Home > Corporate Profile > History

History

In 1958, Makita Corporation, which was founded in 1915 as an electric motor sales and repair company, became the first company in Japan to manufacture and sell electric planers. Over the half century since, Makita has worked to build a steady position as a manufacturer of portable power tools and, today, continues its quest forward to provide products and services that are beneficial to all types of customers engaged in housing construction. Makita's history also parallels that of the evolution of power tools and, over the course of its history, Makita has worked to dovetail its products to its customers' developing needs.

 

1915-1959 1960-1969 1970-1979
1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2009
2010-2019 2020-  

History of Company

1910's March 1915 Mosaburo Makita founded Makita Electric Works (proprietorship) in Nagoya City. Began selling and
repairing lighting equipment, motors, and transformers.
1930's September 1935 First exported electric generators and motors to the Soviet Union.
December 1938 Incorporated the proprietorship's business form and established Makita Electric Works, Inc.
1940's April 1945 Moved the plant, in an attempt to avoid air raid, to the current head office in Sumiyoshi-Cho, Anjo-City.
1950's April 1955 Jujiro Goto became President.
January 1958 Started marketing 1000 portable electric planers, the first product in Japan.
November 1959 Transformed into an electric power tool manufacturer.
  Initiated exports of electric power tools with shipment of 1300 hand-held electric planers to Australia.
1960's

July 1960

Finished construction of new main plant.
May 1962 Changed the trade name to Makita Electric Works, Ltd.
August 1962 Went public and listed the company in the 2nd Section of Nagoya Stock Exchange.

March 1963

Became an entirely debt-free company.

March 1965

Celebrated 50th anniversary.

August 1968 Listed the company in the 2nd Section of Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges.

April 1969

6500D battery-powered drill (first rechargeable power tool).
1970's July 1970 Designated to the 1st Section of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka Stock Exchanges.
(Osaka listing terminated in February 2003)
  Established Makita U.S.A. Inc (in the United States)
  Established a new facility, Okazaki Plant.
September 1971 Established Makita France S.A. (in France) (changed the name to Makita France SAS in April 2004)
December 1972 Established Makita Electric (U.K.) Ltd. (in the United Kingdom)
(changed the name to Makita (U.K.) Ltd. in December 1992)
April 1973 Jujiro Goto became Chairman and Nobuhiro Goto became President.
May 1973 Established Makita (Australia) Pty. Ltd. (in Australia)

June 1973

Listed on Amsterdam Stock Exchange using Continental Depositary Receipts (CDR)
(Amsterdam listing terminated in February 2004)
November 1973 Established Makita Power Tools Canada Ltd. (in Canada)
(changed the name to Makita Canada Inc. in January 1991)
May 1974 Established Makita Benelux B.V. (in the Netherlands)
(changed the name to Makita Nederland B.V. in January 2010)
June 1974 Established Makita S.p.A. (in Italy)

March 1976

Raised capital overseas for the first time, through CDR offering.
February 1977 Started trading of American Depository Receipt on NASDAQ.
(NASDAQ listing terminated in April 2013)
  Established Makita S.A. Makita N.V. (in Belgium)
April 1977 Established Makita Werkzeug GmbH (in Germany)
December 1978 Launched 6010D rechargeable drill (first nickel cadmium battery tool).
1980's April 1980

Started production of power tools in Canada.
(production terminated in January 2009)

February 1981

Launched AN5000 pneumatic nailer and AC6001 air compressor (first air tools).
June 1981 Established Makita Brasil Ferramentas Elétricas Ltda. (in Brazil)
(Started production of power tools in South America.)
September 1981 Established Makita Werkzeug Gesellschaft m.b.H. (in Austria)

February 1982

Issued European Depositary Receipts (EDR) and listed on Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
(Luxembourg listing terminated in June 1998)

April1983

Established Makita Power Tools Singapore Ltd. (in Singapore)
(changed the name to Makita Singapore Pte.Ltd. in April 1991)

September 1983

Takeshi Kato became President.
September 1984 Established Makita Corporation of America (in the United States)

March 1985

Celebrated 70th anniversary.

November 1985

Started production of power tools in the United States.
July 1986 Established Joyama Kaihatsu Ltd. (Toyokawa, Aichi)

March 1987

Power tools became subject to retaliatory tariffs due to semiconductor market trade friction between U.S. and Japan.

May 1988

Established Makita (Taiwan) Ltd.
April 1989 Established Makita Espana S.A. (in Spain)
(changed the name to Makita, S.A. in November 1991)
May 1989 Changed the year end from February 20 to March 31.
  Takeshi Kato became Chairman and Masahiko Goto became President.

July 1989

Three power tools (circular saw, grinder, drill) designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro exhibited at the Word Design Exposition held in Nagoya City.
December 1989 Established Makita Manufacturing Europe Ltd. (in the United Kingdom)
1990's

 

 

January 1991 Acquired Sachs Dolmar GmbH, chain saw manufacturer. (in Germany)
(now known as Makita Engineering Germany GmbH)
April 1991 Introduced corporate identity (CI) program.
Changed the name to Makita Corporation.
July 1991 Started production of power tools in Europe (U.K)

May 1992

Opened Nissin Office

 

Anti-dumping suit filed against Makita in U.S.
July 1992 Established Makita Power Tools (HK) Ltd. (in Hong Kong)
May 1993 Establishment of Makita's global
environment charter (Makita's first year
of the environment)

October

1993

Sponsored Japan tour by the MR. BIG rock band from the U.S.
November 1993 Established Makita (New Zealand) Ltd. (in New Zealand)
December 1993 Established Makita (China) Co., Ltd. (in China)
July 1994 Established Makita Sp.zo.o. (in Poland)
November 1994 Established Makita Me´xico, S.A. de C.V. (in Mexico)
April 1995 Established Makita International Europe Ltd. (in the United Kingdom)
May 1995 Established Makita, spol.sr.o (in Czech Republic)
July 1995 Started production of power tools in China.
May 1996 Established Makita Elektromos Kisgépértékesítö Kft. (in Hungary)
April 1997 Established Makita Gulf FZE. (in the United Arab Emirates)
August 1997 6213D rechargeable driver-drill exhibited at the Chicago Hardware Show (first nickel hydride battery tool).
April 1998 Established Makita Herramientas Ele´ctricas de Argentina S.A. (in Argentina)
March 1999 Established Makita Chile Comercial Ltda. (in Chile)

April 1999

Established Makita Hellas S.A. (in Greece)
2000's

February 2000

Established Makita Romania S.R.L. (in Romania)
April 2000 Established Makita SA (in Switzerland)
November 2000 Established Makita (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. (in China)
January 2001 Established Makita Latin America Inc. (in the United States)
March 2001 Established Makita Oy (in Finland)
January 2002 Began mass production of the 2nd brand MAKTEC.

March 2003

Finished construction of new corporate headquarters.
June 2003 Established Makita F.E.S.U. Lda. (in Portugal)
October 2003 Established Makita LLC. (in Russia)

March 2004

Established Makita s.r.o. (in Slovakia)

February 2005

Launched TD130D (first Lithium-ion Battery tool).

March 2005

Celebrated 90th anniversary.
May 2005 Established Makita EU S.R.L. (in Romania)
June 2005

Established Makita Ukraine LLC.

January 2006 Acquired nailer business from Kanematsu-NNK Corp.
January 2007 Established Makita Peru S.A. (in Peru)
April 2007 Started production of power tools in Romania.
May 2007 Made Fuji Robin Industries Ltd. a consolidated subsidiary.
(changed the name to Makita Numazu Corporation August 2007, merged into the Company in April 2013, business operations closed in March 2014)
February 2008 Established Makita Bulgaria EOOD (in Bulgaria)
April 2008 Established Makita Power Tools India Private Ltd. (in India)
June 2008 Established Makita Colombia S.A. (in Colombia)
(changed the name to Makita Colombia S.A.S in September 2017)
December 2008 Established Makita Africa s.a.r.l.a.u. (in Morocco)
November 2009 Established Makita Vietnam Co., Ltd. (in Vietnam)
on and after 2010 March 2011 Established Makita Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (in Thailand)
August 2011 Established Makita d.o.o. (in Slovenia)
October 2011 Opened OPE R&D Center in Nissin Office
July 2012 Started production of power tools in Thailand.
January 2013 Established Makita Power Tools (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (in Malaysia)
June 2013 Masahiko Goto became Chairman and Shiro Hori became President.
October 2013 Established Makita Europe N.V. (in Belgium)
October 2014 Established Makita Kazakhstan LLP (in Kazakhstan)
March 2015 Celebrated 100th anniversary.
June 2017 Munetoshi Goto became President.
May 2018 Established Makita Engineering Korea Co., Ltd.
August 2018 Established Makita Africa Limited (in Tanzania)
March 2019 Made Amadera Pneumatics Co., Ltd. a consolidated subsidiary.

(Merged into the Company in June 2021)

on and after 2010

July 2022

Established Makita International Procurement Co., Ltd. (in Taiwan)

October 2022

Established Electronic Control Development Center (Tokyo Office)