About our history
Our company’s history begins in 1933 when founder Makoto Sugita established Kinshin Shokai LLC in Kandabashi, Tokyo, as a wholesaler specializing in sponge rubber for automobiles and furniture.
In 1935, we started doing business with a car manufacturer (Nissan Motors). With the rapid expansion of automobile production, the range of products we handle has expanded from assembly parts to car interior supplies, and orders have rapidly increased.
Sugita decided to switch from being a wholesaler to a manufacturer in order to meet the influx of orders. We acquired Kinugawa Rubber Industry Co., Ltd., an export rubber toy manufacturing company that had been put up for sale, along with all its employees. On October 1, 1939, the company was renamed Kinugawa Rubber Industry Co., Ltd., with a capital of 70,000 yen, following the name of the company it acquired, which had the right to distribute the valuable rubber raw materials. It was launched.
Founder Makoto Sugita
Origin of company name
Why “Kinugawa Rubber” if it’s not in Kinugawa?
Mr. Iwamura, who used to be the manager of ‘Kinugawa Rubber Industries’, has a hobby of fishing. One fall, when I went fishing for yamame trout in the Kinugawa River in Tochigi, I felt a sense of good luck when I caught an unexpectedly large amount of fish, and thought to myself, “If I ever start a company, I’ll name it ‘Kinugawa’! It seems like it is.
In later years, he named the company he founded ‘Kinugawa Rubber Industries’.
History
1933
Founder Makoto Sugita establishes “Kinshin Shokai Limited Partnership (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)”
1935
Started business with car manufacturer (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
1939
Acquired “Kinugawa Rubber Industries Co., Ltd. (Edogawa-ku, Tokyo),” a company that manufactures rubber toys for export, and established “Kinugawa Rubber Industries Co., Ltd. (Edogawa-ku, Tokyo).”
1945
Factory burnt down in air raid
Acquired the factory of Yashu Rubber Co., Ltd. (Katsushika-ku, Tokyo) and made it the headquarters.
1950
Second factory (Katsushika-ku, Tokyo) constructed
1955
Acquired “Kangyo Keizai Tateishi Rubber Factory (Katsushika-ku, Tokyo)” and started operation as Tateishi Factory, and started research on synthetic resin molding at the same factory.
1959
Newly established synthetic resin department at Tateishi factory
1961
Trade name changed to “Kinugawa Rubber Industries Co., Ltd.”
1962
Head office location changed (Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture) due to construction of Chiba Factory (Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture)
Listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
1966
Merged with Natori Rubber Industries Co., Ltd.
1967
Transferred export rubber toys and underwater sports equipment division to Kinugawa Pacific Co., Ltd.
Construction of Fujisawa Logistics Center [Closed and sold in 1998]
1968
Business partnership with “Shimada Channel Co., Ltd.”
1971
Constructed Moka Factory (Moka City, Tochigi Prefecture)
Established Zhongguang Rubber Industry Co., Ltd. (Taiwan: Pingzhen City, Taoyuan County)
1977
Kyushu factory (Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture) constructed
1978
Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
1980
Established “Narita Gosei Co., Ltd. (Narita City, Chiba Prefecture)” (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
Established Kooni Transport Co., Ltd. (currently Keiji Logistics Co., Ltd.)
1982
Established technology development center (Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture) and strengthened the development department
1985
Established CKR Industries, Inc. (Winchester, Tennessee, USA)
1992
Established “Koriyama Kinugawa Co., Ltd. (Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture)”
1994
“Zhongguang Rubber Industry Co., Ltd.” established “Tianjin Starguang Rubber Plastic Co., Ltd. (Tianjin City, Hebei Province, China)” [sold in March 2018]
1995
Acquired 70% shares of Taiyo Rubber Industries Co., Ltd.
1996
Zhongguang Rubber Industry Co., Ltd. established Fuzhou Fukuang Rubber Co., Ltd. (Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China) (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
1997
Transferred production from Chiba factory to domestic base
“Koriyama Kinugawa Co., Ltd.” was dissolved and operated as Koriyama Factory.
1999
Acquired ISO9001
Signed a capital and business alliance agreement with Toyo Tire & Rubber Industries, Ltd.
“Sato Rubber Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (Narita City, Chiba Prefecture)” became a wholly owned subsidiary.
Merged “Taiyo Rubber Industries Co., Ltd.” with “Narita Gosei Co., Ltd.”
2000
Established “Kinutec Co., Ltd. (Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture)” (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
2001
Obtained QS9000 certification
“CKR Industries, Inc.” changed its name to “TEPRO, INC. (Winchester, Tennessee, USA)”
Established “Kinugawa (Thailand) Co,. Ltd. (Ayutthaya Province, Thailand)” (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
The factory division was spun off into separate companies, “Kinugawa Koriyama Co., Ltd.”, “Kinugawa Oita Co., Ltd.”, “Kinugawa Anti-vibration Parts Co., Ltd.”, and “Kinugawa Brake Parts Co., Ltd.” established.
2002
ISO14001 certification: “Kinugawa Anti-Vibration Parts Co., Ltd.” “Kinugawa Brake Parts Co., Ltd.”
2003
ISO14001 certification: “Kinugawa Koriyama Co., Ltd.” “Kinugawa Oita Co., Ltd.”
Merged “Shimada Channel Manufacturing Co., Ltd.” with “Sato Rubber Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.”
2004
Established “SC Kasei Co., Ltd. (Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture)” (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
Acquired additional shares in Teito Rubber Co., Ltd. (currently Saitama Hose Production Department)
2005
Obtained TS16949 certification
Acquired management rights to Yasu Rubber Industry Co., Ltd. (Kawanuma District, Fukushima Prefecture) (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
2006
Established Kinugawa Plastics (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China) (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
2007
Acquired shares of “CPR Gomu Ind. P.C.L. (Thailand: Ayutthaya Province)” (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
2010
Established “Kinugawa Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (Irapuato City, Guanajuato State, Mexico)” (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
Established Kinugawa Plastics (Wuhu) Co., Ltd. (Wuhu City, Anhui Province, China) (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
2011
Teito Rubber Co., Ltd. becomes a wholly owned subsidiary
2012
Established “PT.Kinugawa Indonesia (Indonesia: Purwakarta, West Java)” (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
Established “Kinugawa Rubber India Private Limited (India: Tamil Nadu)”
Established Kinugawa Plastics (Zhengzhou) Co., Ltd. (Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China) (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
2013
Established “Limited Liability company Kinugawa RUS (Russia: Izhevsk City, Udmurt Republic)” [Liquidation completed in June 2019]
“KINUGAWA BRASIL Ltda. (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro state)” established [Business ends in April 2022]
2016
VG Holdings Co., Ltd. No. 1, a subsidiary of Development Bank of Japan, Inc., acquires our shares through a tender offer.
Delisted from the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
2018
Merged domestic production companies Kinugawa Koriyama Co., Ltd., Kinugawa Oita Co., Ltd., Kinugawa Anti-Vibration Parts Co., Ltd., and Kinugawa Brake Parts Co., Ltd. (currently Koriyama Body Parts Production Department, Kyushu Production Department, and Moka Production Department).
2020
Merged Teito Rubber Co., Ltd. and Kinutec Co., Ltd. (currently Saitama Hose Parts Production Department and Tooling Department)