KITO Europe GmbH began doing business in Germany at the beginning of 2007. Today, it has already achieved a six percent market share in the field of hand-powered hoists and motorized chain blocks. By 2012, the business is aiming to increase its German market share to ten percent and hire additional workers – in spite of the economic and financial crisis. The secret to its success comes, just as its parents company, from Japan and states: The customer comes first.

“Customer satisfaction is not only our top priority on paper, it is something we actually believe in and realize,” says Managing Director Frank Klohr. The company concentrates its business activities on the sales of hand-powered hoists and motorized chain blocks to specialized dealers, yet it takes customer needs just as seriously: KITO has a special focus on service and consultation, repairs and maintenance as well as providing the customer with replacement parts quickly. “We don't only deliver ready-made products, we are committed to meeting our customers' individual needs,” Klohr explains. In cooperation with its 18 partner companies, it is frequently possible to examine firsthand how each piece of equipment must be configured before it is delivered and put into operation.

Production of equipment for the European market is directly influenced by the German KITO subsidiary. “In conversing with our customers, we gain an excellent understanding of their needs as well as those of the various industries in which our equipment is used. We then pass this information on to our head office in Japan, where it is taken into consideration for the development and production processes,” the Managing Director says.

To ensure its customers are truly satisfied, KITO not only offers top-quality products, but also quick and flexible service from its highly qualified staff as well as the authorized dealers with which KITO cooperates. Its services range from consultation and initial operation to maintenance.

However, this does not mean that everything that makes up the daily order of business in Japan is also self-evident in Germany. That is why Frank Klohr, who held various management positions in Asia for 20 years, regularly sends his employees to Japan for further training. “We are a Japanese corporation and so it is important that our staff members comprehend our corporate culture. And there is no better place for them to do this than the native country of our parent company.”

The company's decision to locate to North Rhine-Westphalia was a conscious one. For KITO, the German market offers potential development and is simultaneously the technological trendsetter for Europe. With its central location, the federal state is the optimal place for operative business, Klohr explains. This is aided by the area's excellent infrastructure and the Japanese network in Düsseldorf. Additionally, North Rhine-Westphalia's industrial density poses another important advantage for KITO, as the company's products can be used in a large variety of fields – everywhere where loads need to be hoisted. Whether for loading jet engines onto a heavy goods vehicle or inserting a construction element into a bridge or for lifting, moving or installing both small and large loads of up to 50 tons as needed, for example, for manufacturing tools, in the paper production and manufacturing industry or on large construction sites – all of these industries utilize hand-powered hoists and motorized chain blocks.