Kyocera: history, global sales, & information technology.

Kyocera is a leading technology company founded in 1959. Business segments include: Fine ceramics, semiconductors components, applied ceramic products, information equipment, electronic devices, telecom equipment, as well as other businesses. Below is a detailed chart showing key points in the Kyocera corporate history.

1959
Apr. 1959 With capital of 3 million yen and 28 staff members, Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. is founded in Kyoto, Japan as a company specializing in fine ceramics. The company’s facilities include a headquarters and factory.
Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation)
Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd.
Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation)
1960-
Apr. 1960 Kyocera’s Tokyo office opens in Tokyo, Japan.
Shiga Plant (now Shiga Gamo Plant)
Shiga Plant (now Shiga Gamo Plant)
Kyocera International, Inc.
Kyocera International, Inc.
May 1963 Shiga Plant (now Shiga Gamo Plant) is established in Shiga, Japan.
Mar. 1968 Kyocera receives first Medium and Small Business Research Institute Award (now Good Company AwardExternal Link) Nationwide Prize.
Aug. 1968 Representative office opens in California, U.S.A.
Jul. 1969 Kagoshima Plant (now Kagoshima Sendai Plant) is established in Kagoshima, Japan.
Kyocera International, Inc. is established as Kyocera’s North American sales company.
1970-
Jan. 1971 Feldmühle Kyocera Europa Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH (now Kyocera Fineceramics GmbH) is established in cooperation with Feldmühle AG in Germany.
Kyocera stock is listed on the Osaka Stock Exchange's Second Section
Kyocera stock is listed on the Osaka Stock Exchange’s Second Section
Multi-layered ceramic packages for large-scale integrated circuits
Multilayered ceramic packages for large-scale integrated circuits
Oct. 1971 Kyocera stock is listed on the Osaka Stock Exchange’s Second Section and on the Kyoto Securities Exchange.
Mar. 1972 Kyocera receives 18th Okochi Memorial Grand Production Prize for developing multi-layered ceramic packages for large-scale integrated circuits.
Jul. 1972 Headquarters is relocated to Yamashina, Kyoto, Japan.
Sep. 1972 Kyocera stock is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Second Section.
Oct. 1972 Kagoshima Kokubu Plant is established in Kagoshima, Japan.
Feb. 1974 Kyocera stock is listed on the First Section of both the Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges.
Apr. 1974 Kyocera receives 16th Commendation by Japan’s Director-General of the Science and Technology Agency for developing ceramic lamination technology for electronic circuits.
Jul. 1975 Kyocera International, Inc. relocates its headquarters and plant in San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Feb. 1976 Kyocera issues new shares of common stock in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the United States.
Jul. 1976 The Children’s Travel Program begins (Japan-U.S.A.).
Dec. 1977 Kyocera (Hong Kong) Ltd. (now Kyocera Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.) begins business in Hong Kong.
Sep. 1979 Kyocera invests capital in Cybernet Electronics Corp.
Oct. 1979 Central Research Laboratory opens in Kokubu (now Kirishima City), Kagoshima, Japan.
Dec. 1979 Kagoshima Electronics Co., Ltd. is established in Kagoshima, Japan.
1980-
May 1980 Kyocera stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. New shares of common stock in the form of ADRs are issued in the United States for the second time.
In cooperation with 24 companies, Kyocera establishes Daini-Denden Kikaku Co., Ltd. (now KDDI Corp.)
In cooperation with 24 companies, Kyocera establishes Daini-Denden Kikaku Co., Ltd. (now KDDI Corp.)
Kyocera Mexicana, S.A. de C.V
Kyocera Mexicana, S.A. de C.V
Aug. 1980 Shiga Yohkaichi Plant is established in Shiga, Japan.
May. 1981 Kyocera Business Machines Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd.) is established in Japan.
Oct. 1982 Four affiliates, including Cybernet Electronics Corp., merge with Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. to form Kyocera Corporation.
Apr. 1983 Kyocera Business Machines Co., Ltd. merges with the Japan sales division to become Kyocera Electronics Co., Ltd. (later merging with what is now Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd.).
Kagoshima Electronics Co., Ltd. merges with Kyocera to become Kagoshima Hayato Plant.
Oct. 1983 Yashica Co., Ltd. merges with Kyocera.
Apr. 1984 Kyocera supports the establishment of the Inamori Foundation (as an incorporated foundation; now a public interest incorporated association).
Jun. 1984 Kyocera establishes Daini-Denden Kikaku Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan (now KDDI Corp.) .
Aug. 1984 Sakura Solar Energy Center is established in Sakura City, Chiba, Japan.
May 1986 Kyocera Electronics Europe GmbH (now Kyocera Document Solutions Deutschland GmbH) is established in Germany.
Jan. 1987 Kyocera America, Inc. and Kyocera Electronics, Inc. are established in California and New Jersey, U.S.A., respectively.
Sep. 1987 Kyocera Mexicana, S.A. de C.V. is established in Tijuana, Mexico.
Sep. 1988 Kyocera Europe GmbH is established in Germany as Kyocera’s European headquarters.
Aug. 1989 Elco Corp. joins the Kyocera Group.
1990-
Jan. 1990 AVX Corp. joins the Kyocera Group.
AVX Group joins the Kyocera Group
AVX Group joins the Kyocera Group
Apr. 1990 Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corp. is established in Vancouver, Washington, U.S.A.
Oct. 1991 Kyocera Environmental Charter is adopted.
Sep. 1992 Kyocera’s Advanced Ceramics Technology Center is established in Vancouver, Washington, U.S.A.
Jan. 1994 Kyoto Purple Sanga Co., Ltd. is established in Kyoto, Japan in cooperation with 20 companies including Kyocera and Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Mar. 1995 Kyocera R&D Center, Yokohama (now Yokohama Office) is established in Yokohama, Japan;
Tokyo Central Research Laboratory is relocated.
Jul. 1995 Kyocera R&D Center, Keihanna is established in Kyoto, Japan.
Dongguan Shilong Kyocera Optics Co., Ltd. (now Dongguan Shilong Kyocera Co., Ltd.) is established in China.
Sep. 1995 Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd. is established in Kyoto, Japan.
Hotel Kyocera opens in Hayato (now Kirishima City), Kagoshima, Japan.
Dec. 1995 Shanghai Kyocera Electronics Co., Ltd. is established in China.
Sep. 1996 Kyocera Solar Corp. is established in Kyoto, Japan.
Aug. 1998 New headquarters building is completed in Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan with environmentally friendly features such as a solar power generating system.
Aug. 1999 Kyocera Solar, Inc. is established in Arizona, U.S.A.
2000-
Jan. 2000 Mita Corp. is reorganized to become Kyocera Mita Corp. (now Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.).
Feb. 2000 Kyocera Wireless Corp. is established in California, U.S.A.
Oct. 2000 DDI Corp., KDD Corp. and IDO Corp. merge to form DDI Corp. (now KDDI Corp.).
Jan. 2001 Tycom Corp. (now Kyocera Precision Tools, Inc.) joins the Kyocera Group.
May 2001 Kyocera Group sales for the year ending March 31, 2001 break the 1 trillion yen threshold.
Apr. 2002 Printer operations are merged with Kyocera Mita Corp. (now Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.).
Aug. 2002 Toshiba Chemical Corp. is reorganized to become Kyocera Chemical Corp.
Jan. 2003 Kyocera (Tianjin) Sales & Trading Corporation
(now Kyocera (China) Sales & Trading Corporation) is established in China.
May 2003 Kyocera (Tianjin) Solar Energy Co., Ltd. is established in China.
Jun. 2003 Executive Officer system is implemented.
Aug. 2003 Kinseki, Ltd. becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera Corp.
Kyocera SLC Technologies Corp. is established in Shiga, Japan.
Jan. 2004 Kyocera Electronic Devices, LLC is established in U.S.A.
Feb. 2004 Hotel Princess Kyoto joins the Kyocera Group.
Apr. 2004 Kyocera’s organic-material components businesses are merged with Kyocera SLC Technologies Corp. (now Kyocera Circuit Solutions Inc.)
Sep. 2004 Japan Medical Materials Corp. is established in Osaka, Japan.
Oct. 2004 Kyocera invests capital in Maruzen Systems Integration Co., Ltd. and the company is renamed Kyocera Maruzen Systems Integration Co., Ltd.
Apr. 2005 Kyocera’s Japanese solar sales business is integrated into Kyocera Solar Corp.
Kyocera Solar Europe s.r.o. opens a manufacturing plant in the Czech Republic.
Aug. 2005 Kyocera acquires land, buildings and other property from IBM Japan, Ltd. for its Yasu plant and offices in Yasu City, Shiga, Japan.
Jan. 2006 Kyocera Korea Co., Ltd. is established in Korea.
Aug. 2006 Shanghai Kyocera Trading Co., Ltd. is established in China.
Dec. 2006 Kyocera Management
Consulting Service (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is established in China.
Sep. 2007 Kyocera invests in Wireless Broadband Planning K.K. (now UQ Communications Inc.) jointly with KDDI Corporation, Intel Corporation, East Japan Railway Company, Daiwa Securities Group Inc., and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.
Apr. 2008 Kyocera acquires the mobile phone business of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.; Kyocera Sanyo Telecom, Inc. is established in California, U.S.A.; Kyocera Telecom Equipment (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is established in Malaysia.
Jan. 2009 TA Triumph-Adler AG joins the Kyocera Group.
Apr. 2009 Kyocera Sanyo Telecom, Inc. is integrated with the sales, marketing and service functions of Kyocera Wireless Corp. to form Kyocera Communications, Inc., based in San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Aug. 2009 Kyocera Asia Pacific (India) Pvt. Ltd. is established in India.
2010-
Mar. 2010 Construction of a new solar cell manufacturing plant is completed at Shiga Yasu facility in Shiga, Japan
Jun. 2010 The thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) business is acquired from Sony Mobile Display Corporation’s Yasu office in Shiga, Japan.
Feb. 2011 KCCS Mobile Engineering Co., Ltd. is established.
Jul. 2011 Unimerco Group (now Kyocera UNIMERCO A/S) joins the Kyocera Group.
Aug. 2011 Kyocera Vietnam Management Company Limited (now Kyocera Vietnam Co., Ltd.) is established in Vietnam.
Feb. 2012 Optrex Corporation (now Kyocera Display Corporation) joins the Kyocera Group.
Jun. 2012 Kyocera CTC Precision Tools Private Limited is established in India as a cutting tool manufacturer.
Oct. 2013 NEC Toppan Circuit Solutions, Inc. joins the Kyocera Group.
Sep. 2015 Nihon Inter Electronics Corp. joins the Kyocera Group.
Apr. 2016 Kyocera Circuit Solutions, Inc.; Kyocera Chemical Corp.; and the solar power generating equipment sales function of Kyocera Solar Corp. are consolidated into Kyocera Corp.
Jul. 2016 Kyocera America, Inc.; Kyocera Communications, Inc.; Kyocera Solar, Inc.; and Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corp. are consolidated into Kyocera International, Inc.
Apr. 2017 Kyocera Medical Corp.; Kyocera Crystal Device Corp.; and Kyocera Connector Products Corp. are consolidated into Kyocera Corp.

Kyocera’s 2017 consolidated sales statement shows their strengths in the markets they serve.

Consolidated Sales by Segment

Information Equipment

Information Equipment

Printers & Multifunctional Products

For consumers to large corporations, Kyocera offers a wide-ranging lineup of printers and multifunctional products (MFPs) that are both economical and ecological. Outstanding long-life performance has earned our printers a strong reputation worldwide.

  • ECOSYS Printers

    ECOSYS Printers

    Kyocera’s ECOSYS printers resolve three important issues at once. They are designed to reduce environmental impact (Ecology), minimize running costs (Economy), and integrate effortlessly with information networks (Systems).

  • TASKalfa Multifunctional Products (MFPs)

    TASKalfa Multifunctional Products (MFPs)

    The ultra-reliable technology designed into every Kyocera TASKalfa MFP provides a comprehensive range of document solutions for every user.

  • Toner-Only System

    Toner-Only System

    When toner runs out, you simply replenish it, without replacing disposable print cartridges. This reduces the user’s environmental impact while minimizing operating costs and reducing waste.

  • Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) Drums

    Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) Drums

    These photoreceptor drums are protected by tough coatings of amorphous silicon (a-Si) and amorphous carbon (a-C) to achieve twice the service life of conventional models, estimated at approximately 600,000 pages.

  • PSLP Drums

    PSLP Drums

    Kyocera has developed a PSLP (positive-charged single-layer photoconductor) drum that performs reliably over a lifespan 10 times that of conventional OPC imaging units – offering up to 100,000 printed pages with no replacement parts.

* ECOSYS is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation in Japan and other countries.

Document Solutions

Kyocera’s document solutions eliminate operational issues by assessing the user’s document environment and identifying strategies to reduce costs and improve productivity. We look carefully at each operating requirement and propose continuous improvements to meet the user’s needs.

  • HyPAS (Hybrid Platform for Advanced Solutions)

    HyPAS (Hybrid Platform for Advanced Solutions)

    Kyocera’s HyPAS software platform enables detailed customization to support the development of applications that are built into multifunctional systems. Integration with other IT systems, such as mobile devices and the cloud, promotes data sharing and boosts workflow efficiency.

  • MDS (Managed Document Services)

    MDS (Managed Document Services)

    Through this set of services, Kyocera offers a total document solution with ongoing support on a global basis. It starts with an investigation and analysis of the customer’s current document environment and extends to the proposal of an optimal arrangement of equipment and workflow improvements. By reducing the use of paper, toner and time spent managing equipment, office productivity rises while operating costs are greatly reduced.

    * HyPAS is a registered trademark of Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. in the United States.

  • Kyocera Document Solutions Earns Germany’s Blue Angel Award

    Released in 1992, Kyocera’s first ECOSYS model, the FS-1500, was able to print 300,000 pages with only toner replacement necessary. A later version developed in 1997 was the first printer in the world to win Germany’s Blue Angel eco-label designation. Now, over 20 years later, our long-life ECOSYS technology continues to benefit from performance and durability enhancements.

    Kyocera Document Solutions Earns Germany's Blue Angel Award