Tanaka Kikinzoku

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Tanaka Holdings Co., Ltd.
Native name
TANAKAホールディングス株式会社
Company type Private (K.K)
Industry Precious metals
Founded1885;141 years ago (1885)
FounderTanaka Umekichi
Headquarters
Tokyo Building, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6422
,
Japan
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Akira Tanae
(CEO)
Products
Revenue JPY 976.6 billion (FY 2017) (US$ 9.2 billion) (FY 2017)
Number of employees
5,034 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2018)
Website Official website
Footnotes /references
[1] [2]

The Tanaka Kikinzoku Group, founded in 1885, is a Japanese manufacturer of precious metals materials focusing mainly on products for the electronics, semiconductor and automotive industries. [2] Tanaka's European subsidiary is Tanaka Kikinzoku International (Europe) GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany and its US subsidiary is Tanaka Kikinzoku International (America) Inc. in Chicago, United States.

Contents

The name Tanaka Kikinzoku (Pronunciation according to IPA: [ˈtanakakiˈkinzokɯ]) traces back to the owners' family name "Tanaka" (田中) and the Japanese word for precious metals "Kikinzoku" (貴金属).

According to its company information, Tanaka leads the world market for bonding wire [3] and catalysts for PEM fuel cells.

History

Tsukuba Technical Centre (TKK) Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. Tsukuba Technical Center.JPG
Tsukuba Technical Centre (TKK)
Main store of Ginza Tanaka in the Tokyo shopping district Ginza Golden Christmas tree in Ginza Tokyo.jpg
Main store of Ginza Tanaka in the Tokyo shopping district Ginza

1884-1924 Foundation: Meiji and Taisho Period

Tanaka Kikinzoku was originally founded as a monetary exchange firm but became known as a company which connected manufacturing industries with platinum materials. [4] Tanaka engaged in platinum metal recovery and the company was the first fabricator of platinum fine filament wire in Japan. [5] During the Taisho period and early Showa period, the widespread modernization of Japan's industries saw the development of Tanaka's research and manufacture of industrial precious metals products.

1925-1964 Showa Period: Second World War and Period of High Economic Growth until 1964

Under a policy of "National Wealth", the early Showa period was strongly influenced by the Japanese military. [6] During the Second World War, the company was under the administration of the Army. As it was not permitted to engage in trade with other industrialized nations, Tanaka Kikinzoku was forced to promote greater domestic reliance and develop various technologies for domestic consumption. [7]

Later, products that contributed to Japan's postwar economic recovery occupied a large share of the industry, such as electrical contacts for power generation [8] , nozzles for the synthetic fiber industry [9] , and precious metals materials for electrical household appliances and radios. [10]

1965-2010 Beyond Showa Year 40: High Economic Growth to Present Day

After 1965, the Japanese economy rushed to build a foundation centered on the electrical, communications, petrochemical and electronics industries. [11] During this period, the company built the foundation of the modern Tanaka Kikinzoku Group. [4] This period of high economic growth brought increased income, widespread availability of consumer goods, and higher standard of living, all defining qualities of the wealthier society of modern Japan. [12] The Second Gold Boom of 1981 resulted in an increased number of individual investors, bringing flourishing business to the company's retail shops. [4] [13]

Customers

The majority of customers are companies from the electronics, semiconductor, automotive, aerospace, telecommunications, pharmaceutic and glass industries. However, the company does maintain retail operations, such as the Ginza Tanaka store in Tokyo. [14]

Products

Tanaka Kikinzoku primarily uses precious metals to manufacture materials and semi-fabricated products for industrial applications. [15]

Sporting events

The company has produced the winner medals and finisher medals for every Tokyo Marathon since the first edition. [14]

References

  1. ↑ "Company Outline". Tanaka Holdings. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Company Overview". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  3. ↑ Evans, Ferguson (September 30, 2008). The Rise of the Japanese Specialist Manufacturer: Leading Medium-Sized Enterprises . Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp.  86–88. ISBN   978-0-230-59495-1.
  4. 1 2 3 "History | About Us | TANAKA". tanaka.co.jp. TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd. February 5, 2026. Archived from the original on February 5, 2026.
  5. ↑ Evans, F. (2003). Japanese LMEs and internationalisation: a study of the internationalisation behaviour of Japanese leading medium-sized enterprises in the context of globalisation (PhD thesis). Middlesex University. p. 270. Retrieved February 5, 2026. As early as 1889, in fact, Tanaka Shoten became the flrst enterprise to manufacture platinum products in Japan.
  6. ↑ Samuels, Richard J. (1994). "The Ideological Basis of Japanese Technonationalism". "Rich Nation, Strong Army": National Security and the Technological Transformation of Japan. Cornell University Press. pp. 33–78. ISBN   978-1-5017-1846-5.
  7. ↑ Allen, G. C. (2013). Short Economic History of Modern Japan (1st ed.). London: Routledge. pp. 129–154. ISBN   978-1-3150-1633-7.
  8. ↑ Hirohisa, Kohama (2007). "Introduction: Japan as a developing economy". Industrial Development in Postwar Japan. London: Routledge. pp. 1–7. ISBN   978-0-4292-4150-5.
  9. ↑ Hirohisa, Kohama (2007). "The textile industry: a leading industry in developing countries". Industrial Development in Postwar Japan. London: Routledge. pp. 32–43. ISBN   978-0-4292-4150-5.
  10. ↑ Hirohisa, Kohama (2007). "The electrical and electronics industries: from low tech to high tech". Industrial Development in Postwar Japan. London: Routledge. pp. 88–117. ISBN   978-0-4292-4150-5.
  11. ↑ Hirohisa, Kohama (2007). Industrial Development in Postwar Japan. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-0-4292-4150-5.
  12. ↑ Hirohisa, Kohama (2007). "Economic development as structural change". Industrial Development in Postwar Japan. London: Routledge. pp. 7–32. ISBN   978-0-4292-4150-5.
  13. ↑ Okamoto, Hideya (April 2008). "Trends in the Japanese Precious Metals Market". The Alchemist (50). London Bullion Market Association: 7–9. The second boom in 1981 was triggered when the Japanese gold price fell below 3,000 yen/gram; [it] occurred between 17 November 1981 and 9 September 1982.
  14. 1 2 "TANAKA to provide Pure Medals at Tokyo Marathon". Scoop Media. February 20, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  15. ↑ 晃彦, 奥田 (2007). "田中貴金属工業(株)における貴金属回収". Journal of MMIJ. 123 (12): 737–740. doi: 10.2473/journalofmmij.123.737 .
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