Greeting
Thanks to you, the customer, our company has seen 75 years since its foundation.
After being deployed, wounded, and returning home during the great war in China all those years ago, Iheiji Kitamura, thanks to his foresight into motorization gleaned from his experiences as a soldier, opened a business manufacturing tire cord with a mere three second-hand machines.
Four years later in February 1944, with an injection of outside capital, KOA Textile Industry Co., Ltd. was born.
Right in the milieu of the ensuing national defeat and the abolition of the controlled economy, as the first generation fell ill, the second-generation president Ihei Kitamura rebuilt the business, bought back shares from the outside shareholders, and in the period of high economic growth in 1963, established the present Haginohama Plant and went on to expand further and further.
Overcoming countless never-ending external factors such as oil shocks, the bursting of the bubble economy, the recession due to the strong yen etc., he continued for half a century as a fabricator of rubber reinforcing fabrics with a focus on tire cords, until I, the third generation, took up the reins.
On the 16th of September 2013, in the first issuance of an emergency warning since our system operation began, all of the plant’s buildings were inundated with muddy water due to heavy rains and the breaking of the banks of the Kamogawa River, delivering a catastrophic blow to the equipment and products, and leaving the company at the edge of ruin. However, we received both moral and physical assistance not only from our relatives and people in the local community, but from a huge number of wonderful people who worked together with us to get the mud off the premises, after which we recovered and have continued down to the present day.
“A true heart always shines”
Tire cord only appears on the surface when there is a blowout. It is the hidden strength beneath the surface which must never show its face to the outside world. We must always, always fulfill our role without deceit or double-dealing. I feel that this philosophy is our business creed, and is identical to the product characteristics of our reinforcing textiles.
Holding true to these values, KOA has developed into a company that makes products you can reach out and touch, with a sense of familiarity, such as dental floss, and motor head brushes for cyclone vacuum cleaners etc.
We do our best each day with the aim of creating a processing plant that embodies all different functions, not only that of reinforcing textiles, and to that end we humbly ask for your continued support and encouragement.
Company Overview
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Founded:February 26, 1944
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Capital:10 million yen
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Executive Officers:
President and Representative Director
Kazuhiro KitamuraAuditor Isamu Totsugi
(Certified tax accountant) -
Headquarters Address:No. 1592 Katsuno, Takashima-shi,
Shiga-ken (only as registered) -
Plant Address:No. 16 Nagata, Takashima-shi, Shiga-ken
PH: 0740-36-0005 FAX: 0740-36-1487 -
Site Area:12,606㎡ (Building Area: 7,665㎡)
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No. of Employees:22 full time employees (8 men, 14 women) / Two part-time employees (one man, one woman) as of January 2019
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Product Line:
Tire cord
For cars
For motorbikes
For bicycles
Other
24 tons monthly
13 tons
10 tons
10 tons
Subtotal: 57 tonsHose cord
Filament cord
(including for blanket spun-yarn)33 tons monthly
30 tons
Subtotal 63 tons
Monthly Total: 120 tons -
Shareholder:KOA Holdings Co., Ltd.
Company History
| 1940 | ● |
Foundation Started business as a personal factory beside headquarters (personal dwelling) |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | ● |
Registered establishment as a company (legal entity) Registered as a joint-stock company (purchased Katsuno Plant from individual owner) Began integrated twist-fabric production of cotton tire cords |
| 1949 | ● |
Built extension to Katsuno Plant Developed vinylon tire cord for bicycles |
| 1957 | ● |
Built second extension to Katsuno Plant Increased production of vinylon tire cord Developed vinylon hose cord |
| 1963 | ● |
Built Haginohama Plant Produced 60% of all tire cords for bicycles nationwide Increased production of cord for blade hoses |
| 1965 | ● |
Built extension to warehouse Established a raw yarn/product storage and management system |
| 1967 | ● |
First period of construction on second plant Increased production of export tire cord |
| 1969 | ● |
Second period of construction on second plant Increased production of export tire cord |
| 1971 | ● |
Built extension to third plant Began production of nylon tire cord |
| 1975 | ● |
Carried out work on interior finishing of second plant Began production of tire cord for car Carried out second plan to move to larger packages |
| 1976 | ● |
Built extension to worker dormitories at second plant Implemented three-shift system, delivered signage Strengthened product management system Carried out third plan to move to larger packages |
| 1983 | ● |
Built a personnel office Centralized office work, management, testing, and research |
| ● |
Built extension to warehouse Diversified raw materials used |
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| 1985 | ● |
Strengthened the Special Tire Cord Department Developed hybrid tire cord Made increases to hybrid tire cord |
| 1986 | ● |
Further strengthened Yarn Department Strengthened reinforcing cord for hoses, and base-material cord |
| 1989 | ● |
Carried out flooring work on fourth plant Added to equipment with the 20-spindle SP Wonder |
| 1990 | ● |
Purchased adjacent land Replaced ten sets of automatic looms |
| 1991 | ● |
Introduced double twisters Installed two units (240 spindles) Established as supply system for knotless twisted yarn |
| 1996 | ● |
Introduced SLP twisters Installed two units (120 spindles) |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | ● |
Increased number of double twisters Installed two more units (240 spindles) |
| 1999 | ● |
First instance of work on loom reform Introduced first rapier loom |
| 2005 | ● |
Second instance of work on loom reform Introduced three rapier looms |
| 2006 | ● |
Increased number of winders Installed three more units (18 spindles) |
| 2010 | ● |
Built fifth plant Changed layout, began operation of plant specializing in cord |
| ● |
Introduced TO vertical looms Introduced two tire cord vertical looms (208 spindles) |
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| 2011 | ● |
Third instance of work on loom reform Introduced fifth rapier loom |
| 2012 | ● |
Fourth instance of work on loom reform Introduced sixth and seventh rapier looms |
| 2013 | ● |
The plants took damage from typhoon No. 18 Four shuttle looms were destroyed, and three rapier looms were relocated |
| ● |
Changed layout Relocated two filament throwing machines, and installed one new one Installed two more precision winders, and one more doubler |
|
| ● |
Began solar power generation project Equipment capacity of 80kw |
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| 2014 | ● |
Increased number of filament throwing machines Installed eight more half-ring throwing machines (104 spindles) |
| 2015 | ● |
Introduced GT-type multi-thread doubler Installed a new back-stand six-thread doubler equipped with sensors |
| ● |
Introduced ten-inch rings 10kg wound knotless twisted yard and wind |
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| 2016 | ● |
Began new agri-business Began producing functional plants as ingredients for health food products |
| ● |
Transitioned to a stock-holding company system KOA Holdings Co., Ltd. |
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| 2017 | ● |
Began production of bamboo-screen knit Began production of bamboo-screen knit air suspension |
| ● |
Increased installation of knotless yarn spinning equipment Introduced a 12-thread doubler equipped with sensors (a world first) |
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| 2018 | ● |
Introduced air-jet looms Increased equipment in the field of tire cords for racing bikes |
Social Action Programs
Education CSR
Twice, on the 20th and 30th of November 2018, President Kitamura went to his alma mater, Takashima Elementary School in Shiga Prefecture to give a lecture to the year 5 social studies class on the topic “industry in Takashima”.
