What Bonex does

Bonex (株式会社ボネックス) is a privately-held Japanese specialty manufacturer founded in 1999 (under the predecessor name 株式会社NSM, renamed to Bonex in May 2002) and headquartered in Niiza City, Saitama Prefecture. The company develops, manufactures, and sells novel fire extinguishing equipment under its flagship SAT119 brand, with cumulative shipments of 3 million units across 20+ countries as of May 2024. Its core technology centers on throw-type ampule fire suppression — sealed glass containers filled with water-based wetting agents that shatter on impact to extinguish flames — and on potassium carbonate-based chemistry for cooking oil fires, plus food-additive-based APEX Water for large-scale wildfire suppression.

The product portfolio spans residential consumer hardware (SAT119 eco in standard, wall-mounted, family set, and 5-pack configurations; Sustaina119 eco-variant), commercial kitchen and fryer fire products (Kitchen Cube, Fryer SAT, household oil fire packs), APEX Water for municipal firefighting applications, and a recently launched emergency evacuation bag (防災グッズ). Bonex holds Patent No. 5938326 for its cooking oil fire suppression formulation and was the first company globally to obtain Japan Fire Equipment Inspection Agency certification for throw-type fire suppression equipment (April 2004). It is ISO9001 certified (since 2007, re-certified to ISO9001:2015 in 2018) and has secured regulatory approvals in South Korea, China, and for Korean maritime vessel use.

The business model is product-led hardware sales with a primary direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel (sat-119.com), supplemented by domestic retail through affiliated distributor BONEX Marketing and regional distribution subsidiaries in Southeast Asia (BONEX ASEAN, established 2008), China (Shanghai BONEX, 2009), and the Philippines (BONEXPHILS, 2010). Products carry a 5-year quality warranty and the company offers a fire relief money program. Pricing is predominantly open retail with small-lot custom branding available from 150 units for oil fire packs. The company operates an 11-50 employee organization with a self-owned manufacturing facility completed in May 2020, and is independently financed with no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Bonex

Legal name

株式会社ボネックス

Website

https://bonex.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bonex is a privately-held Japanese manufacturer of novel fire extinguishing equipment, best known for its throwable SAT119 ampule extinguishers and specialized cooking oil fire suppression products, serving residential, commercial kitchen, and municipal firefighting markets across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Safety Equipment

akta.pro primary industry

Fire Protection & Life Safety Systems (Firewater, Suppression, Detection, Alarm) (EUAEAFAG)

Keywords

• Throwable fire extinguishers
• Fire suppression equipment
• Cooking oil fire suppression
• Disaster preparedness products
• Wildfire suppression additives

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fire extinguishing product sales: Bonex generates revenue through the manufacture and direct/indirect sale of fire extinguishing products including the SAT119 eco, Sustaina119, Kitchen Cube, Fryer SAT, home oil fire packs, and APEX Water. Products are sold via the company's own online store and through affiliated distribution entities. Revenue is primarily one-time product purchase revenue (hardware), supplemented by recurring repurchase of consumable agents.
2. Disaster preparedness goods sales: Bonex expanded into broader disaster preparedness merchandise including emergency evacuation bags (さっと安心非常用持ち出し袋), sold through the affiliated company BONEX Marketing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bonex develops, manufactures, and sells throw-type fire extinguishing ampules, specialized cooking oil fire suppression products, and water-mix firefighting additives. Its flagship SAT119 eco is a 620g sealed glass ampule that breaks on impact to release a wetting-agent aqueous solution for initial fire suppression, alongside patented oil-fire extinguishers (Kitchen Cube, Fryer SAT) and the APEX Water additive for large-scale and forest fire suppression.

Product overview

Bonex develops and manufactures fire safety equipment, primarily the throwable fire extinguisher product line centered on the SAT119 eco. The portfolio includes multiple form factors of the SAT119 (shoulder-type, wall-mounted, family set, 5-pack), an eco-friendly Sustaina119 variant, and specialized oil fire extinguishers (Kitchen Cube, Fryer SAT, household oil fire packs). The company also offers an emergency evacuation bag and APEX Water for large-scale wildfire suppression. Products range from personal/consumer use to commercial/facility installations, with APEX Water serving municipal firefighting applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SAT119（サット119）: 主力製品ブランド。全世界20カ国以上の販売実績、300万本の出荷実績を誇る消火用具シリーズ。
• Sustaina119（サステナ119）
• サットキッチンキューブ
• フライヤーサット
• APEXウォーター

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million cumulative units shipped across 20+ countries as of May 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BONEXPHILS, INC.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2010Philippines subsidiary established in February 2010 through BONEXPHILS, INC. Manages direct sales and distribution operations in the Philippines market.
• 上海BONEX (Shanghai BONEX)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2009Chinese subsidiary established in July 2009, following the acquisition of China certification for Bonex products. Handles sales and distribution operations within mainland China.
• BONEX ASEANcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2008Regional distribution partner established in October 2008 covering Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Manages sales, distribution, and local marketing for Bonex products throughout the ASEAN region.
• 韓国消防検定公社 (Korea Fire Inspection Corporation)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2005Korean fire safety certification body that certified SAT119 in September 2005. Following Korea's December 2006 revision of fire safety laws mandating throw-type extinguishers for facilities serving children, elderly, and disabled, SAT119 became the only Japanese product designated for compliance.
• 株式会社ボネックスマーケティング (BONEX Marketing Co., Ltd.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated marketing company handling retail distribution of Bonex products in Japan, including exclusive sales of the emergency evacuation bag (さっと安心非常用持ち出し袋). Serves as the primary domestic retail distributor alongside Bonex's own e-commerce channel.
• 一般財団法人日本防火協会 (Japan Fire Protection Association)minorOthersJoined as a member organization. The Japan Fire Protection Association is a public interest incorporated foundation that promotes fire prevention and safety.
• 社団法人全国消防機器販売業協会 (National Fire Equipment Sales Industry Association)minorOthersJoined as a member organization. Industry body representing fire equipment distributors and sellers in Japan.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Firexo: UK-based fire-suppression technology company marketing a multi-class liquid extinguisher that competes conceptually with Bonex's universal-accessibility, simplified-use positioning targeting household and consumer markets.
• First Alert (BRK Brands): Consumer fire-safety brand (detectors, alarms, and portable extinguishers) selling through home-center and retail channels — most directly comparable to Bonex's DTC/home-center consumer channel and emergency-preparedness positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Morita Holdings: Major Japanese fire-safety manufacturer (fire trucks, extinguishers, detection systems) — the closest large Japanese incumbent in the same fire-suppression equipment category as Bonex, with much broader portfolio and reach.
• Nohmi Bosai: Leading Japanese fire-protection systems provider specializing in automatic fire alarm and detection systems; comparable as a domestic Japanese fire-safety incumbent addressing overlapping end markets (commercial/public buildings).
• Hochiki Corporation: Established Japanese fire-detection and life-safety systems manufacturer; comparable as a Japanese peer supplying fire-safety equipment to commercial buildings, public facilities, and government — exactly Bonex's commercial customer base.
• Minimax: German full-service fire-protection company covering detection, suppression, and extinguisher systems — comparable broader category incumbent addressing both portable extinguisher and fixed-system markets like Bonex.

Direct peers

• Amerex Corporation: U.S.-based fire-extinguisher manufacturer producing portable and wheeled extinguishers for industrial, commercial, and specialty applications — comparable as a portable-extinguisher specialist with patented suppression technologies.
• Yamato Protec: Japanese fire-extinguisher and fire-protection equipment manufacturer — a more direct product-line peer competing in extinguisher hardware sold through overlapping retail channels in Japan.
• Badger Fire Protection: North American fire-extinguisher manufacturer offering a broad portable extinguisher line — comparable product (hardware extinguishers) with multi-channel retail and industrial distribution.
• Anaf S.p.A. Italian fire-extinguisher manufacturer producing portable extinguishers and accessories for household, commercial, and industrial use — comparable product category (portable extinguishers) with similar universal-accessibility positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 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 Bonex