Molds for glass server handles. ORIGAMI glass server handles are made using these molds.

Each piece is carefully inspected, boxed, and shipped.

Scrap materials (cullet) from manufacturing are collected and reused to become part of new products again.

We were able to talk to Mr. Iijima, Senior Managing Director and Deputy Plant Manager, about the history of HARIO and its aspirations.

───HARIO, founded in 1921, is the only heat-resistant glass manufacturer with a factory in Japan that has been manufacturing products for 100 years. Please tell us about the history of your company.

Mr. Iijima: When we installed a glass melting furnace in Shirakawa, Koto-ku, Tokyo in the 1950s, we were still using heavy oil to melt glass materials, and the factory was still emitting white smoke and dust, which was very harmful to employees, the factory neighborhood, and the environment.

As we searched for ways to eliminate pollution, we succeeded in developing our own technology, the "direct current glass melting furnace," which uses electricity instead of heavy oil to melt the glass material. This eliminated smoke and dust pollution, which were commonplace in glass factories at the time, and made Japan's first "chimney-less factory" a reality.

Mr. Iijima: Currently, we are manufacturing at the Furukawa Plant. The heat-resistant glass "HARIO Glass®︎" is an earth-friendly product refined from 100% natural minerals. It does not use any heavy metals such as arsenic and antimony. The white ink used to print on the glass is switched to lead-free ink, for example. The safe and secure material makes the glass resistant to heat and acid and excellent for microwave use.

―― Not only are your factory operations friendly to both people and the global environment, but the products themselves are also made from safe and secure materials.

Mr. Iijima: Yes. Such a corporate stance is a belief that has not changed over the past 100 years. At the same time, we have also changed with the times.

We have been manufacturing and selling glassware for scientific and chemical use since our establishment in the 1920s.

Today, we continue to make use of our origins and manufacture a wide range of products that can be easily used in the home, including coffee/tea related products, sakeware/glass related products, and cookware/tabletop related products.

What supports such a wide range of manufacturing is our proprietary technology that enables us to carry out everything from planning to design, manufacturing, and sales in one integrated process. We have also built a system that combines the power of automation and human resources.

These are our strengths, and thankfully, they are also the reason why we are called "one of the world's leading heat-resistant glass manufacturers.