The Story

Mr Shigeyuki Matsunaga is the chairman of MATSUNAGA. He founded the company in 1974, at a time where there was a lack of high quality wheelchairs made for the Asian person. Western-made wheelchairs were aplenty, but Mr Matsunaga was acutely aware of their limitations. The average Japanese person has a smaller physical build and a different lifestyle compared to his Western counterpart. Differences such as mode of transportation, type of housing, living environment, and daily activities, can affect the suitability of a wheelchair. After all, to a person with compromised mobility, the wheelchair is an extension of his body and should match his needs as closely as possible.

With this in mind, Mr Matsunaga set out to design high quality wheelchairs that were made specially for Asians, and continues to do so today.

The Quality Process - How is MATSUNAGA different?

MATSUNAGA adopts a total production system. This means that they oversee every stage of their manufacturing process, from sourcing of materials, design to manufacturing and assembling. No detail goes unnoticed and no stone is left unturned in their quality checks.

Many wheelchair manufacturers do not adopt a total production system. They purchase parts and merely assemble them in the factory to form a wheelchair. Such a method makes it difficult to identify the grade of the raw materials used. In addition, the various components will not be a perfect fit thus affecting the quality, comfort and life of the wheelchair.

In contrast, MATSUNAGA keeps every element of their production cycle inhouse and designs every part to fit perfectly with the rest. It is therefore able to uphold their quality processes to the highest standards, with the end-result being a meticulously engineered piece of equipment that is built-to-last.