Tatsuno has succeeded in bringing many innovative products to the market, including Japan’s first petrol pump in 1919. In more recent times it also produced Japans first service station POS system, level gauges for underground tank inventory management systems and a number of other petrol depot related equipment items. Throughout its 100 year history, it has accumulated a wealth of experience in design and construction of petrol storage and refueling facilities. Tatsuno maintains a 60% market share of petrol pumps in Japan and also operates globally, exporting to more than 75 countries around the world.
A technology hub
To many outside this fascinating country, Japan appears unreachable in a marketing sense, maybe due to its different culture and language, but also possibly because of the perception people have about Japan, namely that it is more than capable of catering for its own needs when it comes to electrical and engineering equipment for fuel stations. Well let’s face it the Japanese manufacturing sector is quite good at making cars, phones and televisions! The processes and challenges though in most industry markets are in no way different to anywhere else in the world and like in Europe and the US, major technology companies will emerge from the pack as market leaders in the specialised industries they represent. No one more so than Tatsuno Corporation for the retail fuel equipment sector.
Sustainable energy
Talking to its President, Hiro Tatsuno, must be the perfect way for anyone to achieve an appreciation about current happenings in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’, an expression often used when making references to Japan, so I was delighted to talk with Hiro again recently when he agreed to lend his knowledge and experience to this article, who told me “After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, there was a need to rebuild the domestic energy supply networks and make the communities strong to disasters. Also, as part of the solution to tackle climate change, development and usage of various renewable energy sources became of paramount importance. We are now entering an age of coexistence of multiple energy supplies, mainly fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel and LPG, together with a variety of primary and secondary energy sources such as hydrogen, CNG, biofuels, LNG, wind, geothermal and solar. Based simply on the reserves of crude oil which still exist, petroleum, with its ease of handling, is expected to have stable supply sources in the future and accordingly the current service station fuel energy networks will continue to be important for many years to come”.
Worldwide expansion
In recent years Tatsuno has been expanding its global manufacturing network worldwide to satisfy an increasing demand from customers. It now has six factories overseas, controlled by the main factory in Yokohama, Japan, located in China, South Korea, Thailand, India, Czech Republic and Russia. But whilst the company is continuing to make healthy progress in all these locations, it was its home market I was most interested in for this article. I asked Hiro what the main trends are currently in the Japanese market and what challenges exist. He explained.
The Japanese market
“There were 60,421 petrol stations in Japan at the peak of their development back in 1994. Since then, the number of stations has decreased gradually and during the last 10 years more than 10,000 have closed. Today the number of fuel stations in operation is about 33,000. In Japan, there is a big interest these days in ecological products such as Hybrid Cars, EV, Fuel Cell Vehicle, Light Motor Vehicle and the vehicles improved by fuel efficiency. Accordingly the demand for traditional fuel products tends to be continuously decreased, pushing the fuel station operators to make more of an effort in other directions such as car washing, car repair, convenience retailing and selling accessories. Regardless of this, the infrastructure for a hydrogen society continues to progress and as a future fuel it is very much with us already. Tatsuno is Japan’s number one Hydrogen dispenser supplier and today we already have about 80 Hydrogen stations.”
Electric or hydrogen?
I pointed out to Hiro that in some parts of Europe laws are being passed so that from 2025 there will be no petrol or diesel cars allowed in some countries like Norway for example. I asked him which alternative fuel he thought would be the most accepted in Japan 10 years from now, electric or Hydrogen? He replied “There are advantages and disadvantages in electric and Hydrogen and we think that by 2025 both products will have grown and spread steadily amongst society, but the one which overcomes the key disadvantage point will be progressed more significantly”.
UNITI expo 16
Tatsuno will of course be exhibiting at UNITI expo next month where they will be displaying their Hydrogen dispenser and various coriolis flow meters. Also on show will be the Tatsuno OCEAN EURO COMBI BMP4000 dispenser series, a new product from their European factory. This model can make a combination of petrol dispenser, LPG dispenser and CNG dispenser in one unit. My last question to Hiro was; where did he think Tatsuno stood out amongst the other global players in the fuel dispenser business. He said “We perceive that each global player has a long history and its own specific features on the products it produces. This is respected very much. Amongst these players, Tatsuno gives emphasis on best quality, durability and stability of measurement instrumental error with the dispenser. We recognize that it is a basic and original functionality requirement of fuel dispensers, since it is a measurement device, but at the same time, it is also the most important feature of the Tatsuno dispenser”. Look out for Tatsuno at UNITI expo, 14-16 June booth 3C30, in exhibition Hall 3
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