ASAHI SHO-KO-SHA was founded in November 1951 when the postwar confusion was beginning to subside. Since then, for over 70 years, we have grown alongside the thriving domestic automotive industry by providing high-quality, cost-effective industrial products, all while adhering to our motto: supporting “monozukuri.” Here, we introduce our history.
November 1951
Furuya Shoten was reorganized into a joint-stock company and is now known as ASAHI SHO-KO-SHA CO., LTD.
Capitalized at just 1 million yen at founding,
with founder Iwajiro Furuya at the helm and just six employees.
Two years after our establishment, we began the tool business with Nissan Motor.
Riding the wave of motorization, business performance expanded significantly, attracting customers like Nissan Motor and leading manufacturers in electrical machinery, machinery, steel, and shipbuilding.
During this period, a sales office was opened in order to work more closely with users.
This move paved the way for nationwide expansion and a rapid increase in the number of employees.
Around this time, ASAHI SHO-KO-SHA reached a pivotal turning point.
Embracing contemporary trends, the company began handling hydraulics and shifted its range of sales products from tools to equipment. In 1967, monthly sales reached 100 million yen, fulfilling Furuya’s dream. The following year, in 1968, a merger with Kowa Shoko Co., Ltd. led us to focus on enhancing employee training and benefit programs.
Despite a temporary decline in business performance due to the oil shocks, steady growth followed, buoyed by the resilience of the automobile industry. By 1981, sales exceeded 10 billion yen, achieving its long-held dream of surpassing 10 billion yen. The 30th year saw the first overseas trip for employees, a tradition continued every five years since the 40th anniversary in 1991, providing an effective occasion for fostering stronger employee interaction.
Company trip in 1981 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the company’s founding
Founder：Iwajiro Furuya
Sales activities expanded nationally with developments in Ota in 1981, Yamanashi and Oita in 1983, Shonan and Yokohama Minami in 1985, and Shiga in 1987, leading to increased business performance and a workforce of over 160. In 1988, Iwajiro Furuya passed away at the age of 89.
Entering the Heisei era, sales activities advanced with the addition of pneumatic equipment into its core product lineup and the delivery of Japan’s first robots equipped with servo guns. Following a decline in business performance due to the bursting of the bubble economy, internal operations were reinvigorated to restore performance.
Around 1994, efforts began to establish overseas subsidiaries. By 1996, ASAHI SHO-KO-SHA (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD was established in Malaysia.
Company trip to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the company’s founding in 1991
Trip to Cairns to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding in 2001
The effort to expand its overseas subsidiaries further progressed.
The company established overseas subsidiaries: ASAHI SHO-KO (GUANGZHOU) CO., LTD. in China in 2002, ASAHI SHO-KO-SHA MEXICO, S.A. DE C.V. in Mexico in 2004, and ASAHI SHO-KO-SHA (THAILAND) CO., LTD. in Thailand in 2006.
Domestically, the Yokohama Branch and Kyoto Branch opened in 2003. (The Kyoto office relocated to Shiga Prefecture in 2009 and is now known as the Shiga Branch.)
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications were obtained in 2004 for the head office and all branches.
The company expanded its domestic offices.
The Nagoya Branch opened in 2008, followed by the Shiga Branch in 2009, and the Yokohama Minami Branch in 2012 (integrated into the Yokohama Branch in April 2016). The Sendai Branch opened in 2013, and Keihin Bussan Co., Ltd. became our subsidiary in 2016. The Kumagaya Branch opened. The Hamamatsu Branch opened in 2017, and in the same year, head office was relocated to Hiranuma, Nishi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
In the overseas business, the capital relationship with ASAHI SHO-KO-SHA (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD, a Malaysian subsidiary, was terminated in 2013, and it is now an outsourcing partner.
Trip to Thailand to commemorate the 60th anniversary of our founding in 2012
Trip to Singapore in 2016
A showroom opened on the first floor of the head office.
