Nave

What Nave does

Nave Co., Ltd. (株式会社ネイブ) is a Japanese specialty manufacturer founded on June 1, 1990 and headquartered in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The company designs, fabricates, and delivers custom inspection gauges (検査ゲージ) and jigs used by automotive OEMs and parts suppliers for quality control of manufactured components. Operating from a vertically integrated facility that combines 3D CAD/CAM design, non-contact optical digitizing, CNC machining, welding, assembly, and inspection under one roof, Nave produces more than 3,000 custom inspection jigs annually and tracks approximately 3,200 made-to-order projects per year through its proprietary NACs information management system. In addition to inspection gauges, the company provides 3D CAD/CAM data creation, NC data generation, reverse engineering, and rapid prototyping services, and has developed proprietary materials including the NV inspection-gauge resin and a recyclable 100% wood-fiber block material.

Nave generates revenue through project-based contracts with automotive manufacturers and tiered suppliers, with each custom gauge and service quoted per project based on specifications, materials, and volume; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is direct sales-led: a sales team manages new customer identification, quotation, specification discussion, delivery, and post-delivery follow-up. Nave operates a wholly-owned Chinese subsidiary, Guangzhou NEIVE (広州寧武汽車技術有限公司 / Guangzhou Ningwu Automotive Technology Co., Ltd.), established in 2004 and co-invested with Sojitz Corporation, which serves as the company's manufacturing base in China. Inspection gauges are exported to automotive customers in more than 15 countries across East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, North America, South America, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe.

In December 2025, Nave entered a capital partnership with JAFCO (Japan Associated Finance Co., Ltd.), marking a transition into a new growth phase under a refreshed management structure led by Representative Director Masu Takashi (益 隆司). The company holds ISO 9001 quality management certification (since 2005) and ISO 14001 environmental management certification (since 2006), was recognized by Ishikawa Prefecture as a Niche Top Enterprise in 2007, and operates with approximately 90 employees and registered capital of ¥50 million.

Name

Nave

Legal name

株式会社ネイブ

Website

https://neive.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nave Co., Ltd. is a Japanese specialty manufacturer founded in 1990 that designs and produces custom automotive inspection gauges and 3D CAD/CAM modeling services for OEMs and tiered parts suppliers globally, operating with about 90 employees and serving customers in more than 15 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Inspection Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (33324)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology & Inspection Systems (CMM, Laser Trackers, Optical Comparators) (IMAAAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metrology & Scanning Services (Inspection Labs, On-Site Measurement) (IMAAAHAJ), Industrial Vision & Quality Inspection (HDAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Automotive inspection gauges
• Custom jigs manufacturing
• 3D CAD/CAM modeling
• Rapid prototyping services
• Automotive quality control

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaga

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Inspection Gauge and Jig Manufacturing: Design, fabrication, and delivery of automotive component inspection gauges (inspection jigs) and custom jigs. Products are made to order for specific customer applications. Lead times and specifications vary per order.
2. 3D CAD/CAM Data and Modeling Services: Creation of three-dimensional CAD/CAM data, NC data, and 3D modeling services including reverse engineering, surface modeling, solid modeling, mold design, and rapid prototyping.
3. Original Parts and Materials: Production and adoption of proprietary original parts (e.g., NV resin material) used in inspection gauges, sold as components integrated into final products.
4. Rapid Prototyping and Digitizing Services: Non-contact 3D digitizing using VIVID910,光造型 (photolithography) rapid prototyping, and related data processing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nave designs and manufactures custom automotive inspection gauges and various jigs for quality control, with full in-house capability from 3D CAD/CAM design and modeling through machining, welding, assembly, and inspection. It also provides 3D CAD/CAM data creation, NC data generation, reverse engineering, and rapid prototyping services. Production uses proprietary NV resin material and is supported by NACs, a self-developed production/order management system. Products are made-to-order, with annual production exceeding 3,000 new custom inspection jigs delivered to customers in Japan and 15+ countries.

Product overview

Nave is a manufacturing company offering inspection gauges and jigs for automotive parts quality control, along with 3D modeling services including CAD/CAM data creation, reverse engineering, and rapid prototyping. The core product portfolio consists of inspection gauges and jigs (検査ゲージ各種治具) and 3D modeling services (モデリング), supported by proprietary materials like the NV resin compound. The company also developed consumer products such as delivery boxes and safety devices, and operates an internal production management system called NACs for their own operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inspection Gauges and Various Jigs (検査ゲージ・各種治具) Custom automotive inspection gauges (検査ゲージ) and various jigs for quality control testing, including aluminum-base, steel-base, resin, carbon frame types, and single-piece and composite configurations. Made-to-order for specific customer applications with strength, material, and specification requirements addressed in-house end-to-end. Used by automotive manufacturers and tiered parts suppliers.
• 3D CAD/CAM Modeling Services (モデリング) Three-dimensional CAD/CAM data creation, NC data generation, reverse engineering, and 3D modeling services using non-contact optical measurement equipment and high-end 3D CAD systems (PRO-ENGINEER, I-DEAS, CATIA V5, UG/NX). Sold to automotive manufacturers and parts factories requiring precision digital models and rapid prototypes.
• NV Resin Material Proprietary inspection jig resin material 'NV' developed and produced in-house by Nave, achieving a high balance of dimensional stability, rigidity, surface hardness, machinability, heat resistance, and low thermal expansion optimized for inspection jig shape reproduction. Sold and integrated as a component in Nave's custom inspection gauges.
• Wood Fiber 100% Block Material Recyclable 100% wood-fiber block material developed by Nave as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional synthetic (chemical) wood, used in the fabrication of mock-up models and inspection gauges. Sold and integrated into Nave's custom jig offerings.
• Lusunasee Delivery Box (ルスナシー) Retrofit delivery box product developed by Nave, designed and produced leveraging the company's precision manufacturing capabilities, and featured in Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.
• Raku Pedal Safety Device (楽ペダル) Safety device to prevent sudden acceleration from pedal misstep, developed by Nave as a retrofit accessory using the company's engineering expertise. Featured in Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.
• Plant-Based Rust Prevention Treatment Proprietary plant-based organic rust prevention technology applied to steel components in inspection gauges, replacing conventional blackening treatments with a non-toxic, environmentally friendly process. Applied as part of Nave's custom inspection gauge and jig manufacturing service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ new custom inspection jigs produced annually across 15+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 広州寧武汽車技術有限公司 (Guangzhou Ningwu Automotive Technology Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Chinese subsidiary established in Guangzhou, China in H16 (2004). Serves as Nave's manufacturing base in China, equipped with machining centers, wire-cut EDM, layout machines, welding, and CAD/CAM systems. Named '広州ネイブ' (Guangzhou NEIVE).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KEYENCE Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of sensors, measuring systems, and machine vision equipment widely used in automotive quality inspection. Overlaps with Nave in the automotive inspection market but offers a much broader sensor portfolio rather than custom gauges and jigs.
• Tokyo Seimitsu (Accretech): Japanese manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and precision measurement instruments. Comparable to Nave through its metrology and dimensional inspection product lines serving industrial customers including automotive suppliers.
• Hexagon AB (Manufacturing Intelligence): Swedish global leader in measurement technologies, geospatial solutions, and industrial metrology software. Comparable to Nave as a metrology/inspection provider serving automotive OEMs, but operates as a multi-billion-dollar enterprise software and hardware conglomerate.
• Nikon Metrology: Subsidiary of Nikon providing 3D metrology, laser scanners, and industrial inspection systems. Comparable to Nave in serving automotive quality inspection use cases, particularly with 3D scanning and CAD-based inspection workflows.

Direct peers

• Mahr GmbH: German manufacturer of precision dimensional metrology equipment including gauges, CMMs, and surface measurement systems. Closely comparable to Nave in serving automotive and industrial customers with custom and standard inspection solutions.
• Renishaw plc: UK-based manufacturer of precision measurement and inspection systems including probes, scanning systems, and CMM equipment for industrial quality control. Comparable to Nave in serving automotive/industrial customers requiring high-precision dimensional inspection, though Renishaw focuses on standardized metrology hardware.
• Mitutoyo Corporation: Japan-based global leader in precision measurement instruments including calipers, CMMs, and optical comparators used in automotive quality inspection. Directly comparable to Nave as both serve automotive manufacturers with inspection/measurement solutions, though Mitutoyo operates at vastly larger scale with standardized products.
• Marposs Group: Italian-headquartered supplier of precision measurement, inspection, and process-control equipment for manufacturing, with strong automotive customer concentration. Comparable to Nave in serving automotive OEMs with dimensional inspection solutions, particularly for machined components.
• Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology: German manufacturer of coordinate measuring machines, optical metrology systems, and industrial inspection solutions. Serves overlapping automotive quality-inspection customers with similar use cases to Nave's custom gauges and jigs.
• Quality Vision International (QVI): US-based manufacturer of optical comparators, multisensor measurement systems, and video measurement machines for industrial inspection. Comparable niche-specialist competitor to Nave in providing custom optical and dimensional inspection solutions to automotive manufacturers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Nave