Osaka Seiko Glass Co (OSG) in Japan, has invested in an UV lacquer spray coating line for its glass products. Coating bottles and jars with environmentally friendly UV lacquers adds value to the product and give the company a competitive advantage in the growing Japanese market for coated bottles and jars. The management team at Osaka were concerned about the threat posed by the growing capabilities of glass makers in Korea and China, who have invested in sophisticated production lines to enable them to compete in the high quality Japanese market. OSG concluded that it would be difficult to continue the growth of the company through core expansion, but that adding value to its products would provide new opportunities for growth. Decorating seemed to be the solution.
