History of the Kobe Steel Group

The Early Years (1905 - 1945)

KOBELCO history began in September 1905 when Suzuki Shoten, a trading firm, acquired a steel business called Kobayashi Seikosho in Wakinohama, Kobe. That business became Kobe Seikosho, now known as Kobe Steel, Ltd. In 1926, KOBELCO completed Japan’s first cement plant and in 1930 produced Japan’s first electric mining shovel. Over the next four decades, KOBELCO steadily solidified its position as a manufacturer. However, by the end of World War II in 1945, air strikes had left its factories throughout Japan heavily damaged.

September 1905

Kobe Seikosho (Kobe Steel Works) is founded by Suzuki Shoten, a general partnership company. The company is incorporated in 1911.

    Kobe Steel soon after its foundation

1914        Machinery business begins     Kobe Steel makes Japan's first air compressor.

August 1916   Steel products business begins   Kobe Steel starts producing rolled steel products.

December 1917    Copper business begins   Kobe Steel starts production of copper tube and bar.

April 1926       Engineering business begins          Kobe Steel completes Japan's first cement plant for Nippon Cement. The Saeki Plant has an annual capacity of 450 metric tons.

  Cement machinery circa 1923

September 1930             Construction machinery business begins      Kobe Steel produces Japan's first electric mining shovel.

  Japan's first electric shovel, the 50K

February 1937       Aluminum business begins         The Nagoya Plant starts production of aluminum castings and forgings. In 1939, the Chofu Plant begins production of aluminum rolled products.

    Nagoya Plant

   Chofu Plant under construction

July 1940                 Welding business begins    Kobe Steel produces Japan's first welding electrodes.

The Growth Years (1945 - 1970)

In 1951, when Japan was still getting back on its feet after World War II, KOBELCO was the first in Japan to produce titanium and pioneered the industrial application of this metal. In 1959, the No. 1 Blast Furnace at Kobe Works was fired, turning KOBELCO into an integrated steelmaker. In 1970, the Kakogawa Works was completed, broadening its product line-up to include steel wire rod, bar, plate and sheet. Along with Japan’s high growth, KOBELCO, too, grew bigger and became a diversified enterprise encompassing steel, nonferrous metals and machinery.

November 1951         Kobe Steel begins production of titanium.

  Dr. William J. Kroll visits Kobe Steel's titanium laboratory in 1953 to see the vacuum-type high-frequency melting furnace during testing.

May 1958      Overseas plant business begins            Kobe Steel and Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation sign a contract for Kobe Steel to supply a urea fertilizer plant. This is Japan's first plant export.

 Fertilizer plant constructed in East Pakistan, currently Bangladesh

January 1959           The Nadahama No.1 Blast Furnace is inaugurated, establishing integrated steel production.

  Nadahama Plant

September 1960           Business development in North America             Kobe Steel opens an office in New York City. In 1988, this office becomes Kobe Steel USA Inc., the U.S. headquarters of Kobe Steel.

April 1968                     Overseas production begins     Thai Kobe Welding Co., Ltd. is established in Thailand to produce welding electrodes.

March 1970                  Kakogawa Works is completed. Kobe Steel can now supply steel wire rod, bar, plate and sheet.

  Kakogawa Works

Globalization (1970 - 1995)

From the 1960s, KOBELCO began to expand overseas. In 1960, KOBELCO opened its first overseas location, an office in New York City. In 1962, KOBELCO completed a fertilizer plant in East Pakistan, currently Bangladesh. This was Japan’s first plant export. The 1970s saw an acceleration in its global activities with the establishment of companies and offices in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the United States and China. Overseas activities and our diversified businesses gained momentum. It was at this time that KOBELCO became an international mark of Kobe Steel.

August 1976              Expansion into Southeast Asia    Singapore Kobe Pte. Ltd. is established in Singapore to make copper tube. It now makes copper strip and leadframes.

February 1977           Entry into the Middle East. The Sharjah Office is established in the UAE.

September 1979        KOBELCO becomes the international registered mark of Kobe Steel.

August 1983              Midrex Technologies, Inc., a U.S. company, is acquired, enabling Kobe Steel to develop the direct reduction and ironmaking plant business.

July 1984                  Business development in China       Joint venture Zhoushen Co., Ltd. is established to manufacture nonferrous metalworking machinery.

October 1988            Kobelco Compressors (America), Inc. (currently Kobelco Compressors Manufacturing Indiana, Inc.) is established in Indiana, USA to make standard compressors.

March1991                PRO-TEC Coating Company, a joint-venture with U.S. Steel, is established in the U.S. to produce hot-dipped galvanized steel sheet.

 PRO-TEC Coating Company

June 1994                    Kobelco Welding of Europe B.V. is established in the Netherlands to produce welding consumables.

October 1994               Chengdu Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. is established in China to make hydraulic excavators.

January 1995               Kobe Steel's rugby club wins the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship seven times in a row.

 The Kobelco Steelers' first victory in the All-Japan Championship.

Over 100 years in Business (1995 to present)

In January 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck western Japan. The quake caused tremendous damage to KOBELCO. Our Kobe Head Office was completely destroyed and one of its blast furnaces, the heart of a steelworks, had to be shut down. However, KOBELCO wasn’t beaten. Two and a half months later, the blast furnace went back into operation and production quickly returned to normal. KOBELCO became Japan’s largest wholesale supplier of electricity with the start-up of the No. 1 Power Plant at Shinko Kobe Power Station in 2002 and the No. 2 Power Plant in 2004. Continuing to go forward, KOBELCO further expanded its overseas locations. In 2005, KOBELCO celebrated its 100th anniversary. Overcoming turbulent times over the past century, KOBELCO is moving ahead into the future.

January 1995                  Kobe Steel sustains 102 billion yen in damage from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

 Kobe Steel sustained massive damage in the Hanshin Quake.

August 1997                  Kobe CH Wire (Thailand) Co., Ltd. is established in Thailand to make CHQ wire.

October 2000                Kobelco Compressors (Shanghai) Corporation is established in China to sell standard compressors.

March 31 2001              Kobe Steel forms global alliance with CNH Global.

April 2002                    IPP business begins. The No. 1 Power Plant of the Shinko Kobe Power Station begins commercial operation. (The No. 2 Power Plant starts up in 2004.)

 Shinko Kobe Power Station

September 2005                   Kobe Steel celebrates its 100th anniversary.

April 2006                            The corporate mark KOBELCO becomes the unified brand of the Kobe Steel Group.

November 2006                    Expanding into India. Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd and Itochu Corporation establish a joint venture, Kobelco Construction Equipment India Pvt. Ltd., in India to sell construction machinery.

April 2010                            Medium- to Long-Term Business Vision KOBELCO VISION "G" is launched and Kobe Steel actively expands overseas. By 2020, overseas sales is expected to comprise 50% of total sales.