Kumamoto Oxygen

What Kumamoto Oxygen does

Kumamoto Oxygen Co., Ltd. (熊本酸素株式会社), doing business as "KUMASAN," is a privately held Japanese industrial gas manufacturer and diversified industrial services company headquartered in Kumamoto City and founded in May 1918. The company manufactures and supplies high-pressure industrial gases — oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, acetylene, hydrogen, helium, liquefied gases, mixed gases, and specialty gases — and provides total gas coordination including cylinder and bulk supply systems, gas equipment design and installation, and after-sales service across food, ironworks, construction, shipbuilding, agriculture, and fishing industries. Beyond gases, Kumamoto Oxygen operates four additional business lines: an Industrial System Business distributing machinery, tools, welding equipment, and factory automation products through roughly 12,000 supplier relationships; an Air Conditioning and Environmental Energy Saving Business covering HVAC equipment, solar power systems, and fluorocarbon gas recovery and destruction; a Robot System Business providing industrial and collaborative robot systems (including Techman Robot camera-integrated cobots and brands such as FANUC, Yaskawa, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, DENSO, DAIHEN, IAI) with design, fabrication, installation, and commissioning services; and a Semicon Business that designs and manufactures gas equipment — cylinder cabinets, gas distribution valve boxes, dry pump enclosures, high-purity gas piping, and control panels — and performs on-site piping construction for semiconductor fabs and research institutes nationwide. The group also sells disaster preparedness goods through a B2C e-commerce site, Bosai Goods COM, launched in September 2022.

Kumamoto Oxygen is the lead entity of the Kumasan Group, which comprises six wholly owned subsidiaries (Kumamoto Medical Gas, Kumasan Gas Sangyo, Kumasan Medix, MIT, Kumamoto Oxygen Okinawa, and a Shanghai/Taiwan electronics services entity) and collectively employs more than 1,500 people; Kumamoto Oxygen alone has 216 employees as of August 2025. Distribution is concentrated in Kyushu (Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Oita, Nagasaki) through five sales offices plus the Clean Room Okubo Factory, with a small East Asia footprint via the subsidiary electronics business. Sales are conducted via B2B direct field sales to industrial customers with on-site quotations; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is controlled by the founding Shirase family across multiple board seats and has no external institutional investors, private equity backing, or public listing.

Name

Kumamoto Oxygen

Legal name

熊本酸素株式会社

Website

https://kumasan.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kumamoto Oxygen (KUMASAN) is a 1918-founded, privately held Japanese industrial gas manufacturer and diversified industrial services company serving Kyushu manufacturers across gases, machinery, robotics, HVAC, and semiconductor equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kita

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 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. High-Pressure Gas Manufacturing and Sales: Manufacturing and sale of industrial gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, acetylene, hydrogen, helium, mixed gases, etc.) and liquefied gases for industrial, construction, agriculture, fishing, and food industries. Core business since founding in 1918.
2. Industrial Machinery and Tool Sales: Sale of production materials, industrial machinery, cutting tools, measuring instruments, welding equipment, logistics/materials handling equipment, and factory automation (FA) products through approximately 12,000 supplier manufacturer relationships.
3. HVAC and Environmental Equipment: Air conditioning equipment, refrigeration systems, solar power generation systems (residential, industrial, self-consumption), fluoron gas recovery services, and related materials and tools.
4. Robotics and Automation Systems: Sale, design, fabrication, installation, and commissioning of industrial robots and collaborative robots. Revenue from both product sales and systems integration services.
5. Semiconductor Gas Equipment and Engineering: Design, fabrication, and on-site installation of gas supply equipment for semiconductor manufacturing facilities and related factories and research institutes. Includes manufacturing department and construction department revenue.
6. E-commerce Consumer Products (Bosai Goods COM): Direct-to-consumer online retail of disaster prevention goods, evacuation kits, and sanitation products through the Bosai Goods COM e-commerce site.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kumamoto Oxygen manufactures and supplies high-pressure industrial gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, CO2, acetylene, hydrogen, helium, specialty and food-additive gases) and liquefied gases, while distributing industrial machinery, tools, welding equipment, and factory automation products from approximately 12,000 supplier relationships. The company also designs, fabricates, and installs semiconductor gas delivery equipment and piping, integrates industrial and collaborative robot systems (including authorized Techman Robot distribution), and sells HVAC equipment, solar power systems, and provides fluoron gas recovery/regeneration services. Operations span five offices across Kyushu (Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Oita prefectures) with a group headcount exceeding 1,500 employees.

Product overview

Kumamoto Oxygen operates as a diversified industrial trading company (機械工具の専門商社) offering five core business segments: Industrial System Business (machinery, tools, welding, and production materials), Air Conditioning and Environmental Energy Saving Business (HVAC equipment, solar power systems, and Freon gas management), Gas-Related Business (manufacture and supply of high-pressure gases and gas equipment), Robot System Business (automation systems using industrial and collaborative robots), and Semicon Business (gas equipment manufacturing and piping construction for semiconductor factories). The company also operates an e-commerce site selling disaster prevention goods to individual consumers. Gas products include industrial gases, liquefied gases, mixed gases, and specialty gases, with associated SDS documentation available. The business model combines product sales (agency/distribution of ~12,000 manufacturers) with engineering services including design, installation, and maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 防災グッズ.COM: E-commerce site selling disaster preparedness goods including evacuation kits, emergency supplies, cleaning and hygiene products. Operated as a direct-to-consumer online store launched September 1, 2022.

Products and services

• Industrial System Business (産業システム事業)

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved record-breaking performance in FY2023, significantly exceeding initial forecasts.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 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.

• Techman Robot (テックマンロボット)coreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorized distributor and systems integrator (SIer) for Techman Robot collaborative robots, the world's first camera-integrated collaborative robot. Provides sales, system design, installation, commissioning, and operator training. Demonstrators available for customer work verification.
• FANUCcoreTechnology or IntegrationSales partner for FANUC industrial robots, offering collaborative and standard industrial robot systems for manufacturing automation.
• Mitutoyo (ミツトヨ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of annual 'Kumamoto Oxygen Mitutoyo Private Exhibition' featuring CNC 3D measuring machines, image measuring systems, and automation solutions. Jointly organized measurement and automation seminars.
• Roasso Kumamoto (ロアッソ熊本)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerClub partner (pitch board partner) agreement with Roasso Kumamoto professional soccer club. Pitch board advertising at goal area 3rd row. Supports club's mission of bringing vitality to Kumamoto and dreams to children.
• Kagoshima University, University of Kitakyushu, Kyushu Sangyo University, and 20+ other universitiesminorOthersUniversity recruitment partnerships. Companies where Kumamoto Oxygen actively recruits new graduates across Japan, including national, public, and private universities in Kyushu and nationally.
• Trusco Nakayama Corporation (トラスコ中山株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey partner supplier. President Nakayama Tetsuya visited Kumamoto Oxygen headquarters, reinforcing the business partnership relationship.
• Kumamoto Baseball and Softball Council (熊本県野球・ソフトボール連絡協議会)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpecial sponsorship of the council supporting baseball and softball environment improvement and competition population preservation. Sponsorship renewed for 2025.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Hanwa Co., Ltd. Japanese trading company specializing in steel, industrial machinery, and MRO supply. Adjacent comparator to Kumamoto Oxygen's Industrial System Business, particularly for manufacturing tools and equipment distribution across Japanese industry.

Direct peers

• Sankyo Tateyama, Inc. Japanese HVAC, refrigeration, and building materials distributor. Directly comparable to Kumamoto Oxygen's Air Conditioning and Environmental Energy Saving Business, including refrigerant gas handling and commercial refrigeration equipment.
• Trusco Nakayama Corporation: Japan's largest MRO/tools distributor serving manufacturing and construction sites with ~3 million SKUs. Directly comparable to Kumamoto Oxygen's Industrial System Business (machinery, tools, factory automation products) and an explicit key supplier partner.
• Daido Sanso Co., Ltd. Mid-cap Japanese industrial gas manufacturer with regional coverage and gas equipment supply. Comparable business model to Kumamoto Oxygen's combination of gas manufacturing, cylinder/bulk supply, and gas-related equipment.
• Iwatani Corporation: Japan's leading industrial gas and LPG distributor with hydrogen and energy diversification. Closely comparable to Kumamoto Oxygen's combination of industrial gas manufacturing, LPG distribution (Kumasan Gas Sangyo), and fluoron/refrigerant handling.
• Koatsu Gas Kogyo Co., Ltd. Specialized Japanese high-pressure industrial gas manufacturer and supplier. Directly comparable to Kumamoto Oxygen's core gas manufacturing business, particularly in oxygen, nitrogen, argon, acetylene, and mixed industrial gases.

Broad incumbents

• Yaskawa Electric Corporation: Major Japanese industrial robot manufacturer and automation systems integrator. Comparable through Kumamoto Oxygen's role as a Yaskawa distribution and integration partner, though Yaskawa operates as a robot OEM rather than a regional SI/distributor.
• Toyota Tsusho Corporation: Large Japanese diversified trading company with industrial, energy, and machinery operations. Comparable in breadth of industrial trading activities and customer base, though substantially larger and more globally diversified.
• Air Water Inc. Diversified Japanese industrial gas and conglomerate player spanning industrial gases, medical, agriculture, energy, and logistics. Comparable to Kumamoto Oxygen's diversified industrial group structure with multiple subsidiaries, but with much larger scale and Hokkaido-anchored operations.
• Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC / Nippon Sanso Holdings): Largest industrial gas company in Japan and fourth-largest globally, operating nationwide ASU and pipeline networks. Overlaps with Kumamoto Oxygen across industrial, medical, and specialty gas segments, but with substantially larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7f5ROBDt-HetN7xd7C7nlA
• Instagraminstagram.com/kumasan.official
• Pinterestpinterest.jp/bousaigoods_com
• Xx.com/bousaigoods_com

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Kumamoto Oxygen