Suzuran History

Focusing on consumer benefit through high quality products.

  • Over 180 years of experience in cotton and 100 years in medical products.
  • Expertise in sterilized gauze and bandages, brought to cosmetic cotton market.
  • LilyBell brand cotton pads become market leader in China.
  • Baby brand becomes popular in Japan and Hong Kong.
  • Suzuran expands manufacturing to Vietnam and starts sale in India.
  • 1832 : Mr. Sahei Kunieda opens “Nankin Store,” manufacturing cotton bedding in Higashi-ku, Nagoya.
  • 1916 : The company was renamed Kunieda Shouten.
  • 1917 : Manufacture of absorbent cotton was started.
  • 1935 : Full scale manufacture and sale of absorbent cotton was started at what is now the location of the Nagoya Head Office.
  • 1958 : Company incorporated as Kunieda Company Limited.
  • 1961 : Kansai Kaishinsha Company Limited is incorporated in Itami. (Company name changed to Suzuran Sanitary Goods Co., Ltd. in 1968).
  • 1962 : Tokyo office established.
  • 1962 : Development, production and sale of “Suzuran” sanitary napkin.
  • 1963 : Suzuran establishes a factory dedicated to only manufacturing activities.
  • 1970 : Automatic refinement and bleaching equipment for gauze and bandages installed at Nishio factory. Allows integrated production system from unwoven fabric to finished products.
  • 1971 : New equipment allows the production of the cotton pads “New Puff” and “Cool Puff.”
  • 1979 : Kunieda Sanitary Goods Co., Ltd. merges with subsidiary Suzuran Sanitary Goods Co., Ltd. and takes the new company name Suzuran Sanitary Goods Co., Ltd.
  • 1984 : Finished installation of equipment to produce cleaning cotton wipes.
  • 1984 : Introduction of sterilization equipment.
  • 1985 : Manufacture and sale of “Opex” gauze with x-ray detectable thread.
  • 1991 : Construction completed on new head office building.
  • 1991 : New factory was founded to Shanghai, China.
  • 1992 : Tokoname factory was closed and the equipment shifted to Shanghai.
  • 1997 : New factory was founded in Suzhou, China.
  • 2000 : Shanghai factory acquired certification of ISO 9002.
  • 2002 : Cosmetic cotton brand “LilyBell” starts sale in Japan.
  • 2003 : Suzhou factory acquired certification of ISO 9001.
  • 2005 : Shanghai factory and Suzhou factory acquired certification of ISO 13485.
  • 2008 : Eiichi Kunieda becomes Chairman of the Board. Yasuhiro Kunieda becomes President and CEO.
  • 2011 : Signed a capital and business tie-up with Osaki Medical.
  • 2012 : Factory founded in Changzhou, China.
  • 2013 : Tokyo Office moved to Kanda, Tokyo.
  • 2017 : Factory Founded in Vietnam
  • 2020:Changed the company name to Suzuran Medical Inc. from Suzuran Sanitary Goods Co. Ltd. Shanghai and Suzhou factories’ names have also been changed to Suzuran Medical Shanghai Inc. and Suzuran Medical Suzhou Inc. respectively.