Willbe Right Back with the Power

Japanese manufacturing, or monozukuri, has long been admired worldwide for its meticulous craftsmanship and continuous improvement. From your perspective, how would you define monozukuri? What does it mean to you personally and as a business leader?

While monozukuri literally means “making things,” for us, it represents something far more profound. It is the physical realization of our company’s core philosophy. Above all, what we value most in our approach to monozukuri is a steadfast commitment to quality. By “quality,” I don’t mean just one time excellence or superficial perfection. We are deeply committed to continuous quality improvement. This means constantly refining and elevating our products not settling for today’s standard, but striving for tomorrow’s better version. This mindset is very much aligned with Japan’s renowned kaizen practices, which emphasize continuous improvement and attention to detail.

Importantly, our improvements are not driven solely by internal goals. We practice a customer-first philosophy, always asking: “What can we do to enhance customer satisfaction?” This perspective shapes our production improvements. For example, in our production lines, we’ve introduced processes that allow us to quickly adapt to growing variation in customer specifications. This kind of flexible, need-based improvement is what defines our monozukuri.

One of the most pressing challenges for Japanese industry today is the demographic shift particularly the aging and declining population. This has had a direct impact on agriculture, which is the core market for your agricultural machinery. How are you addressing these challenges?

You’re absolutely right this is a real and growing concern. The agricultural workforce in Japan is shrinking year by year, and since we sell machinery directly into that sector, the effects are immediate and tangible for us. However, we see an opportunity within the challenge. Our concept is built on labor-saving through mechanization. As the number of agricultural workers decreases, the need for automated and efficient tools naturally increases. This shift allows us to maintain demand for our products, even as the base market itself shrinks. We’re not necessarily aiming for expansion in unit volume, but we’re working hard to hold our ground and provide solutions that are increasingly vital.

That said, we recognize that traditional agriculture as a sector is declining in Japan, and we’re not naïve about that. To mitigate this, we’ve expanded into adjacent markets one notable example is the brush cutter segment. With fewer people available to cut grass manually, demand for mechanized grass-cutting equipment has grown significantly. We’re seeing solid growth in that market and investing more resources there to help compensate for the overall contraction in the traditional agricultural machinery space.

Mitsubishi GB101 gasoline engine

Around the world, internal combustion engine (ICE) technologies are undergoing major change. In the automotive sector, stricter emissions regulations, rising material costs, and accelerated investment in electrification have placed significant pressure on manufacturers to rethink traditional engine development. Similar expectations are now extending to compact engines used in construction equipment, agriculture, outdoor power products, and lifeline generators. What are your thoughts on the future of small gasoline engines, and how is your company responding to this shift?

We specialize in small gasoline engines, so I’d like to focus on that category specifically. Of course, there are both diesel and gasoline engines, but our core products are based on gasoline combustion.

At the same time, the rise of electric and battery-powered alternatives is undeniable. That said, current battery technologies still face limitations, particularly for applications requiring long continuous operation. In these use cases, internal combustion engines remain relevant. The challenge for us is to make them as environmentally friendly as possible. To address that, we’ve developed and commercialized engines equipped with fuel injection systems. These systems significantly improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. From a mechanical standpoint, the internal combustion engine is already a mature technology, but there’s still meaningful innovation posible especially in how we manage fuel and emissions.

Looking ahead, we’re actively exploring carbon-neutral fuel options, such as ethanol and hydrogen. We’ve already completed successful testing with E2G (Ethanol-to-Gasoline), a type of biofuel that’s already in use in Europe. Our engines have passed cylinder-level trials using this fuel, and we’re now moving into full product-level testing. However, the market direction remains unpredictable. Even automotive giants like Toyota are facing difficulties, largely due to the lack of hydrogen infrastructure. But if that infrastructure develops, we could see real progress around 2028. That’s the timeline we’re keeping in mind as we align our development strategies accordingly.

One of the most striking changes at your company has been the shift to a more agile and consolidated management structure. In March 2024, Willbe underwent a major organizational re-launch by integrating Mitsubishi’s general-purpose engine heritage with Yamaha’s power-equipment business, streamlining development under a unified corporate identity. This shift also strengthened your overseas channels and accelerated your product development cycles.
How has your organization evolved since this March 2024 reorganization, and what new capabilities or advantages has it created?

The biggest transformation has been in the speed and autonomy of our decision-making. We’ve become much more nimble. Previously, as part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, any decision especially one involving capital expenditure required going through many layers of approval. This “stamp rally” process could take over a month. Now, as an independent entity, we can make and act on decisions internally and quickly.

Another major difference is investment agility. When we were a small division inside a large corporation, it was difficult to get approval for new factories or equipment. Now, we can allocate resources based on our own judgment. For example, at the end of last year, we established two new manufacturing facilities the North Plant and the East Plant to support the production of products inherited from Yamaha. This allows us to compete more effectively in a global market where speed and responsiveness are critical.

Mitsubishi and Yamaha are globally established brands with long-standing reputations, whereas Willbe is still a relatively new corporate name—especially in overseas markets. With the introduction of your MEiKi POWER and Earth POWER brands, and the shift away from relying solely on these legacy identities, it will be important to build name recognition and trust for Willbe in both B2B and B2C segments. How do you plan to approach branding going forward, and what strategies will you use to strengthen Willbe’s presence internationally?

Of course, it would be ideal to continue leveraging globally recognized brands like Mitsubishi and Yamaha. Their name value is undeniable. However, due to the nature of our separation and the business transfer, we no longer have the rights to use those names in our branding. That has been a significant hurdle. As a result, our focus is now on developing and growing our own brands. We have two main product lines: “MEiKi POWER ”, which is targeted at B2B clients, and “Earth POWER,” which is our B2C brand.

MEiKi POWER  has a long-standing reputation, and since our B2B customers are familiar with it, the transition has been smooth. These clients continue to purchase our products without issue. Earth POWER is more challenging because it’s a consumer-facing brand. In this space, brand awareness is everything. Without it, it’s extremely difficult to build market presence. We’re working on this through a concerted PR strategy, led by Ms. Watanabe, who is overseeing our branding and communications initiatives. Overseas, we are relying on our network of distributors many of whom previously worked with Yamaha to help increase visibility and credibility for the Earth POWER brand. Dealer selection is especially critical here, and we’re fortunate to be building on the strong relationships Yamaha had already established.

Let’s talk about your global strategy. Previously, your company’s focus was predominantly domestic. With the acquisition of Yamaha’s business lines, you have gained access to a vast network of global distribution. How are you planning to leverage these new channels in your overseas strategy?

As you mentioned, we were previously focused on the domestic market, with about 70% of our sales coming from Japan. The remaining 30% was mostly from limited markets like South Korea and Taiwan. Frankly, our international footprint was minimal. Yamaha, on the other hand, had a much more global business, with a significant portion of its revenue coming from exports. By taking over Yamaha’s business lines, we’ve inherited not just products, but access to a strong international sales network.

In the short term, we aim to leverage Yamaha’s overseas channels to grow our export business and shift our revenue balance toward 50% domestic and 50% international. Yamaha already had a solid presence in countries like China, Australia, Indonesia, Europe, the U.S., and Canada. Our strategy is to continue those relationships and expand them further. Unlike Yamaha, we don’t have overseas subsidiaries. So, we are working directly with local distributors and forming new dealership contracts to continue product distribution under our own brand.

Yamaha EF2500i inverter generator

Beyond Yamaha’s existing distributors, are you planning to expand your agent and dealer network into new countries?

Yes, that’s our plan. Initially, our priority is to solidify relationships with Yamaha’s existing distributors. But we’re also actively looking to expand into new territories. However, given our smaller company size, we can’t cover every region simultaneously. So we’re taking a phased approach first reinforcing the existing network, then expanding step by step into new markets.

When do you aim to achieve your overseas expansion targets—specifically the goal of 50% of sales coming from international markets?

We’re targeting 2028 as our milestone year. That goal aligns with our broader product development timeline, including our initiatives around alternative fuels and hydrogen technologies.

Yamaha snow blower

Your new EF Series generators appear to represent a major step forward for the Earth POWER brand, especially as demand grows for compact, quiet, and reliable power sources for both leisure and emergency use. Could you tell us more about the EF Series—how it differentiates itself from existing products, and what innovations or new features you are currently developing for future models?

We’ve launched the EF Series using the same core technology that Yamaha previously offered. These units feature advanced inverter controls, which enable stable voltage delivery, particularly useful for sensitive or power-intensive startup equipment. Features like boost mode and parallel operation allowing multiple units to work in tandem remain key differentiators. Looking ahead, we’re working to incorporate alternative fuels into the EF series as part of our shift toward sustainability. Our goal is to merge performance with eco-conscious design. This product line will be one of the key platforms where we implement the fuel innovations we discussed earlier, including ethanol-based options.

For more information, please see their website at: https://willbe-corp.com/en/