History

1933	Oct. Inauguration of business "Kato Hatsujo Seisakusho" founded by Saburo Kato, age of 22, in Honjo, Kikukawa-cho, Tokyo, with five employees.
1936	Mar. Moved to Yokohama The head plant was moved to Iwai-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi. Became the only specialized manufacturer of springs in Kanagawa prefecture. 13 employees.
1937	Mar. Started business with Ford Japan Ltd. Prototype parts were delivered through Ford Japan to Ford Motor Company in the U.S. They passed the strict specification tests and started to be supplied as genuine Ford parts.
1938	Jan. Established the Second Plant Obtained a loan, for the first time, from the Industrial Bank of Japan (present Mizuho Corporate Bank).
1939	Sep. Incorporated as a joint-stock corporation Kato Hatsujo Co., Ltd. was established with capital of 100,000 yen (300 million yen in terms of present value).
1942	Mar. Established Osaka Branch Office Established a sales base in Asahi-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka.
1957	Jun. Established Yokohama Plant The demand of springs rapidly grew. Established a new plant in the site of 6,600 m2 in Kariba-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi.
1963	Jul. Won the Prime Minister's Prize for Safety Contributors The only winner among the medium to small sized companies throughout Japan.
1964	Oct. Established Totsuka Plant Established a light-gauge-steel one-story plant of 635 m2 at the site of 3,300 m2 in Kamiyabe-cho industry complex, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi.
1968	Mar. Introduced "In-house Skill Test System" for the first time in the spring industry 175 candidates were examined for the first test. The pass rate was 89%.
1969	Oct. Established a tie-up with a U.K. fastener manufacturer Technical tie-up with FT Fasteners Inc. (present TRW Inc.). Manufactured plastic fasteners for the first time as a spring manufacturer.
1969	Oct. Established Moka Plant Established a large plant of 3,000 m2 equipped with modern equipment.
1972	Oct. Received inquiries from overseas companies Established the Overseas Department in June of the year. Concluded an annual export contract with GE Company and Cumins Engine Company in the U.S. French Spring Association visited PIOLAX.
1973	Oct. Established the first Japan-U.S. joint venture Established K.P. Products Corporation as a joint venture with Peterson American Corporation, a major US spring manufacturer.
1974	Feb. Completed the construction of a new head office building as the 40th anniversary memorial project 9-story building in Iwai-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi. 600 employees. Annual sales of 6 billion yen.
1977	Apr. Started establishing sales bases throughout Japan Following capital increase to 240 million yen, sales bases started to be established in major cities.
1979	May. Established Kyushu Plant According with the operation start of Kyushu Plant of Nissan Motor, a new plant was established in Iizuka industrial complex in Kaho-gun, Fukuoka.
1982	Sep. Started to work toward practical application of shape-memory alloy Through collaborative development with Furukawa Electric and TOYO LIVING, shape-memory alloy was applied to open/close springs for industrial automatic dry warehouses.
1983	Sep. The 50th anniversary of foundation Held a celebration ceremony.
1984	Jun. Kazuhiko Kato acceded as President (age 44) Saburo Kato, founder and former president, acceded as the chairman of the board of directors.
1986	Nov. Established KHK of America Inc. in Illinois, U.S. (moved to Michigan in Aug, 1988) New strategies were launched to prepare for abrupt appreciation of the yen.
1987	Jul. Started business in Asia Established a joint venture "PIOLAX of Taiwan Inc." with "San Long Industrial Co., Ltd", a Taiwanese resin maker.
1988	Mar. Received Nissan Quality Control (NQC) Award Participated in Nissan Quality Control (NQC) activities and won the award. May. Started local production in U.S. Established "Piolax Corporation" in Canton, Georgia, U.S. Started the production of metal springs for home electric appliances and automobiles.
1990	Jan. Established KHK Sales Co., Ltd. Established a sales subsidiary to provide better sales and service for small-lot customers. Nov. Established S.T.K. Co., Ltd. Established for production of metallic and plastic products in Annaka-shi, Gunma.
1991	Nov. Completed the construction of the second plant in U.S. Started manufacturing plastic fasteners for automobiles in Canton, Georgia, U.S. Shifted from export to local production.
1992	Oct. Established a joint venture in Kyushu Established K & K Co., Ltd., with KATAKEN SEIKO Co., Ltd., a mold manufacturer for precision metal parts, in Higashi-kunisaki-gun, Oita.
1993	Oct. Established Shonan Logistic Center, a large-scale distribution base Consolidated eight warehouses and distribution bases around Kanagawa and Shizuoka to Ohi-cho, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa.
1994	Jul. Changed the company name to "Kato Hatsujo Inc." Annual sales: 35 billion yen. Oct. Established KHK of UK Ltd., a fully funded sales base in London Became a center to expand business in Europe.
1995	Apr. Introduction of stock Listed as over-the-counter stock. Capital: 2,623,25million yen. Aug. Established the first production base in Europe Jointly established Piolax Ltd. with Reefa, a British resin maker in Lancashire, U.K. Oct. Changed the company name to the present "PIOLAX, Inc." Established the Medical Appliance Division.
1996	Jun. Established a plant in South Korea Established "PIOLAX Co., Ltd.", a joint venture with "SAN YUNG TRADING Co., Ltd.", a South Korean chemical product trading company. Sep. Established Technical Center. Consolidated Design and R&D divisions in Kariba-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi. Approx 200 employees.
1998	Apr. Listed on the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Three years after registered as over-the-counter stock. Oct. Started operation in Fuji Plant, a new production base Established a newest plant in Fujikawa-cho, Ihara-gun, Shizuoka. Started business with Toyota. Dec. Established West Japan Center Consolidated distribution bases in Hiroshima and Kyushu to Kanda-cho, Miyako-gun, Fukuoka.
1999	Apr. Split off the medical appliance business Piolax Medical Devices, Inc. was established. Totsuka Kasei Co. Ltd., Hodogaya Hatsujo Co., Ltd., and S.T.K. Co., Ltd. were merged to S.T.K. Co., Ltd. Oct. Established P.M.T. Inc. Improved efficiency by promoting in-house production of molds for injection molding.
2000	Mar. Constructed a new plant in U.K. Established Piolax Ltd. near Manchester. Jul. Obtained "ISO9001:1994" certification, quality management standard Also won the "Excellent Company Award" from Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Aug. Established a new subsidiary in Thailand Established Piolax (Thailand) Ltd. in order to reinforce business in Asia. Dec. Reinforced U.S. bases KHK of America Inc. founded in 1986 and Piolax Corporation founded in 1988 were merged with bases in Michigan and Georgia. Dec. Established a new plant in Mexico Started the operation in PIOLAX, S.A. de C.V.
2001	Mar. Comprehensive business alliance including capital participation with Saga Tekkosho Co., Ltd. Concluded a business cooperation agreement in accordance with the Nissan Revival Plan. Aug. Obtained QS9000 certification, international quality standard It allowed PIOLAX to meet the requirement of U.S. Big 3. Dec. Established P.S.T. Inc. Expanded press working and production of pressed metal products.
2002	Apr. Introduced SBU system Classified business fields into six units and introduced the Strategic Business Unit (SBU) system to improve the profit-earning capacity. Apr. Obtained "ISO14001:1996" certification, environment management system standard Further promoted the efforts toward an environment-conscious company. May. Changed the company name of a subsidiary Changed the company name "S.T.K. Co., Ltd". to "PIOLAX Harness Fastening Systems, Inc." Oct. Promoted spin-off the company PIOLAX OC Systems Co., Ltd. was spun off into a separate company for the purpose of improving the capacity for developing, manufacturing and selling open/close mechanical parts for automobiles. Also, PIOLAX Business Service Co., Ltd. was spun off to undertake accounting, personnel and administration work.
2003	Jul. Obtained "ISO9001:2000" certification, quality management system standard Aug. Established a base in China DONGGUAN PIOLAX Co., Ltd. was established in Guangdong, China, with investment of 51% by PIOLAX, 25% by San Lon Industrial Co., Ltd. in Taiwan, and 24% by PIOLAX of Taiwan Inc. Sep. Celebrated the 70th anniversary of founding. Established a base in France
2004	Sep. Listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
2005	Aug. Established P.N.S. INC. Oct. Merged with PIOLAX OC SYSTEMS Co., Ltd.
2006	Apr. Obtained "ISO14001:2004" certification, environmental management system standard. Aug. Obtained "ISO/TS16949:2002" certification, international automotive industry standard.
2007	Apr. P.N.S. INC merged with SANKYO HATSUJO CO., LTD. May. The new ERP system to "visual" business is operating company wide. Oct. PIOLAX KYUSHU was established in October, 2007.
2009	Apr. PIOLAX MEDICAL DEVICES, INC., our consolidated subsidiary obtained all of SOLUTION's stocks. Merged with SOLUTION on April 1, 2010. Apr. Cancelled the merger agreement with KHK OF TAIWAN, INC., an equity method affiliate. Dec. Established a new subsidiary in India. Established a sales subsidiary on the assumption that we would establish a production base for sales expansion in the automobile market in India. Dec. PIOLAX LTD. (U.K.) merged with PIOLAX MANUFACTURING LTD. (U.K.)
2010	Jul. Established PIOLAX MEXICANA S.A. de C.V. PM in Apodaca, Mexico.
2012	Jul. Established a new subsidiary in Indonesia. Nov. Established a consolidated subsidiary as a second production base in Wuhan City Hubei, China.
2014	Sep. Moved PIOLAX CO., LTD. (South Korea) to a new plant (Incheon, South Korea)
2015	Feb. Completed a new plant dedicated to medical device manufacturing for PIOLAX MEDICAL DEVICES, INC. (Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi).
2016	Oct. Merged with P.S.T. INC. (short form merger)
2017	Apr. Obtained "ISO14001:2015" certification, environmental management system standard. (Corresponding office )
2018	Jul. Obtained "IATF16949:2016" certification, international automobile industry special committee standard. (Corresponding office )
2019	Jan. Established SHANGHAI PIOLAX CO., LTD. in Shanghai, China.
2022	Feb. Established a representative office in Dusseldorf, Germany. Apr. Moved the Head Office from Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama to Nishi-ku, Yokohama. Apr. Moved from the First Section to the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.