Showa Corporation

Last updated

Showa
Type Brand
Industry Automotive
FoundedOctober 28, 1938;85 years ago (1938-10-28)
Headquarters,
Japan
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Nobuyuki Sugiyama
(President)
Products
RevenueIncrease2.svg JPY 291.9 billion (FY 2017) (US$ 2.7 billion) (FY 2017)
Increase2.svg JPY 13.8 billion (FY 2017) (US$ 130.7 million) (FY 2017)
Number of employees
12,761 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2018)
Parent Hitachi Astemo
Footnotes /references
[1]

Showa is a brand of high-performance automotive, motorcycle and outboard suspension systems of Hitachi Astemo, based in Gyoda, Saitama in Japan. [2]

Contents

SHOWA Corporation headquarters in Gyoda, Japan. Showa Corporation Head Office.JPG
SHOWA Corporation headquarters in Gyoda, Japan.

The company was founded in 1938 as Showa Aircraft Precision Works. [3] In Japan's drive to develop its military capability in preparation for World War II, Showa supplied aircraft suspension and landing systems to various aircraft manufacturers.[ citation needed ] Banned from developing or manufacturing aircraft systems after the war, Showa entered the car components industry, using its aircraft knowledge to develop specialist suspension products for motorcycles made by the new company Honda. The relationship between Showa and Honda developed over the years, with Honda Racing Corporation accounting for more than 50% of Showa's business.[ citation needed ]

In 1950 Showa acquired Rikuo Motorcycle, which made licensed versions of Harley Davidson motorcycles in the 1930s and 1940s. [4] Rikuo brand lasted until 1962. Showa has since become OEM supplier to Harley Davidson. [5]

Showa has overseas facilities in Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.

Showa was an official IndyCar Series dampers, springs and shock absorber supplier from 2007 to 2011 alongside Penske Racing Shocks which only supplying shocks for Team Penske. Showa remained IndyCar Series shock absorber supplier since 2012 but only for Honda-powered teams.

In October 2019, Showa began to be merged into Hitachi Automotive Systems as their supplier of steering and suspension components, along with Keihin and Nissin Kogyo, also partners of both Honda and Hitachi. [6] The merger was completed in January 2021, [7] with the resulting parts supplier known as Hitachi Astemo (Japanese). The Showa brand continues to be used within this structure.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley-Davidson</span> American motorcycle manufacturer

Harley-Davidson, Inc. is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with its historical rival, Indian Motorcycles. The company has survived numerous ownership arrangements, subsidiary arrangements, periods of poor economic health and product quality, and intense global competition to become one of the world's largest motorcycle manufacturers and an iconic brand widely known for its loyal following. There are owner clubs and events worldwide, as well as a company-sponsored, brand-focused museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soichiro Honda</span> Japanese businessman

Soichiro Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and oversaw its expansion from a wooden shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile and motorcycle manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hitachi</span> Japanese multinational engineering and electronics company

Hitachi, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company specialises in a diverse range of products, including digital systems, power and renewable energy solutions, railway systems, healthcare products, and financial systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buell Motorcycle Company</span> American motorcycle manufacturer

Buell Motorcycles is an American motorcycle manufacturer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1983 by ex-Harley-Davidson engineer Erik Buell. Harley-Davidson acquired 49 percent of Buell in 1993, and Buell became a wholly owned subsidiary of Harley-Davidson by 2003. On November 17, 2006, Buell announced that it had produced and shipped its 100,000th motorcycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Softail</span> Type of motorcycle

A softail motorcycle intentionally looks like vintage motorcycles with a rigid hard-tail frame that has a triangle of steel tubes at the rear axle, as on a bicycle frame, but on a Softail these tubes are actually a triangular swingarm, with the shock absorber(s) hidden, as opposed to clearly visible regular twin shocks on both sides of the rear wheel on standard bikes. Since the introduction of the Harley-Davidson FXST Softail in 1983 as a registered trademark of the Motor Company, softail has become a genericized trademark for other models of cruiser motorcycles with rear suspensions hidden for retro style reasons. This was done even though the rear wheel was often hidden behind bags or exhaust pipes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurogane Type 95</span> Japanese scout car

The Type 95 was a Japanese scout car built by Tokyu Kurogane Industries, and was used during the war with China and World War II in the East. Between 1936 and 1944 approximately 4,700 were built. It was the only completely Japanese designed reconnaissance car ever used by the Imperial Japanese Army, which tended to use civilian cars. Its nickname is the "Yonki" (よんき) which in Japanese means "all-wheel drive". In the field, soldiers often called it the "daruma" after the Buddhist symbol for good luck.

Tenneco is an automotive components original equipment manufacturer and an aftermarket ride control and emissions products manufacturer. It is a Fortune 500 company that was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange since November 1999 until it was taken private in November 2022 by Apollo Global Management. Tenneco is headquartered in Northville, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarion (company)</span> Japanese manufacturer

The Faurecia Clarion Electronics Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of car audio, automotive navigation systems, AutoPCs, visual equipment, bus equipment, and communication equipment. It is since 2019 fully owned by Faurecia Clarion Electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rikuo Motorcycle</span> Japanese motorcycle manufacturer

Rikuo Internal Combustion Company was one of the first motorcycle manufacturing companies in Japan. In the early 1930s Rikuo operated under the license and name of Harley-Davidson, using their tooling, and later under the name Rikuo until 1958. Harley-Davidson themselves did not publicize this Japanese connection because the Japanese were helped in developing mass-production techniques by the introduction of this factory into Japan just prior to the Second World War. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan(in Japanese) rates the 1935 Rikuoh Large Motorcycle as one of their 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology.

The Type 97 motorcycle, or Rikuo, was a copy of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle produced with a sidecar from 1935 in Japan under license from Harley-Davidson by the Sankyo Company. Some 18,000 of the machines were used by the Imperial Japanese forces during World War II. A variation was also manufactured without a side car, called the Type 93.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flyscooters</span>

Flyscooters, formerly known under the name Znen, was an American company that marketed gas-powered motor scooters manufactured in China and Taiwan. The company was founded in 2006 in Florida by scooter enthusiasts Leon Li and Daniel Pak, and ceased operations in 2010. During the operating life of the company, Flyscooters' basic business model was to import low-cost scooters from abroad and distribute them under the Fly brand name to a network of retail scooter dealerships across the United States, providing dealers with warranty and spare parts support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in Pakistan</span> Overview of the automotive industry in Pakistan

The automotive industry in Pakistan is one of the smallest but fastest-growing industries in the country, growing by 171% between 2014 and 2018. It accounts for 3% of Pakistan's GDP and employed a workforce of over 3.5 million people as of 2018. Pakistan is the 23rd largest producer of automobiles. Its contribution to the national exchequer is nearly Rs. 50-billion. Pakistan's auto market is among the smallest but fastest growing in Asia. 269,792 cars were sold in 2018, but this number declined to 186,716 in 2019 due to austerity measures. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Pakistan had many Japanese cars. With the launch of the first Auto Policy in 2005, Pakistan launched its first indigenous car, Adam Revo. However, after the 2008 elections, the dollar started depreciating, and due to bad governance, many automakers began to halt production, with some exiting Pakistan. Currently, the auto market is dominated by Honda, Toyota, and Suzuki. However, on 19 March 2016, Pakistan passed a second "Auto Policy 2016-21," which offers tax incentives to new automakers to establish manufacturing plants in the country. In response, Renault, Nissan, Proton Holdings, Kia, SsangYong, Volkswagen, FAW, and Hyundai have expressed interest in entering the Pakistani market. MG JW Automobile Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Morris Garages (MG) Motor UK Limited, owned by SAIC Motor, to bring electric vehicles to Pakistan. NLC signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz to manufacture Mercedes Actros trucks in Pakistan. Pakistan has not enforced any automotive safety standards or model upgrade policies. A few older vehicle models, including the Bolan and Ravi, continue to be sold by Suzuki. On 8 July 2021, Jolta Electric launched the production of electric motorcycles.

BWI Group, also known as BeijingWest Industries, is a supplier of brake and suspension systems headquartered in Beijing, China. The company acquired the Chassis Division of Delphi on November 1, 2009. The brake and suspension business lines were purchased for approximately $100 million. The company supplies to automotive, motorcycle, and specialty vehicle manufacturers. BWI Group is an international supplier with manufacturing facilities located in China, Poland, United Kingdom, Czech Republic and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keihin Corporation</span> Japanese automotive and motorcycle parts brand

Keihin is a Japanese automotive and motorcycle parts brand of Hitachi Astemo. At the past times, Keihin was a major supplier to Honda, who owned nearly half of Keihin's shares, but also supplies other motorcycle manufacturers, among them Triumph, Suzuki, Kawasaki, KTM, Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson. In addition to carburetors, Keihin supplies the automotive industry with engine, transmission, and climate control products, including intake manifold assemblies, HVAC assemblies, compressors, valves, solenoids, and engine control units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley-Davidson RL 45</span> Type of motorcycle

The Harley-Davidson RL 45 is a model of the R-series range produced from 1932 to 1936, preceded by the DL range (1929-1931), which was Harley-Davidson's first 45 cubic-inch and first flathead V-twin motorcycle, and succeeded in 1937 by the WL. The R-series range included 45-solo, R, RL and RLD models. The RL, like the DL before it, featured a total-loss oiling system; the following WL had a recirculating oil system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meguro motorcycles</span> Japanese motorcycle brand

Meguro motorcycles were built by Meguro Manufacturing Co motorcycle works (目黒製作所), founded by Nobuji Murata and a high-ranking naval officer, Takaji Suzuki, in 1937. One of the first Japanese motorcycle companies, it became a partner of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd, and was eventually absorbed. Named after a district of Tokyo, Meguro had its roots in Murato Iron Works, which was established in 1924. Meguro Seisakusho, which had once developed a copy of a Harley-Davidson V-twin, was established to design and build gearboxes for the nascent Japanese motorcycle industry. Abe Industries, which had once produced its own motorcycle, merged with Meguro in 1931. The brand is being revived by Kawasaki with a new K3 model to be introduced in Japan on February 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KYB Corporation</span> Japanese automotive company

KYB Corporation is a Japanese, Tokyo-based automotive company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley-Davidson Fat Boy</span> V-twin softail cruiser motorcycle with solid-cast disc wheels

The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, is a V-twin softail cruiser motorcycle with solid-cast disc wheels. Designed by Willie G. Davidson and Louie Netz, Harley-Davidson built a prototype Fat Boy in Milwaukee for the Daytona Bike Week rally at Daytona Beach in 1988 and 1989. Fat Boys produced from 1990-2017 are coded FLSTF, and FLFB from 2018.

Tokyu Kurogane Industries, or Kurogane, was one of the first Japanese automakers. It built vehicles from about 1926 until 1962 when a subsidiary of Nissan, called Nissan Machinery, assumed operations as the company had become a member of the Nissan Group keiretsu. The word kurogane is an old term for iron, and one of the kanji used in Mr. Makita's first name. Remnants of the company were called Nissan Machinery until 1985, and operated as a separate entity within Nissan Techno until 2006, building and developing all of Nissan's current engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nissin Kogyo</span> Japanese automotive parts brand

Nissin Kogyo is a Japanese automotive parts brand of vehicle braking systems and aluminium products owned by Hitachi Astemo. The company was founded in 1953 and was listed on the first section Tokyo Stock Exchange until January 2021. As of March 2017, the company had 1.54 billion dollars in revenue and 9,557 employees. Honda Motor Company was the largest shareholder, owning 34.6 percent of total shares.

References

  1. "Company Overview". SHOWA Corporation. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  2. "About the company". Financial Times . Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  3. "The History of Showa Corporation". SHOWA Corporation. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  4. Alexander, Jeffrey W. (January 1, 2009). Japan's Motorcycle Wars: An Industry History. UBC Press. p. 82. ISBN   978-0-7748-5844-1.
  5. Field, Greg. Harley-Davidson Evolution Motorcycles. The Quarto Group. p. 51. ISBN   978-1-61060-948-7.
  6. "Hitachi Astemo Co., Ltd. - Saitama No.1 Plant (Formerly SHOWA Corporation) - MarkLines Automotive Industry Portal". www.marklines.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  7. "Company Name & Brand : Company Information : Hitachi Astemo, Ltd". www.hitachiastemo.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.