三和精機（株）

What 三和精機（株） does

三和精機株式会社 (Sanwa Seiki Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese machine-tool general trading company (工作機械総合商社) that has operated since its founding in October 1946 and incorporation in March 1958. The firm buys, refurbishes, and resells used industrial machine tools — primarily grinding machines (cylindrical, surface, centerless, tool), lathes and NC lathes, milling machines, drilling machines, sheet-metal and steel-processing equipment, and peripheral measuring instruments — sourced from manufacturers disposing of idle assets and sold to small and medium-sized manufacturers seeking cost-effective equipment. It also runs a buyback service covering free nationwide on-site inspection, dismantling, removal, and transportation for sellers.

Operations are structured around three physical sites in western Japan: the headquarters in Higashiosaka, Osaka; the dedicated Machine Tool Center (工作機械センター) warehouse in Higashiosaka for storage and dispatch; and the Fukuyama sales branch in Hiroshima Prefecture. The go-to-market is sales-led and domestic-only, combining direct office sales, on-site customer inspections across all of Japan, an online inventory catalog with per-machine inquiry forms (~94 listed items across 10+ equipment categories), participation in regional industry-association auctions (Osaka Machine Tool Dealers Association and Machine Center Hiroshima), and trade-show exhibitions initiated in 2022.

The business model is asset-light intermediation: revenue is generated by spread on resale of used machinery, with per-machine quotes based on condition, specifications, and age rather than a published price list. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, free appraisals are offered to sellers, and there are no disclosed enterprise contracts, subscription streams, or financing products. The company is privately held and owner-operated under Representative Director Takuo Kawakami (川上 拓夫), with no disclosed venture, private equity, or institutional shareholders. Headcount is reported as 9–19 employees depending on source, and no revenue figures are disclosed; technology is limited to a basic inventory management system, with no AI, software platform, or proprietary tooling identified.

Name

三和精機（株）

Legal name

三和精機株式会社

Website

https://sanwa-seiki.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

三和精機株式会社 (Sanwa Seiki Co., Ltd.) is a privately-held Japanese used industrial machine-tool trader, founded 1946 and incorporated 1958, headquartered in Higashiosaka, Osaka. It buys, refurbishes, and resells used grinding, lathe, milling, and drilling machinery to small and medium manufacturers nationwide through three offices and association auctions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Higashiosaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Used Machine Tool Sales: Primary revenue from buying and reselling used industrial machine tools including grinding machines, lathes, milling machines, and drilling machines. The company also purchases equipment from customers and manages nationwide pickup and logistics.
2. Equipment Appraisal Services: Free equipment inspection and valuation services provided as part of the equipment purchase process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sanwa Seiki Co., Ltd. (三和精機株式会社) is a machine tool general trading company that buys, inventories, and resells used/second-hand industrial machine tools such as lathes, grinding machines, milling machines, drilling machines, and machining centers. It also purchases used machines from owners, offers nationwide on-site inspection/appraisal, and handles dismantling, removal, and transportation for sellers, while participating in industry clearance auctions.

Product overview

三和精機株式会社 operates as a machine tool general trading company specializing in the sale and purchase of used industrial machinery. The company maintains an inventory of over 90 used machine tools including grinding machines (cylindrical, surface, centerless, tool grinders), lathes, milling machines, drilling machines, sheet metal equipment, steel processing machines, and peripheral measuring instruments. The core business model combines used machine tool sales through their online inventory system with a purchase/buyback service for customers looking to dispose of idle equipment. Additional services include auction coordination with industry associations. The company does not manufacture its own products but serves as an intermediary connecting buyers and sellers of pre-owned metalworking machinery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Used Machine Tool Inventory Sales (中古工作機械 販売) Sale of stocked, second-hand industrial machine tools (lathes, grinding machines, milling machines, drilling machines, machining centers, etc.) to Japanese manufacturers, with units available for inspection at the Osaka headquarters and Fukuyama branch.
• Used Machine Tool Purchase Service (中古機械 買い取り) Buy-side service for factories and owners of idle/surplus machine tools, including free nationwide on-site inspection/free appraisal, free dismantling, removal, and transportation of the equipment after purchase.
• Clearance Auction Service (入札会 / オークション) Coordination of buy-side participation in industry clearance machine tool auctions held by third-party organizers, providing buyers an additional channel to source used equipment.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 大阪機械卸業団地協同組合 (Osaka Machine Tool Dealers Association)coreOthersCompany participates in association auctions (入札会) organized by the Osaka Machine Tool Dealers Association for buying and selling used machinery.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Surplex: Large European-headquartered online auction house for used industrial machinery including machine tools. Comparable product category and global buyer base, but operates as a digital marketplace rather than a local dealer.

Others

• Osaka Machine Tool Dealers Association (大阪機械卸業団地協同組合): Industry cooperative that runs the machine tool auctions in which Sanwa Seiki participates. Comparable as a marketplace channel but operates as a cooperative rather than a competitor; member relationships are partly overlapping.

Direct peers

• Machine Center Hiroshima (株式会社マシンセンター広島): Auction partner and operator of recurring machine tool auctions in Hiroshima. Directly comparable trading/auction business focused on used machine tools in the same Japanese market, with overlapping customer base of SMB manufacturers.
• Toyama Kikai (東洋メカトロニクス / 富山機械): Used machine tool dealer in Japan with comparable product categories and online inventory listings. Operates a similar dealer model purchasing from factories and reselling to manufacturers.
• Yoshida Kikai (吉田機械): Japanese used machine tool dealer with similar nationwide buying and selling activity. Comparable in inventory breadth, customer segment (manufacturers), and free dismantling/pickup service model.
• Sekine Kikai Hanbai (関根機械販売): Established Japanese used machine tool dealer offering buying and selling of pre-owned metalworking machinery. Highly comparable to Sanwa Seiki in product mix (lathes, milling, grinding), sales-led approach, and domestic Japanese SMB customer base.
• Kato Kikai (加藤機械): Japanese used machine tool dealer with similar buying/selling activity for metalworking machinery. Comparable in inventory breadth, customer base, and physical dealer model.
• Kitagawa (North-Tech) Used Machinery: Used machine tool dealer in Japan with nationwide operations and strong inventory of metal-cutting machinery. Comparable in GTM, customer segment, and dealer model.

Emerging players

• Exapro: Online marketplace for used machine tools and industrial equipment with strong European presence. Comparable by product category but competes via digital platform rather than physical dealer relationships.
• MachinesUsed: North American online marketplace for used machine tools. Comparable in inventory breadth across grinding, lathe, and milling categories, but operates as a digital listing platform rather than a dealer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E4%B8%89%E5%92%8C%E7%B2%BE%E6%A9%9F%EF%BC%88%E6%A0%AA%EF%BC%89

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 三和精機（株）