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Timeline

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.