Mabuchi Motor
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Mabuchi Motor Company, Limited of Chiba Prefecture, Japan TYO: 6592 is the world's number one manufacturer of small electric motors.
The company traces its roots to 1946 when Kenichi Mabuchi (now the company's honorary chairman) founded "Kansai Rika Kenkyusho," a scientific research institute. They created the world's first high performance horseshoe-shaped magnetic motor in 1947.
On January 18, 1954, Kansai Rika Kenkyusho established Tokyo Science Industrial Co., Ltd. for the production of small electric motors for toys and scientific apparatus. By August, 1955, an automatic armature winding apparatus was developed, thereby expanding production capacity. Export operations began in September, 1957 with the creation of Mabuchi Shoji Co., Ltd.
1963 saw the development of two of Mabuchi's most important motors. The first, released in April, was the FT, which became a popular choice for use in slot cars. The second major development, released in October, was the RS series. This motor put Mabuchi not only in the home appliance market but in the radio control market as well. RS motors are still used today in entry-level car, boat and aircraft models.
By the dawn of the 1970's, Mabuchi became one of the world's leading producers of original equipment motors for consumer electronics, toys and model aircraft. A second production facility in Taiwan was built at that time while North American operations were added in New York City which later moved to Detroit, Michigan. A third Taiwanese production facility was added in 1979.
In the early 1980's Mabuchi entered both the VCR and battery-operated power tool market. The development of a heavy-duty printer motor in 1985 led to Mabuchi's entry into the office equipment market. The Mabuchi Technology Center was created in 1992 for in-depth research and development of small electric motors. Operations in Europe and China began in 1993.
Today, Mabuchi employs more than 50,000 worldwide. Annual sales in 2004 totalled ¥99,347 million.
