In 1954, SOFT99 began production of domestic wax for use on automobiles. Since that time, SOFT99 has always been aware of the needs of its customers and has been providing products that will become future necessities to the relationship between cars and people before we know it.
In 1954, SOFT99 began production of domestic wax for use on automobiles. Since that time, SOFT99 has always been aware of the needs of its customers and has been providing products that will become future necessities to the relationship between cars and people before we know it.
The car revolutionalised Japan as we knew it.
It enriched the lives of Japanese people.
At that time, wax made outside of Japan was the norm. However, as foreign wax was expensive, people found it difficult to buy. "Golden Neo-Polish" appeared as a savior in such an era. It was in fact originally developed for wood furnishings and other types of furniture, but it was a liquid type wax that could also be applied to automobiles. From this time, SOFT99 began to be known for car washing and waxing, leading to this wax becoming the defining product of SOFT99. The history of SOFT99 began here.
SOFT99's first automotive wax was a big hit due to its antistatic properties that prevented static electricity from attracting dust and dirt. The brand name "SOFT99", which is also the current company name, was adopted for the first time with this product.
In the days when many people were washing their cars with dishwashing detergent for lack of a better alternative, the emergence of car-specific soaps became a hot topic. The product name took root as a "shampoo" in order to convey the foaming qualities of the soap. The demand for car shampoos, which do not damage the car during scrubbing but still strongly remove dirt, was stimulated by SOFT99's "Blue Shampoo".
At that time, soft paste waxes were very rare. In the era of solid wax that was hard to apply and heavy to wipe off, the good workability of SOFT99's Hanneri led it to become popular. White cars were coming into fashion, and there was a growing need to remove dirt, so “SOFT99 Hanneri”, which can remove dirt while waxing, was a big hit. It is said that the category name “Hanneri” of wax has taken root from this product.
As lifestyles become more diversified,
Cars became a symbol of style, class and self-confidence.
This was a revolutionary product that is said to be the predecessor of the current glass-based car coatings. This coating was applied and then cured by reacting with moisture and oxygen in the air, and it was sold as a coating that "lasts five or ten times longer than wax". Two types of coatings were released at the time, one a liquid and the other a solid, and a popular selling point was that the car need only be washed with water for the following three to six months.
SOFT99's range of repair supplies began with the "body pen" of acrylic car paint. It was long before the launch of the repair brand "99 Atelier" in 1995. The release of the body pen is said to have inspired the change of car repair products to something easy-to-use, and it is still synonymous with car painting today.
For SOFT99, which mainly produced car chemical products such as wax and air fresheners, the first non-chemical product was a non-metallic tire chain "Tinet". This led to a wide range of car supplies being produced by SOFT99.
The 21st century is just around the corner.
Resources and the environment become the themes of development for vehicles,
as they have become indispensable to daily life.
At a time when silicone and resin wax were mainstream, Fusso Coat revolutionised the market with a fluoropolymer coating. Taking advantage of the water- and oil-repellent characteristics of fluorine, we realized that we could make a durable and long-lasting coating to keep cars cleaner for longer. At the time of production, this product took the market by storm as the first version could last 90 days.
The first model of the "Glaco" series, was an instant leader in the glass water-repellent coating market, which used to be dependant on products originally developed for aircraft. However, when the product was first released, the application was difficult as it was based on a method of soaking tissue in the liquid and applying it, this in turn took a long time and it was easy to make mistakes such as uneven painting. Later, these problems led to the creation of the Glaco Roll-On that conveniently combined the container and application tool, and Glaco Washer that can be added to washer liquid tanks.
This was the era of the Japanese car wash boom. Introducing the SOFT99 car wash supplies vending machine, the products of which can be easily used to wash cars by hand, and as you can purchase the necessary car wash supplies on the spot, is very useful in situations such as when there are not enough products during the car wash. The price range was reasonable, between 300 and 500 Japanese yen, which led users to easily being able to access SOFT99 products at coin car washes.
Specialist car repair supplies, which were used by professionals and a few devoted car enthusiasts, were not yet well-known to the general public at this time. In order for everyone to be able to enjoy "tinkering with cars", we thought that it would be necessary to make a product range that was easy to understand and simple to use. From this, "99 Atelier" came about. The brand name "99 Atelier" is derived from the idea of all the repair experts in the company coming together to research repairs, spread technology and create as fun garage workshop for everyone.
Since the launch of the glass water-repellent coating series "Glaco" in 1991, glass water-repellents have become a necessity for driving safety on rainy days. However, even if you use a glass water-repellent, the coating will deteriorate quickly if you use a wiper. Its development was encouraged by the voice of customers, and after clearing 1 million stroke wiping tests, the Glaco Wiper was born.
At this time, customers were concerned with the how quick and how easy it could be to clean their car. The first edition of Fukupika was the ultimate workable product, due to it being able to wipe off water droplets and simultaneously apply wax after washing the car. Some people found it hard to believe that it was possible for a car to be waxed by just wiping it, so we surveyed 100,000 people... the results were great.
Hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, etc.
We are moving to an era where eco-cars are at the center of the market.
The first products of the premium brand by SOFT99 were developed by gathering the knowledge and experience cultivated in the general consumer market to create two products; a body coating and a glass water-repellent. At the start of the launch, word about the G'ZOX brand gradually spread due to SOFT99's free samples at gas stations and car maintenance companies nationwide.
By combining the paint of traditional brush type products and the injection head designed to house the touch-up body pen, the new paint system which can be applied on a narrow range like an airbrush is easy to use for beginners. As this product focuses heavily on making a beautiful finish with simple appliction, it took many years to develop and release.
Automobiles have become an integral part of everyone's lifestyles. However, the car goods in most car supply stores are geared towards men. "CoCotorico" was created to make car products for everyone, using ideas and feedback from the female employees of SOFT99 on what products seemed to be lacking in the current market. With this brand, customizing the inside of your car has never been easier. We offer car goods and accessories, with a wide variety of colours and patterns for everyone to choose from.
Ownership is not the only way to enjoy a car.
The number of car-sharing users that can experience the charm of driving increases.
The environment surrounding automobiles has changed with the times, and it is now not only for driving, but also as a space for communication and relaxation. There is a growing awareness of wanting to spend time comfortably in the car, and so the "Roompia" series was born. We have proposed a new approach that utilizes protective coating technology to prevent food spillage stains and dirt that causes unpleasant odors in the car before they occur.
Coatings and products that can be applied directly on wet cars have become mainstream. However, we have formulated revolutionary new technology that can form a highly durable coating film on different materials such as car body and glass at the same time. The technology, which has never been seen before, won the "Goods Award 2019: Car Wash and Coating Category" sponsored by Daily Automotive News.
The first car electronics item of the SOFT99 is a TPMS tire pressure monitoring system that reduces the risk of tire problems such as uneven tire pressure and flat tires. By creating an official app, and making it easy to check the air pressure on your own, we have made daily inspections of tires more accessible.
Moving away from the idea that the best qualities of car shampoo are rinsing speed, drying speed, etc., we developed something that is sensually stimulating to put the fun back into the act of washing your vehicle. The colourful packaging emphasizes the playfulness that even adults can enjoy by the simple act of washing their cars.
For internet sales only, we developed a non-plastic packaging for 'Liquid Compound Trial Set ECO', which reduces the need for cardboard and other packaging materials during delivery, as well as reducing the weight and cost of transport for delivery services. We hope it can contribute a little to the ongoing issue of logistics in 2024.
A collision-free world is almost here.
Self-driving technology is rapidly advancing to make people feel safer and more comfortable.
SOFT99 aim to create future necessities.
We will always continue to challenge ourselves.