Since establishing its U.S. headquarters in Livonia, Michigan in June 2016, JTL America, a Japanese mechanical testing and analytical service company, determined that mergers and acquisitions were its best ways toward sustainable growth.
The company, known previously as A-kit America when it set up shop in the country, brought its new evaluation technologies and high-quality data analysis to primarily serve the automotive industry in Michigan, the traditional car capital of the United States.
Around six months after opening in the United States, it acquired Knight Mechanical Testing (KMT) in Indiana, which allowed them to diversify into the orthopedic and medical product sectors. The resulting merger in December 2017 was JTL America.
President Kazumasa Nohara believes that JTL America’s localization strategy will provide clients with better services because it is able to combine the best practices of its American and Japanese culture and experiences.
“While customer satisfaction is significant for them, our fast decision making helps our customers move faster, too,” he said.
This quick decision-making process has also resulted in investment in new services: ATOS (3-D scanner), X-ray CT and vibration tests.
“Activities that bring together Japanese and American companies are important for our globalization,” said Nohara, who is always on the lookout for new business in the United States.
