Kawase Computer Supplies

What Kawase Computer Supplies does

Kawase Computer Supplies Co., Ltd. (カワセコンピュータサプライ株式会社) is a Japanese B2B document communication services provider founded in 1955 in Osaka and currently headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo (registered head office transferred from Osaka in August 2022). The company operates three integrated business lines: (1) a Data Processing Business offering High-Speed Data Printing (HDP) and On-Demand Printing (ODP) for variable-data document production; (2) an Electronic Notification Business providing cloud-based SaaS services — the Eco Billing Service® (EBS) for electronic invoice issuance compliant with Japan's Digital Financial Records Preservation Act, and the e-DCS Digital Messaging Delivery Service; and (3) a traditional Printing Business for business forms and printed materials. Core proprietary technology includes the VICS (Variable Information on-demand Color-Print System) developed in 2000 and a patented electronic invoice form data management system (Patent 5766730, 2015), backed by high-speed inkjet and sectional 8-color rotary press infrastructure at a dedicated data processing center in Chiba Research Park with 24/7 surveillance and IC card plus PIN dual-authentication.

The company serves enterprise and government clients across life insurance, banking, securities, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and national/local government — producing policy renewal notices, bank statements, campaign DMs, tax documents, national health insurance cards, vaccination vouchers, e-invoices, and personalized marketing materials. Go-to-market is sales-led direct enterprise engagement via seven regional sales branches (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba) plus a dedicated data center and merchandise center, with sales staff (法人営業職) and sales system engineers (営業SE職) deployed to handle technical specifications during client visits. Revenue is generated through BPO-style recurring contracts for data print services, subscription fees for cloud services (EBS, e-DCS), and project-based one-time transactions for business form printing — with no public pricing disclosed and per-project custom quotes.

The company is publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market (Code 7851, originally IPO'd on the Osaka Stock Exchange second section in March 2001) with a duplicate listing on the Fukuoka Stock Exchange Main Market since August 2025. As of FY2024 (ending March 2025), revenue was ¥2,831.27 million with 98 employees. The stock was placed under supervisory watch (整理銘柄/liquidation watch category) and delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange in May 2026, though the company continues operating and releasing earnings. The founding Kawase family retains significant ownership, with Keisuke Kawase serving as President & CEO representing the second generation.

Name

Kawase Computer Supplies

Legal name

カワセコンピュータサプライ株式会社 (Kawase Computer Supplies Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://kc-s.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kawase Computer Supplies is a Japanese B2B document communication services firm providing high-speed data printing, variable one-to-one marketing print, and cloud-based electronic invoice and digital messaging SaaS (EBS, e-DCS) primarily to life insurance, banking, government, and large enterprise clients in Japan, founded in 1955 and headquartered in Tokyo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Document Processing and Printing Services

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (323), Document Preparation Services (56141), Support Activities for Printing (32312)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Print, Mailroom & Document Workflow Services (Inbound/Outbound Processing) (BPAAAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Billing & Revenue Operations (Subscription/Usage Billing, Rating, Order-to-Cash Support) (BPAAAGAD), E-Signature & Digital Transaction Management (DTM) (HDAEAGAF), Business, Professional & Reference Print-on-Demand (Manuals, Standards, Handbooks) (MPAJANAF)

Keywords

• Data print services
• Business process outsourcing
• Electronic invoice delivery
• Business forms printing
• Variable data printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Data Print Services: High-volume data processing and print services including high-speed data printing and on-demand printing for enterprise clients such as life insurance companies, banks, and government offices. Services include data output, printing, binding, insertion, and mailing — offered as integrated BPO solutions.
2. Electronic Notification / Cloud Services: Cloud-based subscription services including Eco Billing Service (electronic invoice delivery) and Kawase e-DCS (digital messaging delivery), providing electronic document creation, delivery, and storage as recurring SaaS fees.
3. Business Forms / Printing: Traditional business form printing and general printed materials (pamphlets, flyers, envelopes), primarily sold as one-time transaction orders to B2B customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kawase Computer Supplies provides high-volume data processing, variable-data printing, and electronic document delivery services to large Japanese enterprises. Its offerings include high-speed data printing (HDP), on-demand variable printing (ODP), cloud-based electronic invoice delivery (Eco Billing Service/EBS), digital messaging delivery (e-DCS), and traditional business form printing. The company operates dedicated data processing centers and serves clients such as life insurance companies, banks, securities firms, government offices, manufacturers, and retailers with integrated BPO solutions spanning data processing through printing, insertion, and mailing.

Product overview

Kawase Computer Supplies operates three main business areas: (1) Data Processing Business covering High-Speed Data Printing (HDP) and On-Demand Printing (ODP) for variable data printing; (2) Electronic Notification Business providing cloud services including Eco Billing Service (EBS) for electronic invoice delivery and e-DCS for digital messaging; and (3) Printing Business for business forms and various printed materials. The company offers a hybrid communication approach combining information processing, printing, and electronic delivery services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High-Speed Data Printing (HDP)
• On-Demand Printing (ODP)
• Eco Billing Service (EBS)
• e-DCS (Digital Messaging Delivery Service)
• Business Forms Printing

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients reduce printing, insertion, and mailing costs through electronic delivery
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• E-Invoice Promotion Association (電子請求書推進協会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKawase Computer Supplies is a member of the E-Invoice Promotion Association, agreeing with the digitalization of commercial transactions and productivity increase. The company participates in industry-wide initiatives to promote electronic invoicing standards and adoption in Japan.
• Japan Data Communications AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership providing networking and industry standards alignment for data processing and cloud communication services.
• Japan Business Forms AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership for business forms printing industry, providing standards alignment and market development.
• Japan Mailing Service AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership supporting direct mail and postal service industry standards.
• Universal Communication Design AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership promoting universal communication design principles.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)minorOthersKawase holds FSC certification (License No. FSC C105151) and produces FSC-certified non-carbon duplicate forms using responsibly sourced paper, supporting sustainable forestry practices.
• Japan Chamber of Commerce and IndustryminorOthersIndustry association membership through the regional chamber of commerce network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• freee: Cloud accounting and HR software vendor in Japan with built-in e-invoicing functionality. Competes with Kawase's EBS for the same Japanese SMB and mid-market clients adopting mandatory electronic invoicing.
• Money Forward: Japan's leading cloud accounting/SaaS vendor, with a major Money Forward Cloud Invoice product competing directly against Kawase's EBS electronic invoicing service. Represents the pure-play SaaS threat to Kawase's hybrid cloud offering.
• Nakagawa Manufacturing (BFR): Long-established Japanese business forms and continuous form printer, directly comparable to Kawase's legacy printing business and serving similar enterprise customers with continuous stationery and business forms.
• INVOICE (TKC Group / Misoca / others): Japanese e-invoicing platforms (including TKC's INVOICE and Misoca) targeting the same Qualified Invoice System compliance demand that drives Kawase's EBS pipeline. Direct SaaS competitors in regulated electronic document delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Dai Nippon Printing (DNP): Major Japanese printing and information services group with business forms, data print, and digital document businesses. Overlaps with Kawase's business forms, high-speed data printing, and electronic invoicing services across enterprise and government clients.
• Canon Marketing Japan: Japanese sales arm of Canon offering office printing, document scanning, and managed print services. Broadly competes with Kawase in enterprise document workflows, including variable data print and on-demand printing.
• Toppan Holdings: Largest Japanese printing and information communications conglomerate. Operates secure printing, BPO, and digital document services for financial institutions and government — directly competing with Kawase's data print and electronic notification offerings at much larger scale.
• Hitachi Solutions: Japanese systems integrator offering document management, BPO, and cloud services to financial institutions and government — overlapping with Kawase's BPO/document workflow positioning at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Riso Kagaku: Japanese manufacturer of high-speed inkjet printers and ComColor variable-data printing systems. Supplies technology adjacent to Kawase's VICS-based on-demand printing service and competes for some enterprise printing customers.
• Tokyo Electron Device (document solutions) / Internet Initiative Japan: IIJ provides cloud-based document delivery and secure messaging services in Japan. Represents the cloud-native, infrastructure-led approach competing with Kawase's DCS digital messaging delivery service for enterprise and government clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kawase-computer-supplies-co-ltd

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Kawase Computer Supplies