YKK is a zipper manufacturing company that currently dominates the industry. Along with several other ventures, the company also has a successful aluminum product division that accounts for two-thirds of its worldwide sale. The company produces 7 million zippers per day, in 1,500 styles and more than 427 colors. The factory in Macon, G.A. for example produces its own brass to produce the metal components of its zippers.
             Internal factors include the philosophy of the company's founder, Tadao Yoshida. For him, the success of the company is based upon the ideal of mutual prosperity for the business and its customers. As such, Yoshida focused on continually providing the society of which he was a part with value through a combination of innovation and low prices. Corporate Social Responsibility is central to his philosophy of the "Cycle of Goodness". Externally, the company's headquarters is located in Tokyo, with an efficient complex near Toyama, with plastic materials and metal alloys brought in by trucks.
             Being one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, the company's strengths appear to overwhelm all other elements of a SWOT analysis. One of its greatest strengths is its volume of products, along with the diversity and inclusiveness of its products. In addition to the zippers themselves, YKK produces its components as well, including the brass and yarn, and even the machines responsible for production. A further strength is its diversification of products, its focus on customer satisfaction, and a continuous improvement in quality.
             Possible weaknesses relate to internal difference and conflicts between the father and son team that managed the company. Tadao, the father, for example had little knowledge of legal business matters, while the son, Tadahiro found it important to always be aware of the different options existing in terms of contracts and negotiations.
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