JFE Metal Products Corporation
Corporate brand
UnclaimedJapanese comprehensive building-materials manufacturer formed in 2003 from the merger of NKK Light Steel and Kawasaki Steel Kenzai, supplying architectural, road, civil-engineering, disaster-prevention and housing products.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
JFE Metal Products Corporation, known in Japanese as JFE建材株式会社 (JFE Kenzai), is a Japanese comprehensive building-materials manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. It was created in April 2003 through the merger of Nippon Kokan Light Steel Corporation (日本鋼管ライトスチール株式会社) and Kawasaki Steel Kenzai Corporation (川鉄建材株式会社), combining the two companies' sales networks, engineering capabilities and product know-how. The company operates within the wider JFE group and describes itself as a pioneer of architectural and civil-engineering building materials. The product portfolio spans several fields: architectural materials such as deck plates and roofing; road products including guardrails and soundproof walls; civil-engineering items such as lightweight steel sheet piles, corrugated pipes and concrete segments; disaster-prevention structures such as steel slit sabo dams and debris-flow/log-catching works; fences; enamel (horo) products; housing equipment including bathtubs; and synthetic segments for tunnels. Notable branded offerings include the QL Deck composite slab system, the MI-QL Deck and MI-QL Roof lines, the JAC Segment synthetic segment, and disaster-prevention products such as D-Slit, J-Slit, J-HD Slit, JD Fence and JSN Wall. The company's roots reach back to the post-war period. Its brand story traces the group to Maja Kogyo, founded in 1946, which began processing steel sashes at the Kobe Uozaki plant, and to Toshiba Steel, which in 1953 sold V-shaped fencing posts for the 38th parallel military demarcation line between North and South Korea. Nippon Kokan Light Steel was established in 1960, and Kawasaki Steel Kenzai Industries in the same year. Over the following decades the predecessors developed guardrails, civil-engineering products, the QL Deck, soundproof walls and large-diameter concrete segments. The 2003 merger created JFE Kenzai with capital of 5 billion yen, and eleven group companies joined the new structure. JFE Kenzai serves infrastructure and construction markets across Japan, with sales and production sites nationwide. Its headquarters moved from Kobe to Chuo, Tokyo in 2006 and then to Minato, Tokyo in 2016. In 2004 JFE Kenzai Fence Corporation was established to take over fence production and sales, and in 2019 the fence sales division was transferred from that company. In 2022 the company began selling bathtub products. In 2025 it formulated a formal corporate Purpose, and it continues to develop low-carbon and disaster-resilience products, including the low-carbon JAC Segment announced in 2025.
History
The history of JFE Metal Products Corporation (JFE Kenzai) is a story of consolidation among Japanese steel and building-materials businesses. Its brand story traces the group's origins to two post-war enterprises: Maja Kogyo, founded in 1946, which began processing steel sashes and similar products at the Kobe Uozaki plant, and Toshiba Steel, which in 1953 sold V-shaped fencing posts for the 38th parallel military demarcation line between North and South Korea. These roots, together with a series of corporate reorganizations, shaped the present JFE Kenzai Group. One direct predecessor, Nippon Kokan Light Steel Corporation (日本鋼管ライトスチール株式会社), was established in 1960. It inherited sales operations from Nippon Kokan (now part of the JFE group) in 1970, established Kyushu Forming Corporation in 1972, began producing and selling liner plates in 1980, started C deck plate production and sales in 1986, and began producing and selling large-diameter concrete segments in 1991. It also started fence production and sales in 1999 and brought a large forming plant into operation in 1996. The other direct predecessor, Kawasaki Steel Kenzai Industries Corporation (川鉄建材工業株式会社), was established in 1960. It began operating the Uozaki-Hama plant (now the Kobe plant) in 1967, opened a technical research laboratory and started the Chiba plant in 1971, began producing and selling guardrails in 1972, started QL Deck production and sales in 1976, began soundproof wall production and sales in 1993, and merged with Kawasaki Steel Metal Industries in 1995 to become Kawasaki Steel Kenzai Corporation (川鉄建材株式会社). It obtained ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications for civil-engineering products in 2000. In April 2003, Nippon Kokan Light Steel and Kawasaki Steel Kenzai merged to form JFE Kenzai Corporation, with capital of 5 billion yen, and eleven group companies joined the new organization. The merger combined the two firms' sales bases, advanced technology and know-how. In 2004, JFE Kenzai Fence Corporation was established and fence production and sales were transferred to it. The head office moved from Kobe to Chuo, Tokyo in 2006, and then to Minato, Tokyo in 2016. In 2019, the fence product sales division was transferred from JFE Kenzai Fence Corporation. In 2022, the company began selling bathtub products. In 2025, JFE Kenzai formulated a formal corporate Purpose, expressing its commitment to supporting social infrastructure and addressing issues such as environmental protection, increasingly severe natural disasters, infrastructure suited to modern life, and labor shortages. The company continues to develop new products, including the low-carbon JAC Segment synthetic segment, first adopted in 2025, and the MI-QL Deck and MI-QL Roof lines launched in 2026. Its history reflects both the post-war development of Japan's road and infrastructure networks and the repeated restructuring of the country's steel-related building-materials industry.
- 2026
MI-QL Deck and MI-QL Roof sales begin; QL75-4000RC launched
- 2025
Corporate Purpose formulated; low-carbon JAC Segment developed and first adopted
- 2022
Bathtub product sales begin
- 2019
Fence product sales division transferred from JFE Kenzai Fence Corporation
- 2016
Head office moved from Chuo, Tokyo to Minato, Tokyo
- 2006
Head office moved from Kobe to Chuo, Tokyo
- 2004
JFE Kenzai Fence Corporation established; fence production and sales transferred
- 2003
Nippon Kokan Light Steel and Kawasaki Steel Kenzai merge to form JFE Kenzai Corporation with capital of 5 billion yen
- 2000
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification obtained for civil-engineering products
- 1999
Fence product production and sales begin
Products and positioning
Comprehensive building-materials manufacturer and pioneer of architectural and civil-engineering products, positioned around safety, disaster resilience and low-carbon infrastructure solutions.
QL Deck
Japan's first deck composite slab system, introduced to the market from 1976.
MI-QL Deck / MI-QL Roof
Deck and roof product lines launched in April 2026.
QL75-4000RC
Product launched in July 2026.
JAC Segment
Low-carbon synthetic segment developed in 2025 and first adopted the same year.
D-Slit
Steel permeable log-catching structure installed in bed-load zones; holds construction technology review certification (技審証第0702号).
J-Slit Sabo Dam
Steel permeable sabo dam for capturing debris flow and driftwood.
J-HD Slit
Log-catching structure that can be retrofitted to existing impermeable sabo dams.
JD Fence
Steel permeable debris-flow and driftwood catching structure installed in non-flowing mountain streams.
JSN Wall
Steel dam utilizing fluidized and compacted sabo soil cement.
Guardrails
Road safety product produced and sold since 1972; installed on major trunk roads.
Soundproof walls
Road noise-mitigation product produced and sold since 1993.
Fences
Fence products produced and sold since 1999; sales division transferred in 2019.
Bathtubs and housing equipment
Bathtub product sales began in 2022.
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