Izui Tekkosho Co., Ltd.

Having a user's point of veiw, from design to manufacturing

18 Ukitsu, Muroto-shi, Kochi JAPAN
TEL:0887-23-2111
FAX:0887-23-2114

[Manufacturing products]
fishing machine for tuna longline vessels, line hauler
trawl winch, various fishing machines, marine deck machineries
various winches for work barge, slurry ice making equipment

Challenge to the dissimilar field

The name of "Muroto", fishing town near the sea is used to be known as base of tuna fleet, now as intake location of deep ocen water.
It was in 2004 that we have received a request to make an experimental unit for storing slurry ice from Kochi University of Technology who is researching about usage of deep ocean water which has been focused by Kochi prefecture.
This university is carrying out the experiments at Kochi Deep Ocean Water Research Center. Because we are located in the same town and considered to have designing capacity, we are assingned for this project.
Although we have a long experience of manufacturing fishing machineries mainly for winches called line hauler used for tuna longline fishing, A slurry ice making equipment needs ice-making and refrigerating plants which is totally a challenge to the dissimilar field.

The slurry ice can be explained as a mixture of minute ice and salt water, finer than sherbet like ice.
It took about 5 years until commercialization while supported by a manufacturer of refrigerating plant in Osaka whom we had a connection. Now we expect that slurry ice making equipment would be our new business field.

All the good things about slurry ice

Usually the fishes are packaged with full of ice for shipping, but in that way there will be a damage on their body and even deformation occur in case of small fishes.
A damage directly reflects to the price of the fish.
The slurry ice is able to cover the fish with minute and soft ice particles, more equaly and cool rapidly than crushing ice. Therefore it is able to keep freshness longer and less damages.
Because it is in a liquid form, transportaion using a hose is possible which makes all the works simple and easy.
There is a disadvantage compare to crushing ice that it cannot be kept for a long time, but this can be solved by preparing the amount just in need.

Difference of 1% salt

Before, slurry ice machines installed in Japan are made by manufacturers in Canada and Germany. Most of them were extremely large in size with capacity of few tons and salinity is more than 2-2.5%. If the salinity is high, for example, temperature of ice will be -1.8C in 2%, -2.1C in 2.5%,higher the temperature, faster the fishes wil be frozen.
There would be no problem for foreign countries who have no custom to eat raw fish, but as in Japan, it will effect the quality of taste even a part of fish body is frozen.
The freezing point is different for each fish, but to keep the temperature as -0.9C, the point which no fish will be frozen, we have developed the equipment which enables to make the ice with 1% salinity which can keep above temperature.
To make the slurry ice, prepare a layer of thin ice on the metal surface and scrape. It the salinity is high, ice will be soft and easily come off, but in low salinity the ice become hard and need to scrape, this is the point which we found most difficult during the development.

We have started to sell this machines from 2008 spring, and so far we have sold and installed 19 of this equipment including a experimental unit for Kochi University of Technology.
There are 3 different types of machines are available. 0.5t, 2t and 4t of ice-making capacity in 12 hours and the price range is between 6-20 million yen.
At the end of last year, we have signed an agreement of sales with a group company of major electrical manufacturer and we expect to gradually see the result.
In addition, recently we have received an order from an agricultural corporation to use in research of keeping the freshness of vegetables.
We wait and see the expansion of possibilities of usage other than for fishing industry.

Together with line hauler

We have established at present place in 1923.
At that time, winching in tuna longline are done by hand and it was very dangerous.
Our founder succeeded the mechanization as called line hauler and this became our company's foundation.
Since then, we are the only company who is still making a line hauler and not only this, confident to say that we are the top manufacturer in the industry of fishing machines for tuna longline.

Unfortunately, the colour of future for tuna fishing is not rosy.
Compare to the peak period of tuna longline fishing which continued until about 20 years ago, amount of orders receiving is declined to more than half because of reduced catches of fish and setting the limitation of fish catches and policy progressed by government to reduce the fishing boat according to the number of countries incresed to set the Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical mile.
Recently, tuna as a resource is even regarded as a problem for exhaustion.
But we think that it is our duty to keep making the machines to secure the fishermen's safety who have been using our products for a long time, and this is why Izui Tekkosho exists.

Our accmulated technologies to the new field

We did not stand there and see the decilne of tuna longline fishing.
The development of slurry ice is one of the challenge, and by applying our technologies we have started to manufacture the various winches as OEM for major heavy industry company.
We have accumulated our skills of winching ropes and steels for 90 years, therefore it is not difficult for us to deliver the products according to the clients' request. These winches are used not only for f ishing vessels, but also for merchant ships and other various types of vessels.
We are taking a new step as wide variety of fishing machines manufacturer, performing as not only longline winch manufacturer but also as a manufacturer of winches for net.

Safe fishing and delicious seafood

By developing the machines to greatly reduce the risk and experienced ups & downs together with tuna fishing, we have been specialized in machineries for tuna vessels, but as for the future we can now see the road to expand our business to the machines for other marine vessels.
Furthermore, by achieving the technology to manufacture the slurry ice making equipment, it can be said that we are now stepping closer to the consumer.
Our business is expanding from only the winching ropes to slurry ice, another word, in addition of helping and supporting the fishing industry to secure the safety and reduce the hardship, we are now helping to deliver the fresh fish to households.
We feel that we are now fully prepared to switch to the offensive. We will treasure our existing specialty and at the same time keep challenge to the new field.