Nakashima Healthforce
Okayama-based orthopedic implant maker that develops, manufactures and sells artificial joints, trauma devices and spinal devices, including metal 3D-printed titanium spinal spacers with a proprietary HTS microstructure.
- CEO / Founder
- Yoshio Nakashima (中島義雄)
- Team Size
- 201-500
- Stage
- Active
- Key Investors
- Nakashima Holdings Co., Ltd. (sole owner since June 2025)
Technology & Products
Key Products
UNIOS PL spinal spacer (metal 3D-printed HTS structure); custom-made 3D-printed artificial hip joints; artificial knee and hip joints; trauma devices; spinal devices
Technical position · AMPulse analysis
HTS (Honeycomb Tree Structure) microstructure co-developed with Prof. Takayuki Nakano of Osaka University; in-house metal powder bed fusion production line for titanium alloy implants; R&D center in Okayama Research Park.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Orthopedic implants designed for Japanese patients, with metal AM used to produce porous bone-oriented structures (HTS) that promote bone regeneration and fixation.
How They Differentiate
Domestic developer-manufacturer-seller with a metal-AM bone-regeneration structure and the only custom-made 3D-printed hip joint approved in Japan (2017).
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Orthopedic and spine surgeons, hospitals and patients in Japan, with expanding Asian exports
Industry Verticals
Medical devices / orthopedics / spine
Competitors
Kyocera Medical; Teijin Nakashima Medical (former name); Japanese orthopedic implant makers generally
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
399 employees as of April 2025; sales about 2x and headcount about 1.4x over the last 5 years; about 7,500 UNIOS PL spacers implanted in 2.5 years after launch
Major Milestones
1987 entered orthopedic devices; 2008 legal entity established; 2015 Teijin joined as shareholder (Teijin Nakashima Medical); 2017 approval for 3D-printed custom hip joint; 2024 49th Inoue Harushige Prize; June 2025 renamed Nakashima Healthforce after Teijin exit; March 2026 10th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award, Prime Minister's Award; April 2026 announced new HQ/factory in Akaiwa with about ¥10B investment, operations from Dec 2027