Tanaka Establishes Total Solutions System for Contract Manufacturing of Diagnostics
•February 17, 2026
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Why It Matters
In‑house end‑to‑end production gives Tanaka faster, cheaper, and higher‑quality diagnostic solutions, sharpening its competitive edge in a rapidly expanding IVD market.
Key Takeaways
- •End‑to‑end in‑house production cuts outsourcing costs
- •New buffer dispensing lines reduce lead times
- •Automation rollout planned by March 2026
- •Supports rapid IVD kits for infectious diseases
- •Enhances supply stability and quality control
Pulse Analysis
The contract manufacturing landscape for in‑vitro diagnostics is shifting toward integrated service models that can guarantee speed and consistency. Tanaka Precious Metal Technologies, traditionally known for its industrial precious‑metal expertise, has leveraged its nano‑colloidal gold platform to create a comprehensive production line that spans assay design, reagent bulk manufacturing, and final kit assembly. By internalizing buffer dispensing and packaging, the firm eliminates multiple hand‑offs, reducing both logistical complexity and the risk of contamination—a critical factor for high‑sensitivity infectious‑disease tests.
Operationally, the new system translates into tangible cost savings and faster time‑to‑market. Eliminating external outsourcing contracts trims overhead, while the dedicated lines for extraction‑buffer handling compress lead times by weeks. Tanaka’s roadmap includes the deployment of state‑of‑the‑art automatic assembly equipment by early 2026, a move that will scale throughput and further automate quality checks. This capacity expansion aligns with the company’s ISO 13485 compliance, ensuring that increased volume does not compromise regulatory standards or product reliability.
From a market perspective, the enhanced capabilities position Tanaka to capture a larger share of the growing IVD sector, especially as demand for rapid testing of respiratory pathogens, dengue, and Zika surges. Offering a single‑source contract solution simplifies supplier management for pharmaceutical partners, making Tanaka an attractive partner for both established manufacturers and emerging biotech firms. As the industry pivots toward decentralized testing and faster diagnostic turnaround, Tanaka’s total‑solution approach could set a new benchmark for speed, cost efficiency, and quality assurance in the diagnostics supply chain.
Tanaka establishes total solutions system for contract manufacturing of diagnostics
TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd. a company engaged in the industrial precious metals business of TANAKA, has announced that it has established a total solution system capable of supporting all processes in the contract manufacturing business for various test kits including in vitro diagnostics.
Until now, TANAKA has been responsible primarily for processes from developing and manufacturing test kits to bulk production of extraction buffer. At this time, TANAKA established dedicated production lines for the dispensing and packaging of extraction buffer, creating a system that enables it to complete all processes in‑house from development to manufacture of final products.
This enables TANAKA to reduce costs and the time for external outsourcing and transportation, making it possible to deliver high‑quality products in shorter times.
In addition, TANAKA will seek to expand production capacity and shorten lead times even further by introducing additional state‑of‑the‑art automatic assembly lines and extract dispensing equipment with a target of March 2026.
By establishing this total solution system, TANAKA will be able to provide comprehensive contract services covering all processes from test kit development and manufacturing to bulk production, dispensing, and packaging of extraction buffer.
This will enable TANAKA to continuously support customers from the development stage through mass production while also accommodating requests for individual processes such as extraction buffer dispensing only.
By bringing production processes entirely in‑house, TANAKA will further reinforce stable supply and quality control.
TANAKA offers in vitro diagnostics for a wide range of infectious diseases including respiratory tract infections, such as influenza and COVID‑19, as well as dengue and ZIKA viruses. These test kits are compatible with various sample types such as saliva, blood, and urine, and support rapid and accurate testing in clinical settings.
TANAKA started research and development of in vitro diagnostics around 2006 and has accumulated technologies centred on nano‑colloidal gold (Au). It possesses a diverse range of technologies that support the enhancement of reagent performance using immunochromatographic assay, including protein immobilisation technology, non‑specific absorption expression technology, and antigen‑antibody reaction enhancement technology. TANAKA provides contract manufacturing of high‑quality test kits that leverage these technologies in accordance with the ISO 13485 system.
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