2024.09.05
The Spirit of Japan Enclosed in a Suitcase: PROTECA's 20-Year Challenge & Evolution
The Japanese travel bag brand "PROTECA" celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
PROTECA is a travel bag brand representing ACE Co., Ltd., a comprehensive manufacturer of bags and luggage with a 60-year track record in domestic suitcase production. While maintaining the world's highest level of quality, the brand focuses on creating new products and trust from Japan's unique rich sensibilities. It has continuously provided the values of safety and security.
As we celebrate 20 years since the brand's inception, we reflect on how PROTECA has evolved and progressed with the times through an interview with Izumi Morikawa, the company's PR representative.
PROFILE
Izumi Morikawa
ACE Co., Ltd.
Marketing Department, PR & Public Relations Manager
Advanced Techniques & Quality Control Unique to Japanese Craftsmen
Could you tell us about the background behind the birth of the PROTECA brand?
ACE Co., Ltd. signed a technical partnership with an overseas luggage brand in 1960 and began production of suitcases domestically for the first time in Japan in 1964. For many years, it has manufactured and sold licensed goods in Japan from overseas luggage brands.Then, in 2004, to mark 40 years since the start of suitcase production in Japan, and seeking to expand overseas with ACE brand suitcases, the company dissolved its licensing agreements with overseas luggage brands and debuted the travel bag brand “PROTECA” as a culmination of the technologies it had cultivated.
The name derives from Protect, Technology, and ACE. While maintaining advanced technology, the brand continues to evolve its design and aims to create luggage beloved by people around the world, diligently pursuing the ultimate luggage as it promotes the PROTECA brand globally.
What strengths and features do Japanese-made suitcases have?
The strengths of Japanese-made suitcases lie in the delicate and advanced techniques, as well as the thorough quality control unique to Japanese craftsmen. At the Red Biei Factory in Hokkaido, which consolidates the skills and know-how built up by ACE over 60 years, there are about 8 craftsmen involved in the assembly line of suitcases, which is comparatively fewer than the 20 to 30 craftsmen in overseas factories.In overseas factories, production efficiency is enhanced through a divided process where tasks are simplified for each worker, adopting a system that enables mass production.
In contrast, at the Akabira Factory, one person is responsible for multiple processes and conducts independent inspections while understanding the preceding and following processes, thus contributing to quality improvement.
Moreover, thorough quality control tests are conducted at the ACE Technology Institute during the development stage and through sampling inspection. Although production efficiency may be inferior to overseas factories, the rate of complaints at retail is exceedingly low, maintaining a defect rate of less than 0.1% compared to sales.
The interior fabric of a standard suitcase is simply sewn on with a sewing machine, but at PROTECA, many products are finished by hand-applying cushioning urethane fabric, and it takes a high level of skill to apply it quickly and beautifully, and it takes about three years to learn the technique.
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