Kärcher Japan’s New Year’s Address 2026
Co-creation Beyond Transformation – Aiming to Solve Social Issues with Our Partners
We extend our sincere greetings for the New Year.
Despite challenging conditions in 2025, including inflation and labor shortages, it proved to be a year of significant transformation for Kärcher Japan. The company undertook fundamental structural changes in its management, such as reforming transaction systems and streamlining sales channels, to build a robust foundation.
Achievements in 2025
In the household sector, the “OC Handy Compact (Handy Air)” mobile high-pressure washer garnered considerable attention by opening up new customer segments through the crowdfunding service “Makuake.” It received prestigious accolades, including “Good Design Best 100” and the Grand Prize in the home appliance category, placing 11th in Nikkei Trendy’s “Top 30 Hit Products of 2025.” This success is attributed to a shift in conventional thinking and cross-departmental efforts to discover user insights and create new purchasing experiences.
In the professional sector, the “Kärcher Partner Program” was refined to clearly define objectives, evolving into a stronger collaborative framework with partners. Furthermore, Kärcher Japan focused on labor-saving and enhancing safety in cleaning sites through technologies that “replace and support people,” such as the “Flying High-Pressure Washer™” developed jointly with Skycode Inc., and the launch of a rental service for the professional robotic vacuum cleaner “KIRA CV50.”
Additionally, regional contributions through the global initiative “90/90 Cleaning Project,” commemorating Kärcher’s 90th anniversary, were achieved with the support of many.
Towards 2026 – Sustainable Growth Through Co-creation
Building upon the transformations of 2025, 2026 marks the first year of Kärcher’s new global mid-term strategy, “Strategy 2030,” signaling a major shift towards “creating social value through co-creation.” The company believes that solving social issues is central to its business. By leveraging its extensive product lineup tailored to market needs, along with Kärcher’s unique technology and network, it aims to provide solutions to societal problems like labor shortages and environmental impact, in collaboration with its partners.
Kärcher Japan will also intensify efforts to “transform its organizational culture,” fostering an “entrepreneurial spirit” where each employee autonomously takes on challenges and proposes solutions rooted in customer issues.
The company will continue to practice “customer-centric” management, aiming to realize safe and comfortable lives for people through its cleaning solutions.
We look forward to your continued guidance and encouragement this year.
January 1, 2026
Kärcher Japan Co., Ltd.
Representative Director and President, Kayoko Shibata
About Kärcher Japan Co., Ltd.
Kärcher Japan was established in 1988 as the 18th local subsidiary of Kärcher, the world’s largest cleaning equipment manufacturer founded in Germany. Since its inception in 1935, Kärcher has continuously developed innovative technologies, offering over 3,000 types of cleaning equipment, from high-pressure washers to floor scrubbers, sweepers, and steam cleaners, which are used in approximately 190 countries worldwide. Leveraging its comprehensive cleaning technology, Kärcher also engages in cultural contribution activities, such as cleaning and restoring globally renowned structures and sculptures like the Statue of Liberty in New York, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, and Nihonbashi in Tokyo.
Kärcher is committed to providing comfortable cleaning experiences that support people’s rich lives, aiming to realize a cleaner world.
