Case Study
- Dorayaki Machine
- Dorayaki
Sugitani Honpo
Sugitani Honpo, a long-established company since its founding in 1811, has been making Isahaya Okoshi, a specialty of Isahaya City that is the third largest city and the largest rice producer in Nagasaki Prefecture, with vast rice fields on reclaimed land in Isahaya Bay.
In addition to the standard "black okoshi" with its unique crunchy texture of granulated brown sugar, the company has developed its own "white okoshi" with its exquisite texture of glutinous rice puffs and sugar, which has gained a good reputation. The company has also strengthened sales of its high-end line of sponge cakes, having won the Monde Selection gold medal for its "Gosan-yaki Castella" and "Premium Chocolate".
The main store is located in the city center, and in 1996 the sixth company president mechanized the okoshi molding process, and in 1980 opened the Tachibana store and factory along the seaside tourist route between Nagasaki city center and Unzen Hot Springs. In 1991, the seventh president added another factory and developed the "Nagasaki Castella," which was initiated by the previous sixth president, into one of the main products along with the okoshi.
The eighth president, Mr. Tatsunari Sugitani, inherited the philosophy of his predecessors "Delivering deliciousness and happiness with cordiality," and says that he would "Change and Challenge" to become a more reliable place for customers, redefining what kind of "reliable place" for what kind of customers he wants to be, and would like to change products and actions (sales methods, customer service, etc.) to become more customer-oriented.
As the reputation of dorayaki has grown during the coronavirus pandemic, the company has shifted its focus to wholesale and strengthened its sales activities to increase orders.
In the spring of 2023, the company installed a new fully automatic dorayaki machine, tripling its production volume and producing more than a dozen varieties of dorayaki other than those sold by the company itself.
Location：1574-1 Matsato-cho, Isahaya City, Nagasaki Prefecture
URL：https://sugitanihonpo.co.jp/
Publication：MASDAC news March issue in 2024
Full Automatic Dorayaki Machine (SDR-KAM)）
Sugitani Honpo produces about 30 kinds of dorayaki with different kinds of batter and filling for direct sales, wholesale, and PB/OEM. A fully automatic dorayaki machine was introduced in 2023 to improve productivity and reduce labor, and says; “We used to use a semi-automatic machine made by another manufacturer, but now we can mass-produce dorayaki fully automatically, which has tripled our production volume. We are now able to systematically produce and consolidate daily production to two days a week, with the same number of employees making the famous okoshi confectionery on the other days.” Before installing the new system, engineers conducted a site survey and designed the layout to fit the factory's space, considering work flow.
-
There are five types of dorayaki: Standard dorayaki sold in stores, "Nagasaki Dorayaki Hanatachibana," "Fukumame Dorayaki," "Chestnut Dorayaki," "Imo Dorayaki," and "Sesame Dorayaki."There are five types of dorayaki: Standard dorayaki sold in stores, "Nagasaki Dorayaki Hanatachibana," "Fukumame Dorayaki," "Chestnut Dorayaki," "Imo Dorayaki," and "Sesame Dorayaki."
-
Production situationProduction situation
-
Fully automatic dorayaki machine installed in a U-shape to fit the factory spaceFully automatic dorayaki machine installed in a U-shape to fit the factory space
-
"Amaou Strawberry Dorayaki" limited sale for SA/PAs on the Kyushu Expressway"Amaou Strawberry Dorayaki" limited sale for SA/PAs on the Kyushu Expressway
-
Smaller sized dorayaki are sold only at events
Reference
MASDAC NEWS trial version
Case studies are published in our PR magazine MASDAC NEWS delivered to users. In the magazine, we present various information related to sweets and food manufacturing, including an interview with our customers’ top management. Here, you can check out the trial version of the magazine. For periodical delivery of the MASDAC NEWS in a printed format, please send us a request via the following request form.
View the Trial Version (PDF)
