YKK

www.ykkeurope.com

I've often wondered what the letters YKK stand for. You always see it on zips. YKK. "What does that stand for", I've wondered. Well, now I know. It stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha. I think I'll stick with calling them YKK.

YKK don't just make zips. They also make snaps, buttons, adjusters, buckles, ball chains, elastic tapes, cord stoppers, cord ends, hooks, holders and rings. But they're best known for zips. The names of the different types of zips they make are brilliant:

EXCELLA - High-end luxury zipper with individual polished zipper elements.
EVERBRIGHT - Glossed polished zipper elements.
LUMINA - Part of the Excella series. Same finish as standard Excella but utilises aluminium element. Aluminium provides strength as well as being extremely lightweight.
PROSEAL - The water tight and airtight zipper range.
YZIP - The Y Zip is designed specifically for jeans wear. Y- Zip is available in different sizes and finishes.
AQUAGUARD - The water repellent zipper range mainly used for outwear and luggage.
CONCEAL - Invisible (hidden) zipper elements.
FINGUARD - Fins on the zipper element reduce the risk of a slider catching on the garment.
FLATKNIT - The zipper element is knitted directly onto the tape. Flatknit can be used on even thin & stretchy fabrics.
GRADATION- A variety of colour variations are possible by utilising combinations of rainbow coloured sewing thread.
METALLION - The metal coloured coil-plated zipper range.
MINIFA - Size 0. The world’s smallest zipper!
QUICKBURST - The zipper has been designed to open via the QuickBurst elements and close like a normal zipper. Allowing things to burst in and out of the zipper!
VISLON - The plastic element zipper range.
GRAPHIC - Graphic is a concealed zipper which uses jacquard woven tape. Graphic is available for design customisation.
LUMIFINE - Glow-in-the-dark zippers and fastening products.
NATULON - Environmentally friendly zippers made from recycled material.
PRIFA - Ink jet printed zipper tape. Any pattern, colour or logo can be created using computer graphics.
ReEARTH - The environment-conscious zipper made from biodegradable plastic.

They all sound amazing, although I can't help but feel that the exclamation mark at the end of the description ofr the Quickburst zip is slightly inappropriate.

QUICKBURST - The zipper has been designed to open via the QuickBurst elements and close like a normal zipper. Allowing things to burst in and out of the zipper!

That just sounds wrong. I can imagine there are situations where you'd want things to burst out of the zipper, but don't sound so enthusiastic about it.

I like the sound of YKK's founder, Tadao Yoshida. He developed a "cycle of goodness" based on the philosophy that "no-one prospers unless he helps bring prosperity to others":



In the 75 years since Tadao Yoshida founded the company however, it seems this philosophy may have been forgotten. In 2007, YKK were fined €150.3m for running a price fixing cartel and sharing information with other companies.

However, as you can see from the Social and Environmental Report 2008:

The YKK Group seeks to be a corporation that is recognized as "a company that can be trusted," "a truly international company" and "a company with technology for the creation of new value." We will continue to pursue our business activities with these goals. For this reason, as we strengthen our corporate governance systems, we intend to enhance our legal compliance efforts and work to fulfill the responsibilities of a good corporate citizen.

You tell 'em, Tadahiro!