Wheelchair Maker in Japan Empowering Paralympic Athletes

Chiba, Sept. 2 (Jiji Press)--A wheelchair maker in the eastern Japan city of Chiba continues to support Paralympic athletes, helping them clinch over 140 medals in the past Games.

"We are backseat players who help athletes play well," said Koji Yamaguchi, president of the wheelchair maker, Ox Engineering Co.

Founded in 1988 as a developer of motorcycle engines and parts, the company switched to the wheelchair business in 1995. It has a factory at its head office that manufactures wheelchairs for competitive sports.

"Monozukuri (manufacturing) is a repetitive process of trial and error," Yamaguchi said. "We have cultivated methods and ways of thinking to develop things since we were developing motorcycle engines," he added.

About a year after Ox Engineering started selling wheelchairs for daily use, it also began marketing sports wheelchairs for competitions. The company has been developing and manufacturing wheelchairs for use in various sports including tennis, basketball and racing.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]