Torakusu Yamaha Biography
When the local school requested that he improve the artificial Masons & Hamlin reeds, he realized the potential of the organ manufacturing business in Japan, and in 1887, he founded the Organ Yamaha Manufacturing Company, the first producer of Western musical instruments in Japan, and built reed organs first portable. In 1889, the company employed 100 people and produced 250 organs every year.
In 1899, the Japanese Ministry of Education sent Yamaha to the United States to study piano making and set suppliers for the materials needed to produce pianos in Japan. Nippon Gakki began making upright pianos in 1900 and produced the first piano in 1902, applying craftsmanship to good furniture making. At the St Louis World’s Fair in 1904, a Yamaha piano and organ received the Award. In 1914, when World War I restricted the sale of German harmonicas in Japan, Yamaha introduced the first harmonica and began exporting harmonicas throughout the world. Yamaha continues to expand into the music field.
Facing competition from Western-made musical instruments, Nippon Gakki opened the world's first acoustic laboratory research in 1930. In 1931, he designed the acoustic new Japanese Diet hall. In 1932, he began organ pipe production. During the 1930s, the expansion of the public school system in Japan created the demand for Western musical instruments, and Nippon Gakki began to produce competitive accordion and guitar prices. This produced the first acoustic guitar in 1942.
After World War II
During World War II, Nippon Gakki produced propellers for warplanes, fuel tanks and wing parts, and finally stopped producing musical instruments at all. New technology learned during the war manufacturing Nippon Gakki was activated to cast its own metal piano frame. In 1948, the music business suddenly increased when Japan was mandated by the Ministry of Education of music education in public schools. In the 1950s, Yamaha was the largest producer in the piano world. It also began producing audio components, and in 1955, it produced a (Hi-Fi) record player.
Nippon Gakki One of the main principles is to develop its business by finding new uses for technology and existing materials. After World War II, Yamaha's fourth president, Gen-ichi Kawakami (January 30, 1912 - May 25, 2002), sought new ways to utilize the company's manufacturing facilities, starting to seriously investigate foreign markets. He visited the United States several times, remembering the production of sewing machines, auto parts, scooters, three-wheeled utility vehicles, or motorbikes. Since financing for new factories is scarce, Nippon Gakki research began using new materials such as glass fiber reinforced plastics (FRP). In 1960, the company produced the first FRP sailboats, and then made yachts, patrol boats for Japan's Maritime Safety Agency, and oceangoing fishing vessels. Other FRP products, such as arcs for archery, skiing, and bathtubs will soon follow. Research to develop metal alloys has led to production equipment such as boilers and central heating systems for the construction industry.
YAMAHA Electronics
In the 1970s, integrated circuits (ICs) replaced transistors, and therefore were unable to find suitable ones for manufacturers, Nippon Gakki built its own factory to make them in 1971. This enabled Nippon Gakki to meet the increasing demand for fast electronic and audio keyboards component. In 1976, he opened a factory to produce large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs) and converted all electronic products, such as keyboards, from analog to digital formats. Nippon Gakki LSIs was used to produce the first professional sound system and to produce new products for audio industry consumers during the early 1980s. The DX-7 digital synthesizer, introduced in 1983, became the world's best-selling synthesizer. In the same year, the company began selling LSIs to other manufacturers.
The intensive research company in alloy metal for use in Yamaha acoustic pianos has provided extensive knowledge of light manufacturing. This knowledge is easily applied to the manufacture of metal frames and motorbike parts for motorbikes. Kawakami and engineers visited German factories to learn how to make motorbikes. Their motto is, "If you are going to make it, make it the best there is." The first prototype, the Yamaha YA-1, was named in honor of the Yamaha founder, completed in August 1954. This bike is powered by air-cooled, 2-stroke, 125 cc single cylinder engine. The prototype is put through 10,000 km of unprecedented durability tests to ensure that its quality is top class.
In the first year of production (1954), it was built 125 Yamaha YA-1 (also called Akatombo, the "Red Dragonfly") motorcycle. The YA-1 is a pattern after DKW RT125 Germany (which was also copied by the British munitions company, Birmingham Small Arms Company, as BSA Bantam, and by Harley-Davidson as a Hummer).
The success of YA-1 resulted in the establishment of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. on July 1, 1955. New motorcycle manufacturers produced around 200 units per month. That same year, at YA-1 won the 125cc class at two of the biggest racing events in Japan, 3rd Mt. Fuji Race Climbing and the 1st Asama Highlands Race. The following year, the YA-1 won again on both the Light and Ultra-class rays from the Highlands Asama Race.
In 1956, the 175cc single cylinder two-stroke model, YC1, was ready for production. In 1957, Yamaha production began the first 250 cc, two-stroke twin, which was YD1. In 1958, Yamaha became the first Japanese motorcycle manufacturer to enter the international race arena, and won 6 impressive places at the Catalina Grand Prix race in the United States. Yamaha acted quickly with this celebrity and began marketing motorbikes through an independent distributor, Cooper Motors, in California in 1958.
In 1963, Yamaha developed the Autolube System, a separate oil injection system for two-stroke motorcycle engines, eliminating the inconvenience of pre-mixing fuel and oil. In 1966, Toyota and Yamaha worked together to produce a limited edition Toyota 2000 GT sports car, still admired for their performance and expertise. In 1968, Yamaha launched the Yamaha DT-1, the world's first true off-road motorcycle, creating a new genre now known as the bicycle lane. Yamaha has since made an extensive number of two and four-stroke scooters, on-road and off-road motorbikes. The Yamaha XS 650, introduced in 1970, was such an incredible success that it ended the twin vertical British monopoly of motorbikes.
Today, Yamaha Motor Company is the world's second largest motorcycle manufacturer (after Honda). It also produces all-terrain vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, outboard motors and private boats. In 2000, Toyota and Yamaha formed an alliance paid for by Toyota Yamaha Corporation 10.5 billion yen for a 5 percent stake in Yamaha Motor Company while Yamaha Motor Yamaha and 500,000 shares each bought Toyota shares.
In 1960, Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA), then Yamaha International Corporation, was established to market a full line of musical and audio / visual equipment in the United States. YCA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation, Japan, and is the largest of all global subsidiary companies. A subsidiary of YCA, Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems (YCAS), founded in 2006, offers a growing line of commercial audio products for the United States and Canada markets, and distributes Nexo speaker products.
Another YCA subsidiary, Yamaha Electronics Corporation (YEC), offers a comprehensive line of audio and video products on the US home entertainment market.
The Yamaha Corporation
In October 1987, at 100 years, Yamaha changed its official name to The Yamaha Corporation.
In 1989, Yamaha was shipped the world's first CD recorder. In 1988, Yamaha purchased the Sequential Circuit and 1989-1993, buying a significant stake (51 percent) from a Korg competitor. This was also obtained by German Audio Software manufacturer Steinberg in 2004, from Pinnacle.
After a period of financial difficulties during the 1980s, the eighth president, Seisuke Ueshima, began reorganizing the company in 1992. For an almost saturated market, Yamaha focused on high-end products, such as the Disklavier piano series, with built-in computers for recording and replay the show, which can retail more than $ 30,000 and bring higher profits. Ueshima encourages companies to develop new products. In 1993, Yamaha successfully launched the Silent Piano series, a piano that could be played like an ordinary acoustic piano, or with their voices heard and only heard to pianists through headphones. This was followed by Silent Trumpets in 1995, Silent Drum in 1996, Silent Biola in 1997, and Cello Silence in 1998. The VP1 virtual VL1 acoustics and synthesizer, not a library storing sounds to be played back, using a computer model from own instruments for wider producers are more authentic in various sounds.
In 2002, Yamaha closed its archery product business, which began in 1959. Six archers at five different Olympics won gold medals using Yamaha products.
In July 2007, Yamaha purchased minority shareholders from the Kemble Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd family, UK Yamaha imports and musical instruments and sales of professional audio equipment arms, and renamed the company Yamaha Music UK Ltd. Kemble & Co. Ltd., UK piano sales and manufacturing arm, is not affected.
On December 20, 2007, Yamaha entered into an agreement with Bank Austria BAWAG PSK of the BAWAG Group to purchase all Bösendorfer shares, intended to take place in early 2008. Yamaha intends to continue manufacturing at the Bösendorfer facility in Austria. Yamaha's acquisition of Bösendorfer was announced after the NAMM Show in Los Angeles, in January, 2008. On February 1, 2008, Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH began operating as a subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation. Yamaha has become the world's largest producer of musical instruments (including "silent" pianos, drums, guitars, violins, violas and celli), as well as leading manufacturers of semiconductors, audio / visuals, computer related products, sporting goods, home appliances and furniture, specifically for metals, machine tools, and industrial robots. Yamaha has many subsidiaries and affiliates in foreign markets in addition to a number of related companies in Japan.
Yamaha owns and operates several unique resort facilities in Japan that provide customers with the opportunity to enjoy leisure and cultural activities involving Yamaha products, including golf, motorbike sport and music.
Other companies in the Yamaha group include:
- Yamaha Motor Company
- Yamaha Bike Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Livingtec Yamaha Corporation
- Metanix Yamaha Corporation
- Yamaha Pro Audio
