CEO Message

From Aichi to all of Japan.
Spreading happiness through lumber wholesale.

Thank you for visiting HIKARI’s website.
My name is Yohei Udatsu. I am the CEO of HIKARI Co., Ltd. based out of Ichinomiya City in Aichi Prefecture.

The wholesale industry must evolve

I am the second-generation CEO of HIKARI Co., Ltd. following in the steps of my father who established this company in the year that was I was born. I grew up watching my father strive to grow and develop his business.
As the end of the Heisei Era approached, lumber wholesale as an industry was on the decline. Many of the generation who benefitted from high economic growth had already built their dream homes and the general population was going down. To make matters even more challenging for the wholesale industry, the number of businesses dealing directly with manufacturers also increased.

Considering these factors, I thought, “There is no value in a wholesaler that exists only to pass on large bundles of lumber from the manufacturer to customers as they are,” and revisited the strengths of our company. We have sales offices called “Wood Stations” located all over Japan and actively participate in local hiring. Also, in addition to working with lumber manufacturers and customers, we have a wide range of connections with interior shops and designers as well. After much consideration, I came to the conclusion that, “we should aim to become a new proposal-based wholesaler that perfectly caters to each request while matching the characteristics of each local region.” With this in mind, all of our employees have come together as one to support our new business style.

In order to increase our ability to make proposals, we began to handle both imported lumber and laminated wood. Since founding, we have been a domestic lumber wholesaler, so we have been expanding our range of products and services to better cater to customers’ needs while keeping that original vision in mind. Our goal is to find and develop proposals that allow customers to obtain desires that have not yet been able to take shape. By doing this, we will able to keep moving forward while bringing happiness to everyone involved.

Aiming to be a company with vitality

For a company, I agree that having ambitions such as profit improvement, protecting the employment status of workers, and business expansion are very important. However, on top of these goals, I want us to be known as a company that has “vitality.” To that end, it is essential to increase the personal appeal of all of our employees. I have put the following two strategies in place to achieve this.

First is the active hiring of senior citizens. I believe that many people in their 60s and 70s are happy to find a place where their contributions make a difference. I am a fan of the saying “things present are judged by things past.” I feel there is so much to be gleamed from employees who were active in the same era as when my father established this company, and it can only create a better future. The gratitude I feel that the same employees who held my hand and played with me as little boy or even changed my diapers are still supporting this company cannot be described with words. My hope is that younger workers will take inspiration from seeing these contributions and imagine a life where they themselves can improve their careers and freely work even into their senior years.

The second is that we have become a company sponsor of an independent baseball league located in our sales area of Kochi Prefecture. Personally speaking, I played baseball through middle school and was very invested in the sport. Although I haven’t touched my glove since then because the memories of how strict our training was still haunt me, I have always been a baseball fan. Athletes playing in the independent leagues are dreaming of becoming professional baseball players. Being able to support someone’s dream, especially their dream of playing baseball, is something that should have a great impact on the hearts of both me and my employees. Actually, I still dream of someday throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a game…

We will continue to pursue the best for our customers as a lumber wholesale company and strive to keep growing and bettering ourselves. If you ever wish to speak with me, I welcome you to reach out at any time.

CEO　Yohei Udatsu

History

• 1979 October

  Established within Nishigaki Nagoya Lumber Market as Hikari Mokuzai, for sales of domestic timber with a capital of 7 million yen.

• 1994 December

  Opened Nanshin Retail Center in the industrial park of Banno, Toyooka-mura, Nagano.

• 1995 November

  Increased capital to 10 million yen.

• 2003 July

  Opened Hokuriku Office in Kanazawa-shi, Ichikawa.

• 2004 July

  Opened Oguchi Delivery Center in Oguchi-machi, Niwa-gun, Aichi.

• 2008 August

  Established Kochi Ryoma Lumber Market.

• 2010 May

  Opened Wood Station Joetsu.

• 2011 December

  Opened Wood Station Hamamatsu.

• 2012 October

  Closed Oguchi Delivery Center as part of a business transfer.

• 2013 December

  Opened Headquarters Material Center in Oguchi-machi, Niwa-gun, Aichi.

• 2014 October

  Changed company name from Hikari Mokuzai to HIKARI.
  In accordance with the company name change, the following office names were also changed.
  Headquarters　⇒　Wood Station Nagoya
  Headquarters Materials Center　⇒　Wood Station Nagoya Materials Center
  Nanshin Office　⇒　Wood Station Nanshin
  Hokuriku Office　⇒　Wood Station Kanazawa

• 2018 November

  Masaaki Udatsu submits his resignation as CEO to become director of the board.
  Yohei Udatsu becomes company CEO.

• 2019 February

  Office changes name. (Due to merger with Aishin Mokuzai)
  Wood Station Nagoya　⇒　Aishin・Hikari Co., Ltd.

• 2019 May

  Wood Station Nagoya Materials Center and headquarter function are relocated to Ichinomiya-shi, and Wood Station Lumber Distribution Market is opened.

• 2022  

  Wood Station Kansai planned opening