KAI is a company that currently manufactures, sells, exports and imports more than 10,000 different kinds of cutlery and cutting tools, ranging from kitchen utensils to cosmetic accessories and surgical implements.
KAI started in 1908 as a small pocket-knife factory in the city of Seki, which is known in Japan as the City of Good Swordsmen.
Even though the company has become large, one principle, nokaji (blacksmith)'s spirit, has been consistently upheld by KAI. "The nokaji strives to make blades that are suited to the daily lives of people by bringing to bear on the task all his craftsmanship and all his heart."
KAI is to find an answer to the question: "how can we bring the spirit of the nokaji into the 21st century?"
head office |
kai corporation |
|---|---|
Head Office Address |
3-9-5 Iwamoto-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8586, Japan |
Founded |
1908 |
President & CEO |
Koji Endo |
Business Description |
Marketing of cutlery, kitchen utensils, beauty care products, confectionery utensils, etc. |
Registered Capital |
450 million yen |
Number of Employees |
1,955 (March 2008, consolidated basis) |
Sales |
41.3 billion yen (March 2008, consolidated basis) |
| 1908 | Saijiro Endo set up business in the city of Seki |
|---|---|
| 1920 | Established Joint-Stock Company Endo Hamono Seisakujo to produce pocketknives |
| 1932 | Established Seki Anzen Kamisori Seizo Joint-Stock Company and began production of the first replaceable blade razor in Japan. |
| 1936 | Dissolved Seki Safety Razor Seizo Joint-Stock Company to establish Nihon Safety Razor Co., Ltd. |
| 1940 | Changed corporate name from Nihon Safety Razor Co., Ltd. to Nihon Anzen Kamisori Co., Ltd. |
| 1947 | Saijiro Endo II established Feather Shokai Co. Ltd. in Nagoya and started wholesaling razors and cutlery. |
| 1949 | Established Joint-Stock Company Sanwa Shokai in Tokyo. |
| 1951 | Established Sanwa Blade Manufacturing, Ltd. and started production of Kai-branded lightweight, convenient long-bladed razors |
| 1954 | Merged Feather Shokai and Sanwa Shokai to establish Sanwa Co. Ltd. |
| 1956 | Set up a trade division inside the company to export cutlery |
| 1967 | Changed corporate name from Sanwa Co. Ltd. to Sanwa Hamono Kogyo Co. Ltd. |
| 1968 | Built the Oyana Factory |
| 1971 | Established Endo Hamono Seisakujyo and started production of kitchen knives. |
| 1973 | Started production of scissors at Sanwa Hamono Kogyo Co. Ltd. |
| 1977 | Established kai cutlery U.S.A. ltd. in Portland, Oregon |
| 1978 | Established kai cutlery (H.K.) ltd. |
| 1980 | Established kai cutlery (Europe) GmbH in Solingen, Germany. |
| 1982 | Changed corporate name from Sanwa Hamono Kogyo Co. Ltd. to Kaijirushi Hamono Co. Ltd. |
| 1984 | Started production of scalpels. |
| 1988 | Introduced a new identity to relaunch the new Kaijirushi Group |
| 1990 | Launched K-II, a blade-replaceable dispo-razor |
| 1992 | Consolidated 6 manufacturing companies and changed the corporate name to Kai Industries Co., Ltd. |
| 1993 | Established Mi Kai Housewares Co., Ltd. (joint venture) in Guangdong, China and started operations |
| 1995 | Established G.T.I. Cutlery Co. Ltd. (joint venture) in Guangdong, China and started operations |
| 1996 | Started locally-based production of Kai USA pocketknives |
Shanghai Kai Cutlery Co., Ltd, the Asian production hub for razors and beauty products, goes into full-scale operation. |
|
| 1998 | Launched K-3, the world’s first replaceable 3-blade razor |
| 1999 | Launched Lady K-3, the world’s first replaceable 3-blade razor for women |
| 2000 | Aligned all development divisions into the Kai Cutlery Development Center Co., Ltd. to leverage operations. |
| 2004 | Renewed the overall corporate message, corporate mission, code of conduct and corporate philosophy of the Kaijirushi Group |
Launched K-4 TETRA, a replaceable 4-blade razor |
|
Remodeled the first and second floors of theTokyo Head office and opened “Kai House” |
|
| 2005 | Launched Michel Bras kitchen knife line-up (co-development with Michelin’s 3-star chef) in Europe and the United States. |
Established KAI vietnam co.,ltd. in Hanoi City, Vietnam |
|
| 2006 | Acquired all stocks for Universal Razor Industries (razor / beauty care product joint venture company in the US) and made it a subsidiary |
| 2007 | Established Kaijirushi Korea Co. Ltd. in Korea. |
| 2008 | 100th anniversary |
Established KAI R&D (Guangzhou) co.,ltd. in Guangdong, China |
|
Established Lampas Inc. |
