Sponsored by A.M. Bickford Inc.
Simply known as the “RIKEN,” Riken Gas Indicators have been the trusted tool of choice for clinical engineers. They have been described by our customers as “weekend warriors,” “a work horse” and the “foundation of my business.” Manufactured by the Riken Keiki Co. Ltd., the world leader in gas detection and sensor technology, the product line helps to insure safety by preventing industrial disasters.
The Riken Keiki Co. Ltd. headquarters is in Tokyo, Japan. They provide a network of support with three manufacturing factories, 28 maintenance facilities and offices in more than 60 countries. They are ISO 9001 certified for quality and an ISO 14001 certified environmental protection corporation.
Riken Keiki Co. Ltd. and A.M. Bickford have been partnered over 40 years to distribute, sell and service the Riken Gas Indicator for testing anesthetic vaporizer concentration output.
Yasunari Nagashima from Riken Keiki and Tim Keohane from A.M. Bickford recently shared more information about Riken’s past, present and future.
Q: Why did you feel it is important to write a company profile about the Riken Keiki Co. Ltd.?
Keohane: Riken is an iconic brand name and piece of equipment!
Clinical engineers know the Riken brand and the majority have had experience using one. However, I strongly believe it is important to know about the corporation that is manufacturing test equipment. It is part of the purchasing process to evaluate manufacturers. There are many things to consider. For example:
- Does the manufacturer have a great reputation?
- Is the manufacturer proven, stable, reliable and established?
- Do they provide support and training?
- Do their products have a track record of reliability, durability and accuracy?
For over 80 years the Riken Keiki Co. Ltd. has had a global reputation of providing lifesaving products in many different industries. They are committed to safety and manufacturing quality products.
Q: Can you share any details about the Riken Keiki Co. history?
Nagashima: Established in 1939, the Riken Keiki Co. Ltd. is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Since our founding, we have specialized as a manufacturer of gas detection and monitoring equipment. We currently offer almost 100 different products to help ensure safety by preventing industrial disasters such as explosions caused by combustible gases, and monitoring for toxic gas leakage in workplace environments.
Our success has been achieved by investing in research and development, extensive product line, developing high-quality products and providing our customers with a network of support all around the world.
Riken Keiki and its partners have sales and support offices in more than 60 countries, offering a global support and service network. The large scale of this operation ensures low cost, high-quality and good service for our customers.
Q: What do you mean by “high-quality” products?
Nagashima: High-quality products don’t just happen, they are designed that way from the start, then built to meet the design ideal. Our manufacturing system is ISO 9001 certified for quality and ISO 14001 certified for environmental protection, which means that our manufacturing is good for our customers and good for the environment.
We pledge to ensure the safety of the public in working environments. In light of this, we have zero tolerance for compromises in quality in any manufacturing process. It can be difficult and demanding to satisfy the basic conditions for precisely ensuring that a facility or system is completely free of gas leaks. Riken Keiki is able to produce high-quality goods through its R&D department, the production technologies of its manufacturing sites, its services to provide accurate information to all customers and its no-compromise attitude.
Q: What is the Riken Keiki Co. Ltd. mission statement?
Nagashima: Riken Keiki’s mission statement or “eternal theme” is the following:
To create safe working environments for people. Now and into the future. Our policy is to react quickly to design and provide products needed to prevent industrial disasters. Our goal is to use our expertise and years of experience to protect precious lives and valuable assets.
We feel our eternal theme is identical to the roles and responsibilities that clinical engineers perform every day, keeping people safe from harm.
Q: Can you share a success story?
Keohane: Our success story starts by partnering with TechNation magazine and MD Expo. Working with the staff, especially Jayme McKelvey, Lisa Lisle and John Wallace, has been an amazing experience. They are always willing to help, always available and they make my job easier. I consider the staff trusted advisors.
The MD Expo conferences have provided A.M Bickford Inc. a tremendous amount of value and has given us the opportunity to connect with new and old customers. We are a small family company and we monitor our ROI very carefully, especially trade shows. We receive a great amount of value at each show.
MD Expo Seattle did not start out great for me. I lost two credit cards in one day. Let’s just say my wife was not thrilled. Things turned around when during the trade show I met Patrick Treffery, Division Director of Catholic Health Initiatives and his team. Catholic Health Initiatives is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the nation.
Our conversation started when his team noticed an old Model 18 Riken in my booth. They shared a “back in the day” story about the old Riken. That conversation led to the new FI-8000P Riken. By the end of the trade show we had the framework to replace Catholic Health’s entire Riken inventory. It was a win/win for both companies. This deal would not have happened if Riken was not a strong brand with a great reputation and great products. It also would not have happened if we didn’t exhibit at MD Expo.
Q: What is on the horizon for your company?
Nagashima and Keohane: The Riken Keiki Co. Ltd. products are known worldwide for their long life cycles. For example, the FI-21 Riken Gas Indicator was extremely popular and successful. Its life cycle was well over a decade long.
Our focus now is on the FI-8000P Riken Gas Indicator. We are excited to announce a firmware update for the FI-8000P RIKEN Gas Indicator. The update improves the user’s experience, eliminates key strokes and saves time. The update was a collaborative effort between our customers, the Riken Keiki Co. Ltd. and A.M. Bickford Inc.
For more information, visit ambickford.com/riken/fi-8000p-firmware-update.
