| YKK manufactures a wide range of clasps and buttons for the clothes-making, leather goods, footwear, health care, sportswear, carpeting, automotive, and interior design industry sectors, among others. They focus on the snap buttons sector and sell their products under the YKK®, YKK Stocko®, Advancen® and Cosmolon® brand names, all of them featuring various systems: circular springs, parallel springs, nail-like for knitted fabrics, FlexFix – their innovating system with plastic springs – and also Waterproof snap buttons made 100% with plastic material.
The clothes-making sector
This sector, and mainly so the casual wear sector, are the major segment catered to by YKK as regards snap buttons. Joaquín Sitges, Director of the S & B division, (Manufacturers of Snap & Button, Snaps in Germany, buttons and rivets in Italy, both under ISO 9001:2000, UNE-En ISO 14001:96 and OEKO TEX 100 Standards), explains to us, “this line reached its peak success 2 seasons ago, and now, following a more relaxed period it seems to have come back to the latest fashion trends. It is not an element that does not change, and for YKK this reference is a major product on which we improve and innovate all the time, in both the technical and esthetic aspects”.
With reference to local markets our interviewee comments, “Our organization in Spain caters to the needs for products and services communicated to us by our Spanish clients, and we use our facilities in full to provide for these needs.”
Trade shows, markets and service
Aware of the convenience of specialized trade shows YKK seeks to be present at the most important. At Mod’Amont, in Paris, the stand was visited by a large number of professionals showing interest in their products, especially in reference Dur 8 and Dua 33.
Due to the investment made in the Snap & Button division, delivery terms offered by YKK to clients are immediate. Their main goal is to have stocked items for all standard products, which results in fast, efficient service. As to customized products, these are prepared in a joint work with the client, seeking to meet the needs for each campaign.
D+ I investment
Our interviewee believes investing in D + I is the most solid support for the future. “Without doubt, it is of essential value, not just for our company but for the whole sector and our society. No company will be able to face the continuous changes without investing in D + I”. He ends our interview pointing out that “increasing business lines with more techniques, design and added value is our major goal at present”.
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