices and industry trade shows such as M-TECH, supported by the company website and online inquiry forms. The firm is privately held (not listed on any exchange), reports no external funding rounds, holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications, and employed 125 staff as of March 2024 with registered capital of 400 million yen.

Name

Ask Technica

Legal name

Ask Technica Corporation

Website

https://asktechnica.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ask Technica is a Japanese manufacturer (founded 1944, 125 employees) that designs, produces, and sells friction materials (brake linings, industrial clutches), sealing materials (joint sheets, gaskets, beater sheets), and insulation materials (carrier rolls, fire-prevention EXP/MXP sheets) to automotive OEMs, industrial machinery manufacturers, and steel, glass, and construction customers, primarily in Japan with an Indonesian subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Materials Manufacturing (Friction, Sealing, and Insulation Components)

NAICS

Gasket, Packing, and Sealing Device Manufacturing (339991)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Brake Friction & Rotors (Pads/Shoes/Discs/Drums) (IMACAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seals, Gaskets & Fluid Connectors (O-rings, packings, rotary seals, quick couplers) (IMAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Industrial friction materials
• Sealing gaskets sheets
• Brake linings manufacturing
• Heat insulation materials
• Automotive industrial components

Headquarters

HQ city

Yamanashi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Materials Manufacturing and Sales: Ask Technica generates revenue through the design, development, manufacturing, and sales of specialized industrial materials including friction materials (brake linings, clutch facings), sealing materials (joint sheets, gasket sheets, beater sheets), and insulation materials (carrier rolls, EXP sheets, MXP sheets). The company operates integrated manufacturing from development/design to production and sales, serving automotive, industrial machinery, and manufacturing sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ask Technica designs, develops, manufactures, and sells specialized industrial materials in three categories: friction materials (drum brake linings for motorcycles and light vehicles; brake linings and clutch facings for industrial machinery such as electromagnetic brakes, torque limiters, and clutches), sealing materials (joint sheets, gasket sheets, and beater sheets used for engine gaskets, marine piping, oil pans, and high-temperature flange sealing up to 350°C), and insulation materials (heat-resistant mill board and disc carrier rolls for steel and glass processing furnaces, plus thermally expandable EXP and MXP sheets for fire prevention in buildings). Products are sold B2B to automotive OEMs, industrial machinery manufacturers, steel and glass producers, and shipbuilders, with manufacturing at plants in Yamanashi, Japan and Karawang, Indonesia.

Product overview

Ask Technica is a materials manufacturing company that develops, designs, manufactures, and sells friction materials, sealing materials, and insulation materials. Founded in 1944, the company provides a comprehensive portfolio of industrial components. The product lineup includes: (1) Friction Materials — brake linings for two-wheel and four-wheel vehicles (SF3, CL70) and brakes/clutches for industrial machinery (KM84, CN18, CN25, CN80, ND8, No183, NA13, EP9, CNK31, RM07); (2) Sealing Materials — joint sheets including general-purpose types (4600, 4607, 4612, 4636, 4652, 4660), heat-resistant types (4625, 4635), gasket sheets (FRN 0.5t, FRN 1.0t, FRM), and beater sheets (4750); (3) Insulation Materials — carrier rolls for high heat treatment (No.2055, No.2057, No.2055HA), and heating expansion materials (EXP57, EXP2000, EXP3000, No.2190-MXP). The company serves automotive, motorcycle, industrial machinery, marine, construction, and steel/glass manufacturing industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Friction Materials — Brake Linings and Industrial Brake/Clutch Facings

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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PT. Ask Technica IndonesiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013PT. Ask Technica Indonesia (formerly known as Pt. SatonasUtama and later merged with PT. MingHorng & Asktechnica Industrial in 2013-2014) is the company's associated company in Indonesia. Located in Karawang, West Java, it handles sales and manufacturing operations for the Southeast Asian market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd. Larger Japanese friction materials specialist supplying disc brake pads and drum linings to global OEMs. Overlaps directly in industrial and automotive friction materials but at much greater scale and broader product range.
• NOK Corporation: Major Japanese sealing products manufacturer producing oil seals, O-rings, mechanical seals, and gaskets for automotive and industrial applications. Direct overlap in industrial sealing and gaskets.
• Nippon Valqua Industries, Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of gaskets, packing, sealing materials, and fluoropolymer products serving automotive, semiconductor, and industrial markets. Most direct overlap with Ask Technica's joint sheet, gasket sheet, and sealing materials product line.
• Eagle Industry Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of mechanical seals, oil seals, and gaskets for automotive, industrial machinery, and aerospace. Comparable in sealing technology scope and customer base.
• Japan Brake Industrial Co., Ltd. Specialized Japanese manufacturer of brake linings for trucks, buses, and rail vehicles. Direct competitor in drum brake friction materials with similar OEM customer profile.
• Nichias Corporation: Japanese maker of sealing materials, gaskets, and thermal insulation products for industrial plants, construction, and automotive. Closely matches Ask Technica's combined sealing-plus-insulation positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Freudenberg Sealing Technologies: German-headquartered global manufacturer of seals, gaskets, and vibration control technology for automotive and industrial markets. Competes across Ask Technica's sealing materials category at significantly larger scale.
• Trelleborg AB (Sealing Solutions): Global leader in polymer-engineered sealing solutions for automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers. Broad incumbent with overlapping gasket and sealing products but vastly larger portfolio.

Regional players

• Daetwyler Holding AG: Swiss-headquartered sealing solutions provider with strong European automotive OEM presence; comparable product family in elastomer-based sealing, but limited direct competition in Japan.

Emerging players

• Mersen S.A. French-based specialty materials company producing carbon and graphite-based friction and insulation products for industrial applications. Emerging/adjacent player with overlap in high-temperature insulation and friction materials.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Ask Technica