The Japan Wool Textile C0.,Ltd. (Nikke) has announced its new medium- to long-term vision, the “CF (Create the Future) 140 Vision,” which runs through fiscal 2036 (ending November 2036). The company aims to establish a “one‑and‑only position” through high‑performance products and high‑quality services, targeting consolidated net sales of ¥200 billion in the final year.
The company celebrates its 130th anniversary this December, and the current fiscal year (ending November 2026) marks the final year of its existing medium‑ to long‑term plan, the “RN130 Vision.” Over the 10 years of RN130, Nikke improved profitability in its existing businesses and expanded the number of group companies to 60 through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), building a business foundation that consistently generates over ¥10 billion in operating profit. On the other hand, sales growth remained modest, and challenges persisted in creating synergies and strengthening collaboration among business units.
Under the new vision, Nikke aims to become a “future lifestyle creation company” that generates new value. By instilling the purpose and value of each business throughout the organization and clarifying collaboration across business units, the company seeks to sustainably enhance corporate value. As a group-wide strategy, Nikke will expand its overseas operations, strengthen cross‑divisional cooperation, and allocate management resources to highly profitable businesses.
In the industrial materials business, the company will enhance integration effects with firms acquired through M&A and focus on improving profitability in its nonwoven fabrics business. During the current vision period, the nonwoven and felt business has grown to around ¥25 billion in sales and is becoming the company’s “third pillar,” following real estate leasing and school uniforms. President Yutaka Nagaoka expressed his ambition to “build a fourth and fifth pillar,” showing strong interest in cultivating new revenue sources.
The company also positions “medical‑related” operations—currently classified under the headquarters segment—as a growth business, with an eye toward elevating it to the “fifth business segment” alongside the existing four. From its current scale of ¥4 billion in sales and ¥300 million in operating profit, Nikke aims to grow the segment to around ¥10 billion in sales and ¥1 billion in operating profit in the future.
In the apparel and textile business, the company will maximize “domestic profitability” and “overseas growth.” For school uniforms, Nikke plans to shift from material sales to supplying finished products in anticipation of market contraction due to declining birthrates, while improving cost competitiveness through labor‑saving investments in existing factories.
The strong-performing business uniform segment will also shift toward non‑wool materials and sewn products, while expanding functions to meet demand in the rental and reuse markets, thereby growing the business scale. The current overseas sales ratio of 7–8% is targeted to rise to 15–20% during the new vision period.
Future M&A efforts will focus on medium‑sized companies with sales of around ¥5 billion or more that engage in manufacturing or services highly compatible with Nikke’s operations. As the first step toward realizing the new vision, the company will begin formulating the “CF140 First Medium‑Term Management Plan,” which starts in fiscal 2027, within the current fiscal year.