Company History

History

Our Story

From humble beginnings as a manufacturer of bicycle tires...

1924	Founded as Takino Rubber Industries, the company begins producing bicycle tires out of a single factory in Mukojima, Tokyo.
1944	A merger with four other rubber providers results in the establishment of Kokoku Rubber Industries, with Takino Rubber spearheading operations.
1949	Kokoku Rubber enters the industrial components market and opens the Kambara factory, located in Shizuoka prefecture.
1950	A new sales office is opened in Okachimachi, Tokyo.
1953	A second production facility, the Akabane factory, is opened in Kita-ku, Tokyo.
1957	Kokoku Rubber shifts its main production focus from bicycle tires to industrial components, complemented by the establishment of a dedicated R&D center within the Akabane factory.
1961	To meet increased demand, the Kambara factory adds an additional facility (now called Shizuoka Rubber). The Mukojima factory begins manufacturing hoses.
1963	The company headquarters moves from Sumida-ku to Okachimachi, Taito-ku.
1965	A third production facility, the Ohama factory, is opened in Shizuoka prefecture.
1966	Kokoku Rubber prepares to enter the precision component market.
1968	A fourth production facility, the Utsunomiya factory, is opened in Tochigi prefecture.
1969	Kokoku Rubber exits the tire tube production market.
1970	The Ohama factory begins full-scale production of rubber components for medical devices.
1972	The Akabane factory develops and begins production of rubber diaphragms over-molded on fabric substrates.
1974	A second sales office is opened in Yodogawa-ku in Osaka city.
1976	The company headquarters moves to Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku in central Tokyo.
1977	The Akabane factory pioneers a new rubber compound that can conduct electrical currents.
1979	The R&D center is relocated from the Akabane factory to its own facility in Inamachi, Saitama prefecture.
1980	Kokoku opens a distribution center in Urawa, Saitama prefecture. Kambara factory pioneers a hybrid molding production technique for computer keyboard switches called "tactile feedback rubber" by placing an EPDM-based dome shape over an internally placed conductive rubber disk. The Kambara factory undergoes an expansion to accommodate the production of the tactile feedback keyboard switches. The R&D center develops an electrically conductive resin (DEP).
1983	Kokoku opens its first overseas sales office in Los Angeles, USA.
1985	A second overseas sales office is opened in Chicago, USA. The R&D center becomes a subsidiary and is rebranded as Kokoku Rubber Technologies. An electronics devices research lab is opened in Yoga, Tokyo. A third domestic sales office is also opened in Nagoya, Japan.
1986	Kokoku founds a U.S.-based subsidiary, Kokoku Rubber Inc (KRI).
1988	Kokoku Rubber Inc. opens a factory in Kentucky, USA, enabling smoother distribution to North and South American markets.
1989	The Eno Science Foundation is established under the patronage of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture. Utilizing conductive rubber technology, Kokoku provides graphic computers for children to Sony, branded under the label "My First Sony."
1990	Kokoku enters the hard drive component market.
1991	The Ohama factory begins production of safety valves for rechargeable batteries.
1992	Kokoku Rubber Industries is rechristened Kokoku Intech Co., Ltd.
1994	Kokoku Intech establishes a second overseas subsidiary in Thailand, dubbed Thai Kokoku Rubber (TKR).
1995	A third overseas sales office is opened in Singapore. A second overseas production facility, Thai Kokoku Rubber breaks ground on a new factory in Ayutthaya, Thailand.
1996	The Kambara factory develops and begins producing a new kind of precision rubber belt which transfers toner for photocopiers.
1998	Kokoku Intech establishes another subsidiary, Tochigi Rubber Co., Ltd., through the acquisition of Takino Rubber.
1999	Kokoku Intech creates an offshoot of the Kambara factory to create another subsidiary, Shizuoka Rubber Co., Ltd.
2000	The Ohama factory develops a new rubber compound perfectly suited to work as as a toner transfer belt in color laser printers.
2001	Kokoku Intech establishes a presence in Shanghai, China, by establishing a subsidiary called Kokoku Shanghai Precision Rubber (KSP) as a third overseas production facility.
2005	The Ayutthaya factory receives an expansion to increase its rubber extrusion capabilities.
2007	Two new sales offices are opened in Bangkok, Thailand, and New Delhi, India.
2009	Kokoku Intech registers a fully-fledged subsidiary in India, Kokoku Intech India Pvt. Ltd. (KII).
2011	KII constructs a factory in Neemrana, Rajasthan, to better serve customers in India's rising manufacturing sector.
2013	Kokoku Intech opens another sales office in Jakarta, Indonesia (JKI).
2016	A fourth domestic sales office is opened in Fukuoka, Japan, and Thai Kokoku Rubber builds a second factory in Nong Khae.
2017	A fifth sales office opened in Kakegawa within the Ohama factory. A research facility, Kokoku Innovative Technology (KITy), is opened within the Mahidol University Salaya campus in Thailand. Kokoku Intech's headquarters moves to the PMO Hanzomon Building.
2018	A new factory, Rungruang Medical Component (RMC), is established in Thailand to specialize in the production of components for the medical sector.
2019	The Akabane factory begins production of a diaphragm for propane gas regulator units.
2020	The Singapore sales office is folded into a larger ASEAN sales office situated in Bangkok.
2022	The Ohama factory undergoes expansion and gains a new production facility.
2023	KSP moves to a newly completed production facility in Shanghai.

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