70-Year Timeline of Events
Note: Honorific titles have been abbreviated
| Year | Akahoshi |
|---|---|
| 1946 (S21) | Founder Masaru Akahoshi begins business in electrical outfitting of ships and sales of mechanical parts in Choshi. |
| 1947 (S22) | The company is incorporated under the name Choshi Electric Machinery Company. |
| 1960 (S35) | The sale of lots in the Ichihara coastal industrial zone is approved by the Japan Housing Corporation (Industrial zone 1,600m2 Company zone 1,392m2). |
| 1962 (S37) | The Chiba Factory is established. Operation in the metalworking industry begins. |
| 1965 (S40) | The company name changes to Akahoshi Steelworks. |
| 1968 (S43) | The neighboring industrial plot is purchased for a second factory (3,400m2). |
| 1969 (S44) | The Aluminum Radar Mast is produced for extra-large ships (for the Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Company). |
| 1971 (S46) | Masaru Akahoshi assumes the office of chairman. The office of president is assumed by Kenji Akahoshi. The head office is moved from Choshi to Ichihara. |
| 1972 (S47) | The aluminum flat tank for freezing is developed and production begins. The company begins obtaining qualification for JIS Z 3811 aluminum welding. |
| 1973 (S48) | The governor of Chiba certifies the company’s specialized vocational school. Aluminum stage planks (AL-Stage) are developed. A third factory (specialized in nonferrous metals) is established. |
| 1974 (S49) | Method electrolyzer cell production begins. Capital increases to 12 million yen. |
| 1975 (S50) | The production of large-scale aluminum silos begins. Two members win awards from the Director General of Science and Technology. |
| 1977 (S52) | Aluminum electrolytic furnace covers are manufactured and exported to Venezuela (for Venalum and Alsaca). Convertible bonds are received from the Tokyo Small and Medium Business Investment & Consuation Co., Ltd., increasing the company’s capital to 24 million yen. |
| 1978 (S53) | The manufacturing of current breaker cases begins (for Toshiba). Two members win awards from the Director General of Science and Technology. Capital increases to 36 million yen. |
| 1980 (S55) | The company is approved as an M-class light welded metal structure manufacturing plant. The Zen Nihon Yousetsu Ginou Konkuru (All Japan Welding Skills Competition) is won. |
| 1981 (S56) | The general engineering contractor certification is received. Capital increases to 50 million yen. |
| 1982 (S57) | The company name changes to Akahoshi Inc. |
| 1983 (S58) | The production of ion exchange membrane electrolyzers begins. |
| 1988 (S63) | Chairman Masaru Akahoshi passes away on February 5th. The head office and factory move to their current location in December. CAD is introduced for the design work. |
| 1989 (H1) | Full-fledged operation begins at the new head office and factory. Aluminum frames are manufactured for a solar car. |
| 1990 (H2) | The welding robot is introduced. Tantalum equipment is produced. |
| 1991 (H3) | NC Bending Rollers are introduced. |
| 1992 (H4) | Aluminum fittings for escort ships (for IHI) are produced. Vacuum vessel for measuring gravity waves are produced (for the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan). |
| 1993 (H5) | Large-scale aluminum LNG vaporizers (for Saibu gas) are produced. A high quality magnetic shield room is produced (for the International Superconductivity Technology Center). |
| 1994 (H6) | Vessels for antimatter detection are produced (for the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, KEK). The manufacturing of linear-use conveyors begins (for Nippon Shooter Ltd.). |
| 1996 (H8) | The world’s longest gas transmission line is manufactured (for Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.). |
| 1997 (H9) | Manufacturing ion-exchange membrane electrolyzers (Bi-type) begins. |
| 1998 (H10) | The Nagara Factory is established. The ISO9001 certification is received. |
| 2000 (H12) | The Fuller company’s (U.S.A.) license for the silo blender is introduced. |
| 2001 (H13) | Successive large orders of silo blenders are received from Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. |
| 2003 (H15) | Equipment for electrolytic copper foil manufacturing is developed and production/ sales begin. Orders for brine electrolyzers begin to increase. |
| 2004 (H16) | Aluminum tube reactors for hydrogen peroxide producing equipment are manufactured. The Chiba Prefecture Governor’s Prize (Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.) is won. |
| 2005 (H17) | The water jet cutting machine is introduced. |
| 2007 (H19) | Plasma welding technology is chosen for the Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry’s Senryakuteki kiban gijutsu kōdoka jigyō (Project for Advancing Core Strategic Technologies). The construction site for the Mobara Factory is acquired. |
| 2008 (H20) | The Mobara Factory is established. A letter of appreciation is received from the 2008 “Genki na monozukuri chushokigyo 300 sha (300 Energetic Small to Mid-sized Manufacturing Corporations).” One skillful “Gendai no meiko (Contemporary Master Craftsmen)” member joins. |
| 2009 (H21) | The Chiba “Genki Jirushi” Company Award is won. |
| 2010 (H22) | One “Yellow Ribbon Award” member joins. One “Chiba-ken no meiko (Master Craftsman of Chiba Prefecture)” joins. |
| 2011 (H23) | The company launches into nonferrous metal specialization in Chiba. A Shidare cherry tree is planted as a 50-year memorial tree in Mobara Factory. The Great Earthquake strikes and the Cosmo oil tank explosion occurs. The main factory suffers some damage. The Mobara Factory wins the “Best Company Award” in the Chiba Prefecture Keiei Kakushin (Business Innovation) Awards. |
| 2012 (H24) | Purchase for the license of blender silo manufacturing from FLSmidth Corporation in Denmark |
| 2013 (H25) | Implementation of new welding technology (plasma welding) Honored “Excellent Company Award” from The Medium and Small Business Research Institute Orders for large-scale products and heavy products have been increased |
| 2014 (H26) | The change of business at Mobara-Factory Plan to establish the new factory in Futtsu |
| 2015 (H27) | Futtsu Factory built |
| 2016 (H28) | ISO9001 JQA-2430 the Design, Manufacture and Service for Nuclear Power Generation Facilities obtained Nagara Factory closed |