Suzuyo Shoji, a trading company based in Shizuoka City in central Japan and led by president Masahiko Ito and part of the Suzuyo group, said in October 2026 that it had acquired all the shares of VAMO, a local company that connects experienced senior workers with businesses that need their skills. VAMO is now a Suzuyo Shoji subsidiary. Dealroom reported the deal on October 15.
The price was not disclosed.
Suzuyo Shoji said VAMO's services will continue as before after the share purchase, and that there would be no major changes to how customers deal with the company or seek advice for the time being.
What VAMO built
VAMO, also based in Shizuoka City and led by representative director Futaba Miyake, works mainly with manufacturers. It takes the knowledge of veteran workers, people with long careers and specialist skills, and applies it to problems that client companies face. Dealroom reports that VAMO was founded in September 2022.
Suzuyo Shoji said VAMO is more than a recruitment agency. It first works out what a company's problem actually is, then puts the right experienced people on it in areas such as product development, production management, quality control and staff training, with the aim of solving the problem rather than simply filling a post.
The model treats experience as something that can be deployed flexibly. Rather than hiring a retired specialist full time, a client can bring in the right person in the form that suits the job, according to the announcement, which describes VAMO's offer as a solution that runs all the way to fixing the problem.
VAMO did not disclose revenue, headcount or the number of veteran workers on its books. No outside funding has been reported.
Why Suzuyo Shoji is buying
In its announcement, Suzuyo Shoji pointed to a labour shortage in manufacturing across Japan. For small and medium-sized companies in the regions, passing on technical skills to the next generation has become an important management problem. Shizuoka prefecture's economy relies heavily on manufacturing, and the lack of successors makes it harder each year for companies to keep going and grow.
At the same time, the company said, more people want to keep using their experience after retirement to contribute to their communities and the next generation, and more companies see these veterans as a way to hand down skills. What is missing, it argued, is a reliable way to match the two.
Suzuyo Shoji plans to combine its customer base with VAMO's matching service. The trading company supplies oil, gas and electricity, sells solar power, batteries and services that measure carbon dioxide emissions, and offers building materials, chemicals and products for automating factories and digitising office work. It will now add help with using veteran workers to that list, so it can address customers' problems on the people side as well.
The trading company said that combining its sales network with VAMO's matching function would let both sides make the most of their strengths.
Second careers and regional industry
Suzuyo Shoji framed the deal as part of its contribution to the region. By connecting veterans' skills and knowledge with local companies, it said it hopes to support the steady growth and competitiveness of manufacturing, revive regional industry and preserve technical know-how.
The subtitle of its announcement summed up the pitch: a move from Shizuoka to revitalise regional industry by putting veteran workers to use and to support people's second careers.
Suzuyo Shoji did not say whether VAMO would expand beyond Shizuoka, whether its founder would stay in charge, or how many veteran workers the service has placed. For a trading company whose main products are energy, materials and equipment, the purchase is a first step into selling access to people's skills.
