Start Production of Your Craft Noodles on a Yamato Noodle Machine

Our Process

If you are considering making your own noodles or purchasing a Yamato noodle machine, this page will help you make the best decision for your project.

Getting a Yamato Noodle Machine—Our Company’s Process:

• Get started by talking to us. Send us your inquiry.
  • What type(s)/size(s) of noodles or products would you like to produce on a Yamato noodle machine?
  • What is the daily production volume you’d like to produce at maximum?
  • What is the single biggest problem you’d like to solve by getting a Yamato noodle machine?
• Attend a demonstration of a Yamato noodle machine online or in person
• Get a quote
• How soon can I get my Yamato noodle machine?
• Is the Yamato noodle machine your best option?
• Place an order
• Shipping
• Orientation/onboarding and training
• Periodic check-ins
• Work with our team of noodles experts at Yamato

1. What type(s)/size(s)/hydration % of noodles do you want to produce?

For example, if you want to make ramen noodles, what size (e.g., thickness x width) and hydration (e.g., 35%) of noodles do you want to produce? If you don’t know the size or hydration, then what type of ramen noodles do you want to make (for example, Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen, Sapporo-style miso ramen, tsukemen noodles, etc.)?

If you want to produce soba noodles (made of buckwheat flour and water), what is the blending ratio? Because soba buckwheat does not contain gluten, there must be a gluten-containing ingredient to form the buckwheat flour into noodles. What ratio of buckwheat flour to standard wheat flour should be used?

Depending on the answer, the machine we recommend may vary. Because we want to ensure that the machine we recommend will meet and exceed your production needs, we want to know this in as much detail as the customer can answer. We can also provide some consultation on this, so please feel free to ask us.

2. What is the maximum production volume you want to make in one day (one day being up to eight hours of operation), for example, 300 servings of fresh noodles, 50 kg of fresh noodles, etc.?

If we don’t know the number, we can’t recommend one that matches or exceeds the customer’s production needs. For example, the smallest noodle machine we have is the Richmen 1 machine, which is capable of producing up to 100 servings of fresh noodles in an hour from scratch, but we recommend that the machine is used for up to eight hours continuously. If you exceed the operational hours, the machine may wear faster. That’s why we ask this question to match the machine with the maximum daily production volume. For example, if you are a restaurant selling about 200 servings of fresh noodles on a daily average, then we would recommend a Richmen 1 (if the types of noodles are ramen noodles or other noodles that are relatively low in hydration). However, if you operate multiple ramen shops selling 1,000 portions on a daily average and are considering building a central kitchen, then your choice may be the Richmen Gold 2 machine, which is capable of making about 200 servings in an hour.

3. What is the single biggest problem/issue that you are trying to solve by getting a Yamato noodle machine?

Because we want to make sure that our products and services will improve what a customer is doing and solve some problems a customer may be facing, we ask this question. If you run a restaurant serving noodles that are purchased from a noodle factory, you may be suffering from low or inconsistent noodle quality which may be reflected in the declining sales that come from customers dissatisfied with the noodle quality. Or, because there are only a few choices of noodles available from a factory, you want to develop and start serving unique craft noodles that will help your restaurant stand out from the rest. The price of available noodles may be high, cutting into your profit or making it difficult to maintain competitive prices. We ask these questions because we want to see if using a Yamato noodle machine solves these problems.

Demonstration

We can provide a product demonstration and meeting virtually. During the demo or meeting, we can go through these three points in the above question together. We can provide the demonstration from a showroom at our office HQ remotely via Skype or other apps. We can also provide in-person demonstrations at different locations (our offices) in Japan; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; or at our partners’ establishments (distributors that have demo machines). The advantage of real demonstrations is that you can actually try the fresh noodles made during the demo, but we may also be able to arrange shipping of the sample noodles to your address (depending on your location). Please feel free to contact us for a demo or meeting to see what we can do for your business and if we are a good match.

Request a quote: find out how much it would take to start using a Yamato noodle machine

After figuring out which Yamato noodle machine would be best for your needs, it’s time to figure out the total cost of getting the machine and starting your production at your location. All Yamato noodle machines are manufactured to order in Japan, so we need to determine the cost of shipping the machine from our factory in Japan to your premises. 

Depending on your country/region, the type of shipping we can arrange may vary. For example, if you are planning to use the machine somewhere in the United States, we can arrange a door-to-door delivery. To determine the shipping cost, we need to know the delivery address and zip code. For other countries, for example, the Philippines, it is difficult for us to arrange a door-to-door delivery. We can arrange shipping up to CIF Manila port, for example. (CIF is a shipping term used when a manufacturer is responsible for shipping up to the seaport and the buyer takes responsibility from the port. The buyer needs to complete the import customs clearance and the rest of the shipping to the premises.) If you know a local shipping company that ships internationally, you can ask that company to do all the shipping. We can also work with several shipping companies to arrange shipments, but you may prefer to use a company you’re familiar with.

For us to figure out the shipping cost, we need to know the shipping terms you prefer (door-to-door, CIF, FOB, Ex Works, etc. are some popular shipping terms our customers use). For more information on the shipping terms, you can check the following site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incoterms

Our quote does not reflect the total cost if it is, for example, for CIF terms because your shipping company charges for everything they need to do from the seaport (the destination where our shipping company ships your machine). In this case, the total cost of getting the machine delivered is the total of our quotation + how much your shipping company estimates. Other costs may be import taxes, duties, or VAT in your country. These will vary depending on your location, so it is a good idea to check them.

Lead time

How soon can we start? We also want to ask when you would want to start using the machine because it takes time to manufacture and ship a Yamato noodle machine.

Production lead time is about 4-6 weeks (depending on the machine model), and shipping lead time varies from destination to destination. Depending on how soon you’d like to start making your craft noodles, we may recommend shipping by ocean or by air. Shipping by air is definitely more costly, but it shortens the shipping time drastically. (Shipment by air is usually 1-2 weeks.) If your restaurant is opening in less than two months, it would make sense to choose air shipping. We need to know the shipping terms and your desired delivery date (to choose between ocean shipping or air shipping) to determine the shipping cost. We can then give you a quote on the equipment of your choice.

Finding out if using a Yamato noodle machine makes sense for your business

Using a Yamato noodle machine should solve some issues your business is facing, improve things for your business, help your business make more money, or bring other benefits. It needs to be a sound business investment. Now that we know the cost of getting your machine to you, it is time to figure out if it is worth it. There are some ways to find out.

ROI: we can calculate the return on investment. We now know the initial investment but need to figure out the operational cost (the production cost of your craft noodles which includes ingredient costs, labor costs, and utility fees such as electricity, water, etc.) and how much money you can make from the noodles made on the machine. This may be an estimation, but if you are buying noodles from a factory and pay a fixed amount for a serving of noodles of a certain quantity per day, week, or month, we can calculate how much savings you can make by making homemade noodles on a Yamato noodle machine. We can calculate the return on investment. Please feel free to contact us.

Will the investment solve your problem?

Perhaps you want to develop and sell unique noodles that no other company in your area is offering. If getting a Yamato noodle machine makes it possible, then this investment may be worthwhile. Because we make sure that our customers accomplish what our customers bought their machines for, we not only provide equipment but also other services and support. For example, in developing unique noodle products, we not only provide some ideas but also noodle recipes, training, sourcing local ingredients (flour, etc.) as well as references to good networks that help the business.

We can help you figure out if getting a Yamato noodle machine is worth the investment. After calculating and analyzing the feasibility, if it’s not worth it, we recommend that you do not go for the investment because there’s a chance you are not going to be one of our happy customers. If most of our customers were unhappy with us, then we wouldn’t be able to survive until tomorrow. We will be honest and frank in making the recommendation to purchase the machine or not. It is also possible that we might recommend a different way to accomplish your goal than choosing a Yamato noodle machine. After all, getting a Yamato noodle machine is merely a method or way. What’s important is solving your problem or improving things for your business.

There’s always a risk in doing anything new, but analyzing the feasibility before making a decision would reduce the risk. We should reduce the risk as much as we can.

Please feel free to consult us.

Placing an order on your Yamato noodle machine: Start preparing for your own craft noodle production

If everything checks out, and we both understand that getting a Yamato noodle machine for your business is worth it, we agree to go on to the next stage, which is to place an order for your Yamato noodle machine. We issue a sales contract, which requires your signature and agreements on payment terms, lead time, and other conditions. Upon receiving the signed contract, we will start manufacturing your Yamato noodle machine. Production usually takes 4-6 weeks (depending on the machine model and timing).

Before shipment, we’ll start discussing various things from noodle recipe(s), sourcing of local ingredients, the floor plan where the machine is to be used (we draw this for free of charge), or anything else that you may need to start making the type(s) of noodles you want to make using the machine. That way when the machine is delivered, you can start your production right away.

During this period, we also check the consignee (the person or company that is designated as the importer of shipment: we’ll need a name, address,  phone number, the name of the person in charge, and this person’s email address), an address of where the machine is to be used, and other information. This information will be used to issue the shipping documents for your machine.

Shipment: Delivering your Yamato noodle machine to your place

When we ship your machine from our factory to a packing vendor (where packing for overseas shipment is carried out), we notify you and ask you to check the shipping documents to confirm that the information on them is correct. The machine is packed (for ocean shipping, it is vacuum-packed and crated) and transferred to a shipyard where it goes through customs to be processed for export. When cleared through customs, the crated machine is put into a container with other shipments and loaded onto a vessel to sail to your seaport. After arriving at your seaport, our freight forwarder will contact your consignee to check certain things (import duties or taxes if there are any applied, delivery schedule, etc.) If everything checks out, you can schedule the delivery time.

Orientation/onboarding: Preparing you for your own noodle production

After the machine is delivered or when you know the machine is delivered, we provide training on both how to use and maintain the machine properly and how to produce the type(s) of noodles you want to make. 

These training sessions are usually completed in a matter of a few hours to a few days, depending on how many types of noodles you’d like to make. We also provide support in developing your own noodle recipes, based on locally sourced ingredients. Because getting a stable and local supply of quality ingredients for your noodle products is as critical as noodle recipes and the machine itself, we help you find the right ingredients (wheat flours and others) in your area. We may also help you with other things, which will help you start your own noodle production and succeed in your business.

Periodic check-ins: Making sure that your Yamato noodle machine benefits your business

After the initial training, we do periodic checks on our machine users to see if everything is going as they expect and would like. Depending on the situation, we may provide more training, adjust their noodle recipes, or provide new recipes for their new products. We want to ensure the Yamato noodle machines are fulfilling their promises and improving their businesses. We will continue to provide them with as much support as we can as long as they use Yamato noodle machines.