Nippon Sangyo Suishin Kiko  (www.nsskjapan.com) is pleased to announce that investment partnerships managed, served or advised by NSSK and/or its affiliates (collectively, “NSSK”) entered into a share purchase agreement in respect of their acquisition of the outstanding equity shares of Takagi Co., Ltd. (together with its affiliates, the “Takagi Group” or the “Company Group”; https://global.takagi.co.jp).

Founded in 1961 and incorporated in 1979, headquartered in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka, the Company Group operates water-related product businesses including the manufacture and sale of faucets and water purifier cartridges. The Company Group operates in three main areas of business (its water purifier business, water sprinkler business, and dies & molds business), and has factories in Japan and Vietnam with sales offices in Japan and Australia. In the water purifier business, the Company Group pioneered the faucet integrated water purifier with the launch of the “Mizu-Kobo” in 1999, which has one of the highest adoption rates in new condominiums in Japan, and has become a leading company in its industry. In the water sprinkler business, it has also pioneered the market with the launch of the “Nozzle Five”, a sprinkler nozzle with five different ways of spraying water, in 1980. As a result, it has established the No.1 position in the domestic market by offering a new and wide range of customer-oriented products. In the dies and molds business, it has important functions mainly for in-house use, contributing to the speedy and flexible manufacturing of Takagi’s products.

From an ESG perspective, the use of water purifying cartridges is expected to reduce the negative impact on the environment. The Takagi Group believes its products contribute to the realization of a sustainable society as a replacement for the bottled water business as its products help reduce the use of disposable plastic containers and the need of logistics.

Leveraging the business foundation that the Takagi Group has built, NSSK aims to provide support through its unique NSSK Value-up Program (“NVP”), its business expertise, and its domestic and international network, working with the current management team so that the Company Group can achieve more robust growth in its next stage of development. NSSK will support the planning and implementation of business expansion and improvement measures such as the execution of a major capital expenditure program for its new factory, enhancement and productivity increases in its marketing and sales initiatives, among others.  NSSK will also assist in the introduction of business management methods, which include establishing data-driven management, strengthening governance and compliance systems, and promoting the Company Group’s corporate philosophy and ESG activities. By supporting the implementation of these initiatives with the current management team, which will continue to manage the Takagi Group, we will ensure that the Takagi Group grows even stronger into the next stage of its development.