Our partner COMNET interviewed BELLWOOD CREATES that curated "Sengoku Dama(soul)", a business model with a fusion of Japanese history and necessities, and succeeded in instantly attracting many people with this innovative model.
Company Name: BELLWOOD CREATES Co., Ltd.
Major Business Items: creative product and necessities
Location: Osaka, Japan
Website│Facebook
GCC Products: GCC LaserPro C180II laser engraver (30W)
What issues did you have before introducing the laser engraving machine?
As we are selling original designed products themed on the historical Japanese military "Sengoku" and "Bakumatsu", several family crest patterns can be created for each item due to a large number of Japanese samurai.
In order not to overstock, our products are made in a short-run production. Nevertheless, we were still obliged to carry a lot of inventory and this was difficult for us to expand our product portfolio.
On the other hand, we also received many requests from our customers for manufacturing products for samurai maniacs and this was indeed a challenge for us.
*Acrylic keychains, which are made by laser engraving and feature family crests and Japanese sword brims.
What are the reasons and main considerations for introducing the laser engraving machine?
When we saw the laser engraving machine at the exhibition, we thought that we could put it in our office as it was not very big.
We also noticed that, by introducing the laser engraving machine, we would be able to manufacture products in-house and all the problems of inventory and product development would be solved.
The paper sample at the exhibition was delicately processed and we felt that it would go well with the "family crest" of each samurai.
Above all, we found that most of COMNET’s salespersons were very friendly and approachable. This made us feel comfortable to ask them any questions we had about laser engraving that we didn't fully understand the process.
*Samurai carabiner acrylic key chain
What are the outcomes after the installation of the laser engraving machine?
By manufacturing products in-house, we can now process an order and arrange the shipment after receiving it. There is no need to keep inventory other than raw materials.
Thanks to this, the C180II laser engraving machine has helped us to make progress in product development and our portfolio has grown to 5,000 items, making us the largest samurai goods store.
We are now able to meet the needs of our customers who say "I need stuff for samurai maniacs" and we believe that this is now one of the strengths of our store.
*Acrylic key chains featuring famous Japanese castles
*Sengoku samurai acrylic stand
*Sengoku samurai flag acrylic stand
What are your future prospects?
With the help of laser engraving technology, we can produce a variety of products including acrylic keychains and acrylic stands. In addition, we are currently developing wooden products and plan to launch them as a separate brand once the development process is complete.
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