SaarGummi Group and the Japanese weatherstrip supplier Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd. have signed a wide-reaching technical agreement. The companies have been in contact since the beginning of 2018. In addition to a strategic partnership, the focus of the cooperation is above all the exchange of technology between the Japanese and German company.
Like SaarGummi Group, Tokai Kogyo is a globally active manufacturer of sealing systems for the automotive industry. The company is known e.g. for the production of TPE profiles. Its customers include all the well-known Japanese car manufacturers – including Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Nissan and Daihatsu. The joint product portfolio of the two companies includes, e.g., complex door seals, trunk seals and roof moulding as well as glass run channels.
The agreement gives both companies strategic global expansion possibilities. Tokai Kogyo has production capacities with a focus on the Asia-Pacific automotive industry. The company manufactures at locations in Japan, USA, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico and India. The SaarGummi Group has numerous production plants in Europe, China, India, Russia, the USA and Mexico. At present, Tokai Kogyo has around 5,800 employees, while SaarGummi Group employs around 7,000 people worldwide.