Our Missions

１ Create the Best

They win or lose in a track race by one hundredth of a second. The bicycles used by the world's athletes are developed by leading designers and engineers and assembled by professional mechanics. Our mission here is to create the best tools to support their work in maintaining the machine to ensure full performance and safety for the riders. You are a mechanic if you have even one tool, whether you are a student athlete, a bicycle enthusiast, or a garage mechanic. We will continue to make products that mechanics around the world can use with confidence.

　

２ Provide an Environment

Today, people everywhere on the earth can easily connect, share information, and communicate in a daily life via the Internet. In this society, we believe that our role should not be limited to manufacturing, but should also be responsible for providing the world with information about our products and developing an environment where everyone in need can reach them. We will continue to do our best, as a manufacturer, to provide reliable supply services for our valued customers around the world.

　

３ Build a Bond

In this society overflowing with goods, we believe that our goal as a Japanese manufacturer with limited natural resources lies in craftsmanship that creates excellent quality tools and makes customers feel pleased to find and own them. It can be achieved through our traditional technology, efforts in quality, qualia and service, and as well as innovation realized together with our customers. We will contribute to the track cycling scene by co-creating superior products with stronger bonds with our customers.

 

Hot Forging

Hot forging, in which heated metal is hammered into an desired shape. During the forging process, the coarse-grained metal structure is broken down and replaced by finer, more uniform grains, resulting in a strong tool with adequate flexibility.

This forming method was originally brought to this region in 1625 to produce Japanese nails, and over the past 400 years, the technique has been developed into the current manufacturing process that features an air-stamp hammer. A metal material is heated to 1,200 °C, then forged between dies. The force and rhythm of hammering is a craftsmanship that can only be achieved through experience, and it is only possible by forging today with an air-stamp hammer. Hot forging is in the very core of our tool manufacturing.

 

Tsubamesanjo

Tsubamesanjo is the name of the region that combines the two industrial cities of Tsubame and Sanjo, located in the middle of Niigata Prefecture. Tsubame City has prospered in the production of Western tableware, while Sanjo City in hardware. The local industry is accordingly composed of a wide range of businesses, including material suppliers, metal fabricators, plating surface companies, polishers, blade manufacturers, packaging suppliers, and wholesalers, in which more than 90% are small and medium-sized companies. No other region is so blessed for manufacturing, even if the population of the two cities is less than 200,000 in total.

Manufacturing in this area began in 1625, when farmers struggling with frequent flooding were encouraged to produce Japanese nails. The skills inherited from craftspeople visited from Edo (old Tokyo) were passed on to the next generation, and over a period of 400 years, eventually created the current industrial area known as Tsubame-Sanjo. Runwell is located here, a city with a 400-year history of manufacturing surrounded by the natural beauty of Japaese four seasons.

The following video was made by Sanjo City in 2021, in which Runwell also participated in a small part. It shows the attractive aspects of Tsubame-Sanjo, such as its rich nature, outdoor activities, and manufacturing, filmed mainly in the Shitada area where the headquarters of Snow Peak, a company known for its camping equipment, is located.

 

Environmental Initiatives

Much energy is used to produce products. In order not to waste that, we not only provide high-quality, long-lasting tools as a manufacturer, but also pursue environmentally friendly approaches. These may be small actions of a local factory, but we would like to do all we can toward a major social issue.

　

１ Zero-Plastics Development

Taking the micro plastics pollution more seriously, there has been a worldwide movement to de-plasticize in recent years. Runwell is also promoting the Zero-Plastic development, and our products are currently made without plastic. It can be lighter or easier to shape a comfortable grip with plastic, yet we will continue to produce all of our tools completely out of metal as much as possible.

　

２ No Distribution of Paper Catalogs

A paper catalog of our products had been printed and distributed annually since Runwell's establishment, but when we learned that it was being thrown away after each updating, we decided to no longer make it. We fully understand convenience of papers, but now that smart phones have become so widespread, we offer the our website as an alternative.

　

３ Sustainable Packages

While blister or paper packages are commonly used for tools, our products are packaged in PVC cases designed for long-term use. This allows the product to be shipped without damage and to be used as a storage or portable case even after delivery. Recognizing that packaging is an important part of design for a manufacturer to make a product clearly visible and attractive, but at the same time, it should also be a part of our environmental initiatives, we will keep on improving our packaging.