Sixty-three Japanese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking for business opportunities in Japan’s defence sector showcased their wares at the Technology and Logistics Agency’s (ATLA) 26th Defense Industry Promotion Exhibition (2026 DIPEX), which was held in Tokyo on February 12-13.
Among the event’s exhibitors was MadeHere K.K. (MadeHere), an innovative 3D printing service provider which has recently been awarded a contract for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services from the United States’ Marine Depot Maintenance Command (MDMC).
MadeHere has curated its services to address a substantial yet long-running problem in contemporary navies that has been famously acute in Australia.
This issue is that fleets whose hull ages are often measured in decades often find it difficult to promptly procure replacement components which have long ceased to be manufactured.
This has often led to vessels being out of service for extended periods, disrupting operations and creating potentially hazardous capability gaps.
MadeHere’s approach to solving this conundrum lies in its provision of both reverse-engineering services and precision 3d printing techniques.
This combination, the company claims, enables it to both redesign and quickly manufacture components which no longer have manufacturing moulds or blueprints.
MadeHere further bundles these services with in-house finishing, as well as quality and stress testing services aimed at ensuring their products meet military-grade specifications.
Promotional materials from the company claim that this one-stop shop solution helps them dramatically reduce procurement lead times.
During DIPEX, MadeHere representative Tohma Takeda told ADM that his firm has helped reduce production lead times by over 60 per cent for a 12 inch (roughly 30 cm) custom bolt it manufactures for the US navy, noting that similarly sized military-grade products could be produced in its facilities in roughly 7 hours.
A brochure provided by the company states that MadeHere needs only about 3 months to complete an order-to-delivery (OTD) process encompassing reverse engineering a discontinued part, procuring materials, manufacturing and finishing the product, and undertaking comprehensive product testing.
MadeHere’s 3D printing solutions
An advantage of modern 3D printing technology is the quality and extraordinary range of components it can produce.
To this end, MadeHere employs a mix of technologies including Directed Energy Deposition (DED)/Powder Bed Fusion (PDF) metal additive manufacturing, resin and carbon-fibre reinforced plastic processing, as well as injection moulding via electrical discharging machining.
According to the company, these technologies allow for the production of virtually any component ranging from several millimetres to 10 metres in size, and with a dimensional accuracy within 0.001mm.
Similarly, the employment of modern reverse engineering technology, including photographic scanning, means there are few limits of what can be replicated.
Takeda told ADM that “as a general rule, if a physical part can be manufactured, we have the capability to reverse-engineer it.”
“We go far beyond simply replicating a part's shape. We conduct comprehensive performance analysis, software analysis, redesign, and post-processing to ensure optimal functionality. We provide an FFF (Form, Fit, and Function) guarantee, meaning the final product will always be at least equivalent to the original, if not strictly of superior quality.
“All of these workflows are planned, managed, and executed efficiently with our digital warehouse system. We consider ourselves not just an engineering firm, but a true OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) partner for DMSMS (Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages) products.”
These strengths have helped the company secure contracts with top-tier clients including the US Air Force, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
But MadeHere’s most high profile agreement is its private-public partnership with the US MDMC to provide manufacturing and sustainment services in the Indo-Pacific – which followed the company’s demonstration of its capacity to connect Japanese manufacturing with the Department of War’s Digital Manufacturing Exchange (DMX) during the US Navy’s Trident Warrior 2025 exercise.
Aspirations for the Australian market
MadeHere is now looking to expand its services to Japan’s other Indo-Pacific security partners – pending permission from ATLA.
Takeda told ADM “we are highly interested in the Australian defense market, particularly the navy.”
“By leveraging our MRO services, the Australian Defense Force can secure an alternative procurement route for hard-to-source, obsolete parts—starting with low-criticality equipment,” which could “significantly enhance... supply chain resilience, ensuring that essential operations are not delayed by traditional procurement bottlenecks,” he added.
MadeHere also aspires to expand its services into installing manufacturing equipment onto naval vessels themselves – following 3D printing company and MadeHere partner Meltio’s success in installing a CNC hybrid machine on the USS Bataan in 2022.
This technology, which Takeda has said “is building a solid track record,” could prove a potential game changer, making it “possible to achieve on-demand MRO for metal parts that are difficult to procure at sea...enabling a vessel to produce its own replacement parts mid-mission.”