- Records show that five Osaka-based companies exhibited their toothbrushes at an exposition as early as 1881: evidence that toothbrush production and marketing had started in Japan more than a century ago.
- After the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese started to introduce Western culture. According to the chronicles of the Japanese brush industry, brush production started in Japan circa 1874, when the Meiji Government ordered merchants in Osaka to manufacture sets of five wooden brushes for clothes, arms, horses, etc. for garrisons (groups of soldiers stationed in various parts of the country in the first year of the Meiji era). In 1888, Jutaro Matsumoto founded Seigyo Co., Ltd., the first brush manufacturer in Japan, in Shimofukushima, Kita-ku, Osaka City. The company exported samples to the United States in 1889.
- In 1890, the Japanese translation for "toothbrush" (haburashi) was coined. Like other industrial products, toothbrush production was started up using technologies imported from European countries.
- Those days, toothbrush production was concentrated in suburban Osaka (now Higashi-Osaka City and Yao City), and did not spread to other parts of the country. There are several reasons for this: cotton production in the region (Kawachi) was on the decline, providing abundant surplus labor; and land prices were cheaper than in downtown Osaka. Technically speaking, because toothbrush handles were at that time made of ox bone, only skilled workers were able to manufacture them. The sophisticated technology required for planting bristles. This did not allow production spreading throughout the country.
- In Japan, annual toothbrush production is at present between 450 and 500 million pcs., or \67.3 billion-worth. The figure is fairly constant. According to this statistic, one person consumes 3-4 toothbrushes a year. The above figure does not include the 219 million disposable toothbrushes which are used at hotels and inns. In addition to the above, the quantity equivalent to 5% of the annual production is consumed at dental clinics, and some 5 million are manufactured for electric toothbrushes.
- In 1997, \730 million-worth general-purpose toothbrushes were exported to the following countries and regions:
South Korea
|
189,998 |
| Taiwan |
122,738 |
| U.S.A. |
76,303 |
| Singapore |
65,534 |
| Hong Kong |
53,970 |
| Thailand |
46,125 |
| Germany |
33,756 |
| Malaysia |
24,368 |
| Others |
118,129 |
(Unit: thousand yen)
- Imports excluding those for electric toothbrushes are:
| 1992 |
1,407,000 |
| 1993 |
1,246,000 |
| 1994 |
1,082,000 |
| 1995 |
1,343,000 |
| 1996 |
1,998,000 |
| 1997 |
2,450,678 |
(Unit: thousand yen)
If we break down 1997 imports by country/region,
| U.S.A. |
738,983 |
| China |
604,833 |
| Germany |
588,226 |
| Singapore |
201,591 |
| Thailand |
150,383 |
South Korea
|
57,257 |
| Others |
109,405 |
(Unit: thousand yen)
The above figures show that toothbrush imports have rapidly increased, though erratically, over the last few years, and that Germany, the largest exporting country for many years, fell to third place, in 1997 with imports from China growing fast. Some of the imports have toy-like features, and are distributed through selected variety shops.
Imported toothbrushes are cheaply priced, but have a problem with bristle planting technology and many of them are too large. In Japan, where compact toothbrushes are popular, their excessive size curbs their sales growth.
- Accurate figures for quantity and sales amount of imported electric toothbrushes are not available, since they are aggregated with other electric home appliances, but annual imports in recent years are estimated at 100,000 units. Some of the major exporting countries include Germany, whose products offer superior ease of use, Switzerland, who first developed the product, and the United States, whose products are highly reputed for their plaque removing performance.
- Including major players like Lion, Sunstar and Kao, between 10 and 20 Japanese manufacturers engage in offshore production, mostly in Asian countries including Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and China. In many cases, their offshore production is exported to Japan.
- German made fully-automatic toothbrush production machines feature high quality but are expensive. One of the most popular models is by Tsujimura Machinery (Yao City, Japan), which offers superior functions and reasonably priced.
- There are no laws regulating toothbrush importers. Standards that concern toothbrushes include the Quality Labelling Law, Japan Industrial Standard (JIS) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The Quality Labelling Law stipulates that the materials to be used for handles (styrol, nylon, polypropylene, etc.) and bristles (nylon, natural hair, etc.), the hardness of bristles (soft, normal, hard), the heat-resistance temperature (70 C for styrol and polypropylene, 80 C for nylon), and the name, trade name or trademark and address of the party who is responsible for the labelling be displayed. Detailed requirements can be found in JIS, but the quality of Japanese toothbrushes is generally above average. Because of this, manufacturers do not take the trouble of spending time and labor on a range of inspections needed to acquire JIS Mark certification. ISO stipulates international standards for dental equipment. Concerning general-purpose toothbrushes, those on "hardness of bristles" are being examined, but it is thought that it will take several years before the standards are complete. One of the reasons for this initiative is to eliminate poor-quality products.
- Concerning electric toothbrushes, manufacturers, importers and dealers themselves are required to display the product information according to the Quality Labelling Law. Since they are regulated by the Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law, those who wish to deal in them are required to report the commencement of business not later than thirty days after the day of commencement of business. They are also obliged to verify themselves whether their products meet standards of safety, etc.
- Ninety percent of bristles for general-purpose toothbrushes are made of nylon, of which water drains well and which dry quickly, and the remaining 10 percent are natural pig or wild boar bristle. Because natural hair dries slowly, you end up using two alternately. Of the three types of bristles, soft, normal and hard, the majority prefer "normal," and only a few use "soft."
- Manufacturers generally purchase a PL insurance policy, but there have not been any incidents to speak of so far.
- Toothbrushes for ordinary consumers are distributed to retailers by manufacturers' sales organizations or via sundry wholesale channels for soap, detergents and cosmetics. Wholesalers specializing in dental materials and equipment are responsible for distributing to dentists, which, however, represent only a limited amount. Toothbrushes for hotel guests are mainly sold to hotels and inns by business goods wholesalers affiliated with travel agents.
Some mass merchandisers consign production of their private brand toothbrushes to manufacturers in OEM agreements.
Major manufacturers, too, conclude OEM agreements with medium-sized manufacturers and consign production to them. The market share of major players has grown from 70% more than a decade ago to 90% thanks to the debut of new products and TV advertising. Some of the major players manufacture in- house or import products manufactured at their offshore plants.
Electric toothbrushes are distributed via two channels: that for toiletry goods and that for electric home appliances. Their market penetration ratio in Japan stands at around 3%. Although there is high potential for future growth, the figure is surprisingly small at present.
- In the past, the biggest demand was in December, since many consumers started using new toothbrushes from the first day of the new year, but this tendency has waned, and people buy new ones simply when old ones need replacing. Not many people replace their toothbrushes during Dental Hygiene Week in June.
- General-purpose toothbrushes used to be retailed at \180 each, but these days they cost less than \100 to compete with cheap imports. The cheapest type is retailed at \58 now. Toothbrushes for dental clinics retail between \300 and \400.
- In the near future, demand for interdental brushes, which remove plaque by inserting a toothpick-like nylon brush between the teeth is expected to grow substantially.
- It is fair to say the toothbrush industry is privileged, since annual consumption has not decreased and the impact of imports has so far been relatively small. Although medium-sized manufacturers are responsible for production in OEM agreements with major manufacturers, the majority of production is still accounted for by in-house production by major players. Medium-sized manufacturers expect that major manufacturers will discontinue in-house production as part of their restructuring programs, and consign more production to them in OEM agreements.
News source: All Japan Brush Industry
Source of figures: Japan Trade Monthly Returns
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