We Are Tomodachi Winter 2018

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12People around the world benefit daily from the engineering expertise of Japan’s small and medium enterprises. Examples of their contributions can be found inside Apple’s trademark iPhone. Apple’s 2017 list of over 200 top suppliers includes 55 Japanese companies.Many are small and medium enterprises that have developed their own unique technologies. The iPhone’s impressive white panel that fringes its liquid crystal display, for example, comes to life with colored ink developed by Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd., headquartered in the old shitamachi part of Tokyo known in the past for its workers and artisans. Established in 1895, the company has a great deal of experience and technological expertise in developing inks for industrial products. Company president Nobunari Sawanobori explains, “Uncompromising persistence is our greatest strength. Still, working with Apple was not easy. We tried all kinds of materials to create the exact white color they designated. Apple required high standards not only for color, but also for blocking to prevent the backlight from showing through the phone frame, as well as for durability and adhesiveness, specifications almost impossible to achieve. Apple, however, respected our work and offered productive feedback, and our engineers worked with passion and enthusiasm to develop the product. After two years of effort, Teikoku had developed the ink, and the white iPhone launched in 2011 to an eager Feature: Hidden Champions Inspiring the WorldJapanese Technology in Your PalmIn 2017, iPhone celebrated its 10th anniversary. Apple Inc. reports that they have created over 715,000 jobs across Japan.