SEIBAN Corporation Supporting Shitennoji High School students! Presenting “Pitakar”, a function to reduce the burden on school bags, at the Osaka-Kansai Expo

[Seiban Co., Ltd.] Supporting students from Shitennoji High School! “Pitakaru” function to reduce the burden on school bags announced at the Osaka Kansai Expo ​
Seiban Co., Ltd. Press release: June 30, 2025 To the Press Support the students of Shitennoji High School! “Pitakar”, a function to reduce the burden on school bags, was announced at the Osaka Kansai Expo. We sympathized with the feelings of high school students who were facing the issue of “elementary school students’ posture worsening due to the weight of their school bags” and supported the production of a prototype. Seiban Corporation (Head office: Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, President and CEO: Takaaki Izumi, hereinafter “Seiban”) cooperated in the production of a prototype used by Shitennoji High School students when they took the stage to present “Pitakaru,” a stress-reducing function, as part of the “inochi Pay It Forward Week Presented by Chugai Pharmaceutical” program at the Osaka-Kansai Expo held on Saturday, June 28th.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/10024/142/10024-142-e4d9d73ed3c98b6489188a7bc178f424-1920×1280.png What is “Pitakar”, the stress-reducing function attached to school bags? “Pitakar” is an accessory that secures the contents of the school bag to the back. By attaching “Pitakar” to the inside of the school bag, the center of gravity is always stable on the back, reducing the strain on the child’s body. Since the school bag can be carried in a natural posture, it prevents the deterioration of posture. A patent application is currently pending.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/10024/142/10024-142-6d46321bf34841f97193ac725cb507c0-1920×1280.png Background of production cooperation For about 80 years, Seiban has been working to improve the functionality of school bags under the philosophy of “reducing the burden on children’s bodies” and “quality with love for children”. We strongly sympathized with the ideas and thoughts of the students of Shitennoji High School, who are facing the issue of “poor posture of elementary school students due to the weight of their school bags,” and we wanted to use our technology and experience to support the production of prototypes, so we cooperated. Thoughts of Shitennoji High School students and Seiban development staff 〈Thoughts of Shitennoji High School students〉
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/10024/142/10024-142-6ad73974fcb04e1879ba0af848118d83-1920×1280.png Q. Why did you decide to create “Pitakaru”? A.First, I wanted to create something that could solve the problem of “deteriorating posture in elementary school students,” which has become a hot topic recently. Posture can be changed by “consciousness,” but I thought it would be difficult to consciously correct good posture when carrying a heavy backpack. Therefore, I thought that by considering a function that allows you to maintain good posture even when carrying a backpack, it would be possible to approach “unconscious posture improvement.” In addition, I also took into consideration the problem of “school bag syndrome,” in which carrying a heavy school bag causes physical and mental discomfort. Q. Was there anything you struggled with or were particular about in this endeavor, such as coming up with ideas or testing them? A. Making the idea a reality and
differentiating ourselves from other companies. We wanted to use a lighter material, so we considered using cloth, such as a bag-in-bag, but there were issues with the unstable center of gravity and the lack of differentiation from other companies. After repeated prototype testing, we decided on the belt-fixed type using our current 3D printer. Q. Is there anything that particularly impressed you? A. I was very happy and impressed when my idea finally took shape. Also, I was impressed and impressed by how they corrected the issues at every meeting and how they came up with samples that were better than we had imagined. Q. Please tell us about your future prospects. A. We think that the announcement at this Expo is a “checkpoint” on the way to commercialization. Our first goal is to connect it to sales, and we will continue to work on healthcare issues. 〈The thoughts of Seiban development staff〉 Q. Did you have any difficulties in creating the prototype? A. It is to realize “ease of use for children” by selecting materials that consider the balance of “strength” and “lightness” and making it easy for children to put on and take off. After repeated trial and error, we completed the final sample.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/10024/142/10024-142-e11e41945de78356fbd5146151d4bd40-1920×1280.png Q. Is there anything that made an impression on you after working with the high school students? A. With a strong desire to “commercialize the product and reduce the burden on children,” I was impressed by how they looked at prototypes, considered ways to improve the product at each meeting, and worked hard on the assignments. Q. Please tell us about your future prospects. A.This time, we cooperated in the production of a prototype, but we will continue to value
“child-friendly quality” and work on product development that is conscious of the “mental and physical health” of various people, especially children. The process leading up to the announcement of the Osaka-Kansai Expo On March 7, 2025, we met with the high school students for the first time, and from March 24, we held a total of five meetings to repeatedly create samples and conduct verification. After a period of about three months, the final sample was completed on June 20, and was unveiled for the first time at the Osaka-Kansai Expo on June 28.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/10024/142/10024-142-7023447647ba3d9785c1fd7157d2ca2b-1920×1280.png What is Seiban’s “Child-Friendly Quality”? With the concept of “manufacturing with love,” Seiban has continued to make school bags with the hope of healthy growth of children’s minds and bodies. Seiban’s idea of ​​”child-friendly quality” is that the school bag places less strain on the child’s body when it is worn, and is durable and safe to use for six years. We pay close attention to even the invisible parts, and will continue to pursue “child-friendly quality” for the sake of children’s smiles.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/10024/142/10024-142-ed5527e31b0663469b3d218baecd1ee8-1920×1280.png Seiban Co., Ltd. Company Profile Company name: Seiban Co., Ltd. Representative: President and CEO Takaaki Izumi Location: 379-1 Katayama, Tatsuno-cho, Tatsuno-shi, Hyogo Prefecture Company website: https://www.seiban.com/ Business description: Planning, manufacturing and sales of school bags and related goods/ Other bag planning and sales/Childcare business/Media business
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