AKASHI GOHDOH

Akashi Gohdoh was founded in the city of Kanazawa by Yonekichi Akashi in 1946. With a capital investment of JPY 1 million, it was incorporated in January, 1954. Yonekichi suffered an early death in December, 1959, and was succeeded by his wife, Hatsuko. This was a very difficult decision for Hatsuko. In those days a foundry was considered no place for a women, and she had the added difficulty of raising her children. She proved to be an exceptional businesswoman and mother. The company grew quickly, adding a factory for machining in October, 1970, and the beginning of bimetal production in June, 1975 ? a decision which proved to be pivotal in their history. In March, 1977, the factory moved out of the city to its present location in an industrial park nearby. The company continued to grow, and in 1985, after more than a quarter of a century, Hatsuko handed the presidency over to her eldest son, Iwao (she continued for nearly another 2 decades as chairwoman until she passed that role on to Iwao who was himself succeeded as president by his younger brother, Kanji). Other milestones include the adoption of JIT production methods in 1995, ISO9002 certification in 1997, ISO14001 certification in 2001, ISO9001-2000 certification and introduction of powder sintered self-lubricating bushings in 2003, and the development of die cast pure copper rotors for induction motors in 2009. Through the years these milestones have occurred in tandem with continuous upgrading and expansion of production facilities. In 2006 the Japanese Small and Medium Enterprise Agency culminated a project to determine the 300 foremost enterprises for their ?vibrant manufacturing.? Not surprisingly, Akashi Gohdoh was one of those selected.