Steering the ship for “monozukuri” is a difficult task, even after decades of experience.

I am Ikeuchi, the president of IKEUCHI ORGANIC.

I became president of IKEUCHI ORGANIC (then Ikeuchi Towel) in 1983, so I have been involved in manufacturing for nearly 40 years. Today, we make towels, bedding, baby products, and various other fabric items.

However, even after decades of experience, I still find it difficult to “steer the ship” of manufacturing.

Sometimes a product that we have put all our heart and soul into, which is intended to be a symbolic product of our company, is not even considered by the market, while other times a product that we made on an impulse or as a test of our skills receives unexpectedly favorable reviews and becomes an opportunity for many people to learn about our company.

The trouble for me as a representative of a manufacturing company is when the latter happens.

In the short term, the unexpected favorable reception is gratifying, as it makes customers happy and raises awareness of the company, but in the long term, there is a risk that it could undermine the brand’s policy.

For example, ” Organic Air,” which is as light as the wind

Organic Air is a towel created to commemorate the company name change from Ikeuchi Towel to IKEUCHI ORGANIC.

I often go on business trips, and I always felt stressed about the towels in the hotels where I went on business trips. So I thought it would be perfect to make a commemorative towel that is light enough to take with me on my business trips.

At the same time, it was also a test of the techniques we had developed during our time at Ikeuchi Towel. Organic Air towels are made with extremely thin yarn in order to achieve lightness. We wondered if it would be possible to weave a towel that would be unique to Ikeuchi using this fine yarn. We thought it would be a worthwhile challenge, even if it meant testing our own skills. In fact, the weavers had to work hard to perfect the technique, and they are still working hard on it.

Then, when we presented Organic Air, it received an unexpectedly great response.

It was very well received by customers who wanted a towel that was light and soft to the touch. Many customers have purchased the towels for their babies, and some have even said, “I bought my first towel from IKEUCHI ORGANIC with Organic Air.

However, I had an agonizing feeling that if they were going to start using our towels, it would not be right to start with Organic Air. We even thought that if they could only buy one of our towels, they should buy the “ORGANIC 120,” which we had carefully nurtured as “this is the IKEUCHI ORGANIC towel.

Our goal is to create products that are robust and quality oriented. Our goal is to deliver products that can be used for a long time and that people will grow attached to.

We are very happy that you like ORGANIC AIR, but because ORGANIC AIR uses delicate yarn, its durability is a little more delicate than our standard towels. It is perfectly fine for use as a portable towel, but in terms of daily use for many years, it is a little difficult to recommend it.

We developed ” Organic Air Premium ” to dispel this agonizing feeling.

While maintaining the lightness and soft touch that are the characteristics of Organic Air, we have increased the thickness of the towel to make it more durable. Even with the increased thickness, the lightness of the towels is obvious when compared to ordinary towels. In addition, in order to pursue a softer touch, the combination of yarns is adjusted to achieve a fluffy texture like powder snow.

The combination of Ikeuchi’s signature quality and the characteristics of Organic Air makes this towel a towel that we can confidently introduce to you as the first towel you use when you start using our towels.

Thankfully, Organic Air Premium towels have been well received by many customers, and we have recently begun selling Organic Air Premium towelettes.

But now another problem arises.

There is a divide between customers who love the Air Series and those who love the Organic Series, such as ORGANIC 120, and not many customers are actually using both series.

We felt that if this situation continued, IKEUCHI ORGANIC would become a brand with two sides.

You may think that it is enough if people use the type of towel they prefer according to their preferences. However, I want people to use both types of towels. What you want from a towel changes depending on the situation. I believe that people can realize a richer lifestyle by using different types of towels, and I want people to genuinely enjoy the pleasure of tasting different types of towels.

The Organic Series is the quintessence of IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s craftsmanship. We want the customers of the AIR series who appreciate our products to taste the Organic series as well.

This policy will never waver in my mind.

So, how can we bridge the gap between the Organic Series and the Air Series?

As one of our attempts, we have developed a new product.

This is ” Organic Air Whip,” which went on sale this month.

Whip is a word that is imbued with the meaning of mixing together to create new values. For example, whipped cream is made by mixing whipped cream with vegetable oil and other ingredients to create a unique flavor.

What is mixed in this Organic Air Whip is yarn. The yarn used in the Air series is untwisted yarn (extremely sweet twisted yarn), and the yarn used in ORGANIC 732, the strongest and toughest yarn in the Organic series, are mixed together. On the other hand, the users of the AIR series are also surprised by the softness of the yarn. On the other hand, users of the AIR series will also think, “It has the softness of the AIR series, but it feels very heavy.

The reason why we put “Air” in the name is because we want the users of the Air series to turn to us in particular. It’s completely out of spite (laughs).

After the unexpectedly great response to Organic Air, Premium, and Whip were added to the lineup, IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s product lineup is finally approaching a state where we feel satisfied with it.

While it is gratifying to see an experimental product like this receive an unexpectedly positive response, there are many things that need to be considered before it can be added to the standard product lineup with a sense of conviction. We must refine both our concepts and techniques to ensure that they are consistent with our manufacturing policy.

Nevertheless, experimental manufacturing is important both for refining our own techniques and for encountering possibilities that we had not realized.

How do we steer our brand so that it does not lose its axis while conducting experimental manufacturing?

This is extremely difficult.

In my mind, I have a very detailed navigational chart of the IKEUCHI ORGANIC brand, and I have an image of the kind of manufacturing I would like to achieve in the end. To get there, I have an image of the steps that need to be taken, such as the technology required and the need to cultivate the market to a certain extent.

But on the other hand, I also know that we will not be able to sail as planned. That is both the difficult and interesting part of manufacturing.

How will IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s monozukuri progress in the future? I would be happy if you could keep an eye on it.