1908 |
Founder Saijiro Endo set up business in Seki. |
1920 |
Established Joint-Stock Company Endo Cutlery Manufacturing Co. to produce folding knives.
|
1932 |
Established Seki Safety Razor Manufacturing Co. and began production of the first
replaceable blade razor in Japan. |
1936 |
Dissolved Seki Safety Razor Manufacturing Co. to establish Nippon Safety Razor Co., Ltd.
|
1940 |
Changed corporate name from Nippon Safety Razor Co., Ltd. to Nippon Anzen Kamisori Co., Ltd.
|
1947 |
Saijiro Endo II established Feather Co., Ltd. in Nagoya and started wholesaling razors and
cutlery. |
1949 |
Established Joint-Stock Company Sanwa and Co. in Tokyo. |
1951 |
Established Sanwa Blade Manufacturing and started production of KAI-branded lightweight,
convenient long-bladed razors. |
1954 |
Merged Feather and Sanwa 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 Cutlery Co., Ltd. |
1968 |
Built Oyana Factory. |
1971 |
Established Endo Cutlery Co., Ltd. and started production of kitchen knives. |
1973 |
Started production of scissors at Sanwa Cutlery mfg 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 Cutlery Co., Ltd. to Kaijirushi Hamono Co., Ltd. |
1984 |
Started production of scalpels. |
1988 |
Introduced a new corporate Identity to relaunch the new KAI Group. |
1989 |
President and CEO Koji Endo took office. |
|
Launched KAI K-II, a blade-replaceable dispo-razor. |
1992 |
Consolidated 6 manufacturing companies and changed the corporate name to Kai Industries Co.,
Ltd. |
1996 |
Started locally-based production of kai U.S.A. Ltd. folding knives. |
|
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. |
2004 |
Renewed the overall corporate message, corporate mission, code of conduct and corporate
philosophy of the KAI Group. |
|
Launched K-4 TETRA, a replaceable 4-blade razor. |
|
Remodeled the first and second floors of the Tokyo 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 of Universal Razor Industries,LLC (razor / beauty care product joint
venture company in the US) and made it a subsidiary. |
2007 |
Established Kai Jirushi Korea Corp. in Korea. |
2008 |
100th anniversary. |
|
Established Kai R&D (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. in Guangdong, China. |
|
Established Lampas Inc. |
2012 |
Acquired GREAT WORKS K.K. and GREAT WORKS CHINA Inc. |
|
Established Kai Manufacturing India Pvt. Ltd. |
2014 |
First Japanese company to receive "Leonardo Da Vinci Award" from the Henokiens and the
Château du Clos Lucé. |
2015 |
Established Kai France SARL. |
2018 |
110th anniversary. / New Oyana factory No.1 comoleted, and expanded the surgical instrument
factory. |
2021 |
Koji Endo became Chairman and CEO. |
|
Hiroaki Endo became President and COO. |