Nachi History

Nachi Robotic Systems Inc. is owned by the Nachi Fujikoshi Corporation, headquartered in Toyama & Tokyo Japan.

(Toyama Facility, Japan)

  The Nachi Group has grown to include 54 companies in countries across the world.  However the Nachi Fujikoshi Corporation was not always this large, the Nachi worldwide organization began more than eight decades ago ...

1889

• Founder of Nachi Fujikoshi, Kohki Imura is born in 1889 in Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture
  

1925

• Kohki Imura establishes a company oriented toward technological development.
• Besides being involved in hydroelectric power generation, Imura accepts the advice of Momosuke Fukuzawa and guidance of Professor Kotaro Honda of Tohoku Imperial University and ventures into materials research and prototypes for hacksaws.

1928

• FUJIKOSHI STEEL INDUSTRY CO., Ltd. was founded in Toyama City, Japan by Kohki Imura.

1929

• The firm's hacksaws are given the honor of being inspected by the Emperor as an exceptional domestically-produced product. Nachi is adopted as a trade name.

1930

• A continuous hardening furnace for hacksaw blades is developed to allow mass production.

1931

• Nachi Fujikoshi branches out into drill manufacturing.
• Nachi Saw Blade Association formed.

1933

• Publishes Japan's first tool catalog.
• Offices established nationwide.

1934

• The company gains recognition as an all-round domestic manufacturer of precision cutting tools.
• Designated by the Ministry of the Navy as an "Appointed Plant" with more than 1,000 employees.
• Installs the latest European and American machinery.

1936

• Establishes the Fujikoshi Research Institute, which later becomes a foundation. (1940)
• Nachi Fujikoshi is listed on the Osaka Stock Exchange.
• Develops new products, numbering almost 70 products in 17 years since its founding. (1928-1945)
  (Reinecker hobs, large broaches, micrometers and gages, broaching machines, hydraulic pumps, high-precision steel balls, valve spring steel, magnetic steel, precision grinding stones, boron carbide and other ultra-hard alloys, etc.)

1937

• Sends engineers to Germany and learns steelmaking and bearing techniques. Firm personnel were even allowed to study steelmaking techniques at the Kure Naval Yard. (1938)
• Main building built at the Toyama Head Office.

1938

• Branches out into special steels in order to become self-sufficient in materials and establishes an integrated system.
• Starts operations at Higashi-Toyama Steel Mill.
• Manufactures broaches and is designated as a plant under joint Army-Navy control.

1939

• Begins production of bearings.
• Machine Tools Department established to supply company plants with internally manufactured machinery.

1940 - 1945

• The firm consistently expands its operations, possessing 18 plants nationwide in locations like Tokyo, Kokura, Shimabara, Niigata, and Sakai and employing 36,000. (with 20,000 at the Toyama Plant.)
• Enhances its Tokyo Office. (1941)
• Establishes Fujikoshi Technical High School (1937) and Fujikoshi Hospital. (1940)

1945 - 1946

• Manufactures consumer products such as work tools and food machinery, bicycles, three-wheeled cycles, steel sheets, semi-diesel engines, etc.
• The firm is involved in farm management.  As a result of agricultural land reform, the firm disposes of about 570 acres.

1947

• Office established in Tokyo's Minato-ku.
• The Toyama Employers' Association is inaugurated.

1948

• Implements its first streamlining.

1949

• Establishes the Fujikoshi Association of Subcontracted Plants.

1950

• Over the course of several streamlining attempts, the firm's flagship products recover as a result of military procurement for the Korean War.

1951

• Fujikoshi Hospital handed over to Toyama Prefecture. (Where it becomes a central prefectural hospital.)

1953

• Developed "Christmas tree" type broaches for jet engines.
• Fujikoshi's 25 Year Aniversary. (1928 - 1953)

1954

• Introduces shaving cutter technology from the US firm Michigan Tool.
• Develops bearings for jet engines.
• Begins providing technical services.
• Begins exporting to the US

1955

• Begins cultivating large clients in the US and Europe.

1957

• Overseas representative dispatched.

1958

• Trade department is set up.
• Nachi Bearings established.
• Nachi Tools Association formed.
• Branches out into the field of hydraulic equipment.
• Begins sales of specialized machinery (1959) and enters precision molds (1960).
• Emperor Hirohito and his wife inspect one of the firm's plants.
• Number of subcontracted plants expanded.
• New Fujikoshi Hospital established.

1960

• Adopts a system of 6 operating departments, grouped by product.
• Sets up a representative office in New York.
• Introduces a method of drill rolling from the West German firm Rohde.

1962

• Adopts the Div. system (Tools, Bearings, Equipment, and Steel Stock).
• Nachi Tool Sales and Nachi America established.

1963

• Top-level meeting with Henry Ford II.
• Name changed to Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp.
• Develops bearings and materials for the Shinkansen.
• Establishes the Toyama Machinery Manufacturers' Association.

1971

• Technical Headquarters set up.
• Precision Tools Plant built.

1972

• Takamatsu Toshio appointed Company President. (1979 - 1979)
• Branches out into the housing industry.
• Enters into overseas production in Brazil.

1976

• Enters into overseas production in the US and Spain.

1979

• Enters into overseas production in Singapore
• Kunio Owada appointed Company President. (1979 - 1992)
• Develops coating tools (1977) and motor-driven articulated welding robots.
• Branches out into the field of ultra-precision machinery.
• General exhibition site established (to commemorate its 50th anniversary).

1980

• First fully electro-mechanical spot welding robot is implemented by Nachi in Japan

1982

• Robot Plant constructed.
• Takes on TPM.

1984

• Robot and Precision Machinery Division created.
• The firm's Lion Dance Robot is well received at exhibitions around Japan.
• The firm is awarded the Productive Maintenance (PM) award.

1986

• Markets shifted in response to the high vale of the yen.
• Spins off Divs. in related fields: PM Center.(1983) Robots & Engineering, Community Services, Information Systems.(1987)

1988

• Inaugurates its Overseas Business Headquarters, FA Technology Div., and Electronics Div.
• Seeks to expand its operations.  Expands its hydraulic traveling motors and robot systems.
• Enters the fields of sensors and measuring equipment.

1989

• Fujikoshi Guesthouse and Fujikoshi Hospital established.
• Constructs its Precision Processing Plant (Higashi-Toyama) and Hydraulic Pump Plant (Nakata, 1990).
• Production company set up in the American Midwest.
• Automotive electromagnetic proportional valves made commercially available.
• Nachi Robotic Systems Inc. (NRS) is founded in North America (Novi, Michigan)

(Nachi Robotic Systems Inc., Novi MI)

1990

• Engages in local production in South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
• Begins production of handling robots.

1991

• Robot Plant enlarged.
• The US firm National Broach & Machine Co. (Red Ring brand) is acquired.
• Deming Application Prize received.
• Platinum coating tools marketed.

1992

• MA series (handling robots) and Excel series (bearings) marketed.
• The firm experiences substantial losses and undergoes management restructuring.

1993

• Masamichi Honda appointed Company President. (1999 - 1997)
• Management restructured based on worsening deflation and appreciation of the yen and the organizational structure is slimmed down and compressed.
• Proceeds with adjustments in terms of personnel, assets, and investment.
• Partnership with Koyo Seiko., Ltd.

1994

• Integrates its sales subsidiaries (Nachi Bearing, est. in 1969) and the Nachi Hydraulic Center (est. in 1970).
• Optimizes the size of its workforce.
• Consolidation of production-related companies begins.
• Meeting of Nachi's Exclusive Agents Nationwide held.

1995

• Integrates Nachi Tool Sales (est. in 1962) and develop operations in the fields of commercial sales and mid-level demand.
• Obtains ISO9001 certification for its individual Divs. and overseas plants. (1997 - 1997)

1996

• Expands its robot business in domestic and foreign markets.
• Expands its product line of tools and bearings.
• Resumes making dividends for the first time in 5 terms.

1997

• Management philosophy and vision revised to make the firm more international.
• Tokyo branch consolidated into the Main Office building.

1998

• Kensuke Imura appointed Company President. (1998 - 2008)
• Nachi Business expanded with a market and customer-oriented approach.
• Incorporates branches in its regional and operational group system.
• Elevates precision machinery and clean technology & thermo-technology into Divs.
• Business expanded in the US and Europe.
• Nachi established as the corporate symbol (1997) seventy years after the firm's founding.
• Nachi Technosquare built.
• HR Center established.
• Nachi Business Guide published.
• Marketing of environmental conservation - machining equipment and tools to handle dry cutting, bio/fine chemicals, etc.
• Subsidiaries consolidated.

1999

• Set up new management system in keeping with the philosophy "Prospective Selection and Integration".
• Restructured organization for the maximum utilization of human resources.
• Changed eight-division structure to three main manufacturing divisions and three strategic divisions.
• Established Strategic Management Committee.
• Begin sales of Aqua Drills, SF Series Robots, PW Series Robots and Vacuum Carburizing System.
• Concluded technical assistance agreement with TISCO (India) for the manufacture of bearings.
• Inclusive business tie-up with Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. in the area of cutting tools.

2000

• Expanded overseas supply systems (Thai plant and others) to enhance sales bases.
• Announced mid-term management plan "NACHI Business Plan 03."
• Proceeded with selection and created a global brand with competitive products.
• Cooperated with Daido Steel Co., Ltd. in the material field.

2001

• Built a new factory for broaches, high speed steel wire materials, automobile bearings, and piston pumps.
• Cooperated with Daihen Corporation to hold the world's top rank in the robotic field.
• Obtained ISO 14001 Certification.
• Introduced Meister system.

2002

• Established a three-headquarters framework, which consist of Marketing Strategy Headquarters, Production Management Headquarters, and Development Headquarters.
• Formed Gear Production Alliance in the gear-processing field.
• Cooperated with Sodick Plustech Co., Ltd. in the precision injection-molding field.
• Expanded the Stock Ownership Plan (employees, distributors, suppliers, etc.)
• Cooperated with Erasteel S.A. (France) in the high speed steels field.

2003

• The 75th Anniversary of Nachi Fujikoshi.
• Established NACHI-COMPLEX which consists of NACHI-BUSINESS Galaxy with QA Laboratory, Kohki Hall and Development office by endowing informative and training function and strengthened demonstration and R & D systems.
• Gathered up staff for Machinery, Cutting tools and Bearings to the production office.
• Integrated Ultra-Precision Machining field into Machine Tools Business and synergized.
• Expanded Namerikawa Plant (Automotive Hydraulics, Precision Machinery, etc).
• Started local production in China.
• Strengthened supply capacity in overseas.

2004

• Moved Tokyo Head Office to Shiodome, Tokyo.
• Increased the share capital.
• Established FUJIKOSHI Associé Co., Ltd. to strengthen training.
• Built new bearings factories in the Toyama Plant (Japan), Czech and China.
• Consolidated hydraulic equipment business into the Higashi-Toyama Plant and established a new hydraulic valves factory.
• Divided manufacturing of hydraulic equipment with DAESUNG-NACHI HYDRAULICS CO., LTD.
• Set up NACHI Material Association.
• Entered into the field of seismic isolator business.

2005

• Renewed the Nachi-Fujikoshi Museum and Café Across (2004), and expanded NACHI COMPLEX with NACHI-BUSINESS Galaxy.
• Designated new brand names for each products group.
• Organized business locations in America, Europe and ASEAN respectively.
• Built a new factory for large-sized robots.
• Launched a new HR project encouraging each employee to improve their skills.

2006

• Set up NACHI Major Dealers Meeting.
• Strengthened the business for industrial machines.
• Established a new broaches factory and a new materials factory.
• Founded a rep.office in India.
• Expanded the engineering business for machining in both domestic and overseas market.
• Expanded FUJIKOSHI Hospital.

2007

• Set up International Trade Headquarter, expanded overseas business.
• Formed a business alliance with Sankyo Tateyama Aluminum, Inc. in magnesium business.
• Built a new gear cutting tools factory, machine parts processing factory, hydraulic motor factory and YAMAGATA factory.
• Established "R&D Material".
• Developed the business on the industrial machinery sector by releasing the new platform robot.

2008

• Focused business plans on emerging countries.
• Set up ASEAN Business Center in Thailand.
• Built three new factories for precision bearings, bearing heat-treatment, automotive solenoid valves.
• Established NACHI Industrial Service Co., Ltd. and NACHI Thermotech Co., Ltd.
• Focused on environmental and energy saving business.
• Expanded the engineering business.
• Integrated production of bearings in Europe into Czech.

TODAY NRS is the technological and market leader in Robotics

• Over 25,000 robot installations operating in North America
• ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Certified
• ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System Certified
• Industry successes through comprehensive product integration and project support teams
• Branch offices in Toronto, Canada, and Mexico City, Mexico
• Service centers located in South Carolina, Indiana, Texas, and Mexico.