Chapter2. Our Commitment to Making Body Covers

2-1: Thoughts on Body Cover

What is important to you in making body covers?

Customers."I'm not sure I'll be able to feel the benefits that the body covering will provide."We place great importance on the following. Among them, there are three major things we are conscious of.

The first is.Functionality counts."The first is to protect the car from damage. We place more emphasis on the functional aspect of "protecting the car and not damaging it" than on the cool appearance of the body cover when it is applied. Take, for example, the door mirrors. Currently, many cars have door mirrors that automatically retract when the key is locked, butDesigned to be large enough so that if the door mirrors are not retracted and the cover has to be removed, there will be no burden on the door mirrors.to the
Sometimes we are asked to make the door mirror area fit more snugly, but we try to talk to them and make sure they understand, as this may put a strain on the car.

Second."We will not put the company name or logo of Nakabayashi Kogyo on the body cover."Things to do. Printing a logo will cause unevenness, and in the hot sun in midsummer, the sun's rays will be concentrated on the logo area, which will put a strain on the body in that area. Therefore, we never print company names or logos.From a business point of view, it would be better to advertise the company by putting the logo on it (laughs).

The third point is "balance". It does not put a burden on the car, has as few machine seams as possible, does not allow rainwater to pass through, and is easy to take on and off.It doesn't make sense to say "one of them is outstandingly good and one of them is not."Therefore, we weigh the various functions in the balance and try to pursue and improve the balance at the highest possible level.

Sewing machine stitches...such attention to detail!

Yes, it is possible to fit the car by increasing the number of small parts to fit the shape of the car. If you increase the number of small parts to match the shape of the car, it will fit the car, but on the other hand, the number of perforations will increase, so rainwater will get inside through the perforations and durability will become a problem.Therefore, it is important to reduce perforations as much as possibleIt is.
andAs for the door mirror bags, they are finely sewn with a single needle to prevent rainwater from entering.and on the other handSew a little coarser at the hem since it is pulled tight at the end.We try to change even a single perforation depending on the location.

The fabrics used are designed to have as few joints as possible, and with the exception of side undermirrors and other protrusions, only four shapes of fabric are used at most: the upper fabric that runs along the roof, the side fabric, and the fabric called gussets that are inserted between the two.

Wow...is that commitment something you inherited from your predecessors?

Yes, I do. I think I was greatly influenced by my father. My father used toThe important thing in business is to make something good for the customer and to convince him or her. If you deceive customers to suit your own needs, they will never buy from you a second time."He said. Even now, I am happy to receive many orders, but I always keep in mind that "once a sale is made, it is not the end of the story" in my work. I am happy to receive many orders, but I always keep in mind that the sale does not end once I have sold the product.Everyone puts their heart and soul into each and every one of them.

2-2:Give shape to your thoughts and feelings

How do you share your thoughts with the craftsmen on site?

We talk about these things on a regular basis, so I think we are able to share some of our experiences. Also, to the craftsmenIf you were in the customer's shoes, would you be willing to pay that amount of money to buy it? Let's make something that I would be satisfied with and want to buy."I tell them that I am a good friend of the company.
When I think of myself paying that amount of money to buy something, I can't do it in a messy way.

However, that does not mean making it slowly.Sewing with a sewing machine, on the other hand, must be done at a certain speed, or it will cause sagging and pinching.The result is that theOn the other hand, if you sew too fast and the stitching is off by even 1 cm, you may have to start over from scratch.
It is a world where speed and accuracy are required, so skilled work is needed. I used to do sewing work myself, and recently I have been helping out, but it has slowed me down... (laughs) I have been concentrating on the work of taking measurements for the molds.

Are there some manufacturers that make it difficult to take mold measurements?

Well... the other day, I had the opportunity to make a mold of a Lamborghini Uracan, and it was very difficult. The front part of the car is sharp, so if you make it in the same way as a standard body cover, it will stick or be twisted, and if it is a customized car, it will be even more difficult. However, in order to respond to the wishes of the owners who want to take good care of their beloved cars, we try to take measurements with ingenuity on a daily basis.

Such careful body covering. What kind of feedback have you received from customers?

Lots of them lately.When you put your car up for sale, it fetches a hell of a lot of money."This is what they say. Not only the exterior but also the interior has little damage, so they are often told that the car is very clean for the mileage. The windshield, wiper rubber, headlamps, and other parts of the car deteriorate more rapidly when exposed to rain, but the body cover greatly reduces the damage in these areas.

Body coverings not only have immediately noticeable effects such as "not getting dirty" and "reducing the number of car washes," but also have significant benefits in the long run. Therefore.'A great deal considering the high price it will fetch when I sell it!'We often receive comments of delight such as "I'm so happy to be able to do this.