®
YKK fastening products
®
YKK architectural products
And a worldwide network of resources
The firefighter. The office worker. The contractor. The homeowner. The soldier.
The carpooler. The builder. The boater. These are just a few of the people from
all walks of life who benefit from YKK® and YKK AP® brand products.
From backpack manufacturers to skyscraper builders, users of these two great
brands — YKK® Fastening Products and YKK AP® Architectural Products —
benefit from the worldwide network of YKK Corporation resources.
For generations, YKK companies have set industry standards for quality,
service, value and innovation. Today, more than 160 YKK companies in six
global regions serve customers throughout the world. In North and Central
America, YKK fastening products and YKK AP architectural products are
manufactured and supported by the companies of YKK North and Central
America (YKK NCA) Group:
YKK Corporation of America
YKK (U.S.A.) Inc.
YKK Snap Fasteners America Inc.
Tape Craft Corporation
YKK Mexicana S.A. de C.V.
YKK Costa Rica Ltda.
2
YKK West Indies Ltd.
YKK El Salvador S.A. de C.V.
YKK Honduras S.A.
YKK Canada Inc.
YKK AP America Inc.
Jen Colombia S.A.
3
How broad are the applications? How broad is your imagination?
and other markets. And, we partner with
customers to develop the machines that attach
our fasteners into their finished goods.
Many YKK customers seek fasteners
built to withstand the harshest environments.
Others want fasteners that combine stylish
appearance with high-performance characteristics. All expect the best, and turn to
YKK to provide it.
To satisfy any local requirement, anywhere,
YKK NCA Group companies work in concert
with a world of resources: people, plants,
equipment and innovations from YKK’s
extensive global operations. In fact, no
matter where in the world goods are manufactured, genuine YKK® brand fasteners,
services, and resources are always nearby.
Little Parts from the YKK Fastening Products Group create The Big Difference
for our customers — fastening solutions intelligently integrated with
their finished goods.
The Little Parts — zippers, metal buttons and
snaps, hook & loop, plastic buckles, and rigid narrow
fabrics — all earn the YKK® brand. The Big Difference
begins with our obsession to ensure that every individual
component renders maximum value to the finished
whole. That commitment instills quality, value, imagination and social and environmental responsibility into
every product and service we deliver to our customers in
industrial, consumer, emergency services, government,
5
When fashion is the focus, YKK® is the brand of choice for combining good
looks with great performance.
With markets constantly adapting to changing tastes and lifestyles,
brand owners and manufacturers know where to turn for stylish fasteners
for new products. To stay a step ahead, they rely on YKK for on-the-spot
design ideas and continuous innovations in fastening solutions. We react
to their needs quickly and efficiently — often with new ideas, new
processes and/or new equipment — and bring it all together with a global
supply network and a myriad of colors and styles to meet
every requirement.
For harsh environments or extreme conditions, high-performance YKK®
brand fasteners are always on duty. YKK fasteners perform for mariners
and soldiers, athletes and astronauts, firefighters and hazmat responders
— and consumers who need durable luggage, strong pool covers or safe
children’s car seats.
Our zippers, hook & loop, plastic buckles, metal snaps and buttons, and
webbings are built to repel problems yet look good, too. Whatever situations
end-users face — fire, heat, electricity, water, dust, chemicals, sunlight, or
abrasive environments — YKK® brand fasteners can help build industrialstrength, sometimes life-saving, protection into their garments and gear.
YKK’s Field Technology Centers help customers find the best fastening
solutions for highly specialized applications. YKK
field professionals work in tandem with customers
to provide application engineering, drafting, installation, mechanical support, and training. In short,
we deliver top-tier services that add value to
customers’ bottom lines.
6
7
From the factory floor to the homeowner’s living room
YKK AP America’s slogan, “Quality inspires™,” expresses our belief that
quality goes far beyond the products we ship from the plant. Quality
is the driver behind every YKK AP® product — including every action, every
process and every service for every YKK AP customer.
And quality inspires our customers, too.
• Architects add performance and sustainability to commercial and
institutional buildings with YKK AP architectural products.
• Developers and building owners take advantage of key features of YKK AP
products to help qualify their “green” buildings for LEED® certification.
• Glazing contractors appreciate the ease of fabrication and installation
that results from precision-made YKK AP fenestration systems.
• Home builders and homeowners value the beauty, quality and durability
of YKK AP® brand windows and doors.
9
To provide years of dependable use, a new building must have excellence
built-in from the beginning. That's why savvy architects, developers and
construction engineers are specifying architectural aluminum entrances,
storefronts, curtain wall, and fenestration systems from YKK AP.
YKK AP has a long track record of enhancing the exterior envelope of
all types of buildings, including office buildings, stadiums, malls, schools,
hospitals, hotels, condominiums, and more. Our products ensure users a
safe, sustainable and comfortable environment. For example, YKK AP
pioneered the introduction of YKK AP ProTek® — a unique family of
systems that mitigate risks associated with natural and man-made disasters.
As architects, builders and developers of commercial and institutional
buildings employ “green” design, they’re turning to YKK AP for custom-crafted,
sustainable building products. YKK AP is a leading resource for quality
materials used in buildings designed and constructed to meet LEED®
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
Astute home builders are turning to vinyl as the ideal window.
YKK AP’s Residential Division makes vinyl windows and doors
for years of trouble-free use.
StyleView® brand vinyl windows and doors perform better
than wood, yet offer the look of wood at prices that deliver more
value to builders and their customers. Our new StyleGuard®
brand windows and doors provide impact resistance for
residents of hurricane-prone areas.
Both product lines enable builders to meet homeowner
demands for aesthetics, quality and craftsmanship. Moreover,
by selecting StyleView and StyleGuard, builders don’t have to compromise
their own needs for ease-of-installation and cost efficiency.
YKK AP uses the finest proprietary vinyl extrusions. The process results
in an architecturally correct look that’s virtually indistinguishable from real
wood. Our product lines are available in a wide variety of standard and
custom shapes, offering builders and architects exciting opportunities to
expand the value of windows as an architectural asset.
11
Underlying the global brands of YKK® and YKK AP® is a core belief that
an enterprise is a pillar of society, so it must coexist with and serve all
parts of society. Tadao Yoshida, founder of YKK, believed that an enterprise
contributes to society by achieving continuous creation of value.
This concept, which he named the Cycle of Goodness, recognizes that
innovative ideas and inventions are the lifeblood of benefits that keep
circulating throughout society. Simply stated, it means “No one prospers
unless he renders benefit to others.” The companies of YKK NCA Group,
like all YKK companies around the world, retain this concept as our
ongoing business philosophy.
That core philosophy encompasses everything we do:
• Providing a safe and secure workplace, and challenging opportunities,
for our employees in many different countries and cultures
• Providing superior products to meet the ever-changing needs of our
customers in a global economy
• Providing jobs, paying taxes, using local businesses, and being good
corporate citizens in the communities where we work and live
• Remaining true to the YKK Environmental Charter, established in 1994,
to promote environmental protection worldwide.
This cornerstone of our business guides every YKK initiative.
12
13
In addition to a common business philosophy, YKK® and YKK AP® brands
share the vast resources of YKK Corporation’s global network of companies.
One cornerstone of the YKK network is controlling quality, delivery and
cost with vertically integrated manufacturing. For example, we make our
own aluminum and brass. And for most of our products, we vertically
integrate production to control every step in the manufacturing process.
Two foundational efforts support network-wide expertise for all YKK
companies and their customers:
• R&D teams constantly explore possibilities for advancing our business
and the industries we serve. YKK scientists and engineers continue
their long track record of creating breakthroughs (many of which are
patented) in new products, applications, and manufacturing methods.
• The Machinery & Engineering Division works closely with R&D to make
their discoveries operational by developing the necessary manufacturing
technologies, processes, and tools.
YKK NCA Group companies work with customers to leverage the global
manufacturing and sourcing strengths of the entire network of YKK companies.
14
YKK® and YKK AP® are registered trademarks of YKK Corporation
LEED® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council
© 2008
YKK Corporation of America
fastening products
YKK Corporation of America, 1850 Parkway Place, Suite 300, Marietta, GA 30067
architectural products
www.ykkamerica.com