History

1950's

1951 Jul Nippon Miniature Bearing Co., Ltd., Japan's first specialized manufacturer of miniature ball bearings, is incorporated in Azusawa, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo
1956 Oct The Company relocates its headquarters to Nihonbashi-Kabuto-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, and its factory to Kamiaoki-cho, Kawaguchi, Saitama.
1959 Jun A new plant is established at Aoki-cho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, to serve as the company's integrated headquarters and factory.

1960's

1960 May A marketing partnership is concluded with Miniature Precision Bearings Corporation (MPB) of the United States.
1961 Aug The Company registers its stock on the over-the-counter market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Oct On the establishment of the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Company lists its stock on this section.
1962 Nov A representative office is set up in the United States to cultivate the U.S. market.
1963 Mar A factory is established in Karuizawa. Some operations are relocated to the Karuizawa Manufacturing Unit from the Kawaguchi factory.
1964 Jan The Company and MPB of the United States agree to an amicable dissolution of their marketing partnership.
1965 Jul The Kawaguchi factory is closed and its equipment is transferred to Karuizawa. The Company's headquarters is shifted from Kawaguchi, Saitama, to Miyota-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano.
1967 Mar A representative office is set up in London to promote business in Europe.
1968 Sep Subsidiary Nippon Miniature Bearing Corporation (the present NMB Technologies Corporation) is established in Los Angeles, California.

1970's

1970 Oct The Company shifts its stock listing from the Second Section to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
1971 Apr Sales subsidiary NMB (U.K.) Ltd. is established in the United Kingdom.
May The Company's stock is listed on the first sections of the Osaka and Nagoya stock exchanges.
Sep The Company acquires the U.S. Reed Instrument Corp. (the present New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Inc., Chatsworth Plant) from SKF of Sweden and commences local production in the United States.
1972 Feb Manufacturing subsidiary NMB Singapore Ltd. is established in Singapore.
1974 Sep The Company acquires Shinko Communication Industry Co., Ltd., a major strain gage manufacturer that is listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
1975 Jan The Company acquires U.S. company IMC Magnetics Corp., a listed manufacturer of small precision motors.
Jul The Company acquires a leading fastener producer, Tokyo Screw Co., Ltd., and an electromagnetic clutch manufacturer, Shin Chuo Kogyo Co., Ltd., both of which are listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
1977 Sep The Company acquires automotive wheel manufacturer, Osaka Motor Wheel Co., Ltd., which is listed on the Second Section of the Osaka Securities Exchange.
The Company acquires Hansen Manufacturing Co., Inc. (the present Hansen Corporation), which is at the time the motor manufacturing division of Mallory Corp., a U.S. multinational.
Oct Sales subsidiary Nippon Miniature Bearing GmbH (the present NMB-Minebea-GmbH) is established in Germany.
1978 Aug The Company acquires Hokuto Onkyo Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest manufacturer of audio speakers, and a transformer maker, Hata Radio Co., Ltd.
1979 Aug The Company acquires Teikoku Die Casting Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of die-cast products that is listed on the Second Section of the Osaka Securities Exchange.

1980's

1980 Jan Manufacturing subsidiary Taiwan Minebea Electronics Co., Ltd., is established in Taiwan, China.
Mar The Company acquires the Singapore factory of Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd., and establishes Pelmec Industries (Pte.) Ltd. to manufacture small-sized ball bearings.
Aug Manufacturing subsidiary NMB Thai Ltd. is established in Thailand.
1981 Jan The marketing division of the Company is spun off as subsidiary NMB (Japan) Corporation, which is charged with integrating marketing operations for all manufacturing companies in the Minebea Group.
Oct The Company absorbs four of its manufacturing affiliates - Tokyo Screw Co., Ltd., Shinko Communication Industry Co., Ltd., Shin Chuo Kogyo Co., Ltd., and Osaka Motor Wheel Co., Ltd. - and changes its name to Minebea Co., Ltd.
Dec Actus Corporation, a distributor of imported furniture, is established as a Japanese subsidiary.
1982 Jun The Company combines Hokuto Onkyo Co., Ltd., and Hata Radio Co., Ltd., into Minebea Denshi Co., Ltd.
Sep Sales subsidiary NMB Italia S.r.L. is established in Italy.
1983 Mar The Company acquires a cooling fan manufacturer, Kondo Electric Works Ltd.(the present NMB Electro Precision, Inc.)
Oct The Company acquires and absorbs Audio Research Co., Ltd., a high-fidelity audio speaker manufacturer and wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation.
1984 May Large-scale integrated (LSI) circuit manufacturing subsidiary, NMB Semiconductor Co., Ltd., is established in Tateyama, Chiba.
1984 Aug Two manufacturing subsidiaries, Minebea Thai Ltd. and Pelmec Thai Ltd., are established in Thailand.
Oct The Company absorbs Teikoku Die Casting Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of die-cast products listed on the Second Section of the Osaka Securities Exchange.
Nov Subsidiaries Minebea Denshi Co., Ltd., and Audio Research Co., Ltd., are merged and reestablished as NMB Audio Research Co., Ltd.
Mar The Company acquires New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Inc., a ball bearing manufacturer listed in the United States..
1985 Jun The Company establishes a subsidiary, NMB Precision Tool & Die (Pte.) Ltd., in Singapore to manufacture precision dies, jigs and tools.
1986 May The R&D Center and subsidiary Minebea Electronics Co., Ltd., are established in Asaba-cho, Iwata-gun, Shizuoka.
1987 May Manufacturing joint venture Thai Ferrite Co., Ltd., (the present Power Electronics of Minebea Co., Ltd.) is established in Thailand.
1988 Feb The Company acquires Rose Bearings Ltd.(the present NMB-Minebea UK Ltd.), a U.K. manufacturer of rod-end and spherical bearings.
Mar Sales subsidiary NMB Technologies, Inc., (the present NMB Technologies Corporation), is established in the United States to coordinate sales and marketing of Minebea's electronic devices.
Manufacturing joint venture Minebea Electronics (Thailand) Co., Ltd., is established.
Dec Manufacturing subsidiaries NMB Hi-Tech Bearings Ltd. and NMB Precision Balls Ltd. are established in Thailand.
1989 Jan Marketing subsidiary NMB France S.a.r.l. (the present NMB Minebea S.a.r.l.) is established.
Jun The Company acquires Hwan Chong Enterprise Co., Ltd., of Taiwan, China, a manufacturer of audio speaker boxes.
NMB (Japan) Corp., the Company's marketing subsidiary in Japan and Keiaisha Co., Ltd., a major shareholder of Minebea Co., Ltd., are merged and reestablished as Keiaisha NMB Co., Ltd.

1990's

1990 Aug The Company acquires Power Systems, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of switching power supplies.
Oct Papst-Minebea-Disc-Motor GmbH, a joint venture with Papst-Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, is established in Germany to develop and manufacture spindle motors for HDDs.
Nov Rose Bearings Ltd.(the present NMB-Minebea UK Ltd.), in the United Kingdom, commences production of ball bearings at its Skegness Plant.
1992 Feb The Company absorbs Sorensen Ltd. and reestablishes it as Minebea Electronics (UK) Ltd., a manufacturer of switching power supplies in Scotland..
1993 Mar Controlling interest in manufacturing subsidiary NMB Semiconductor Co., Ltd., is sold to Nippon Steel Corp.
Apr Taiwan Minebea Electronics Co., Ltd., is absorbed by Hwan Chong Enterprise Co., Ltd.
Aug Papst-Motoren GmbH & Co. KG of Germany cancels its joint venture agreement. The Company acquires all outstanding shares in Papst-Minebea-Disc-Motor GmbH, previously jointly owned with Papst-Motoren, and changes the company's name to Precision Motors Deutsche Minebea GmbH.
Oct Sales and R&D subsidiary Minebea Trading Pte. Ltd. (the present Minebea Technologies Pte. Ltd.) is established in Singapore.
1994 Mar The Company concludes a business tie-up with German bearing maker FAG Kugelfischer Georg Schaefer AG.
Apr Manufacturing subsidiary Minebea Electronics & Hi-Tech Components (Shanghai) Ltd. is established in China.
Aug Sales subsidiary NMB Korea Co., Ltd., is established.
Dec Consumer finance operations are sold to Gate Finance Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric Capital Corporation.
1995 Mar A surface treatment processing manufacturer, MF Industries Co., Ltd.,(the Present Minebea Thai Ltd.) is brought under the Minebea umbrella.
Oct An R&D Center in Thailand is established.
1996 Aug An R&D Center in Singapore is established.
Oct U.K. subsidiary NMB (U.K.) Ltd. establishes a new plant in Inchinnan, Scotland.
1999 Mar The Company commences evaluation and testing of ball bearings and other components for use in automobles at NMB Corporation, Technical Center in the United States.
Jul U.S.subsidiaries NMB Corporation and NMB Technologies, Inc., merge to form NMB Technologies Corporation.
Sep Goodwill in Minebea Credit Co., Ltd. is sold to LSF Nippon Investment Company, LLC.

2000's

2001 Jan The NMB Division of Keiaisha NMB Co., Ltd., is transferred to Minebea Co., Ltd.
2002 Jun The Company concludes a product consignment production agreement with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., in the area of fluid dynamic bearing motors for HDDs.
Aug Huan Hsin Holdings Ltd., of Singapore, and Shen Ding Pte. Ltd. - a joint venture between Minebea and Huan Hsin - establishes PC keyboard manufacturing subsidiary Shanghai Shun Ding Technologies Ltd. in Shanghai, China.
Sep The Company concludes a strategic product development and production alliance with Matsushita Electric Industrial in the area of DC box fan motors.
2003 Aug The Company and the Motor Company Division of Matsushita Electric Industrial agree to integrate their information equipment motor businesses in a new joint venture to be established in 2004.
Mass production of PC keyboards commences at Shanghai Shun Ding Technologies Ltd.
2004 Apr Minebea establishes joint venture Minebea-Matsushita Motor Corporation(the present Minebea Motor Manufacturing Corporation) with the Motor Company of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Jul U.K subsidiary NMB-Minebea UK Ltd. establishes a wholly-owned subsidiary, NMB Minebea Slovakia s.r.o., in the Slovak Republic to transfer printing of PC keyboards.
2006 Mar Minebea dissolves joint venture agreement with HUAN HSIN HOLDINGS LTD. of Singapore and purchases all shares in joint venture SHENG DING PTE. LTD.
2008 Apr Amalgamated 7 companies (NMB Thai Ltd. , Pelmec Thai Ltd. , Minebea Thai Ltd. , NMB Hi-Tech Bearings Ltd. , NMB Precision Balls Ltd. , Minebea Electronics (Thailand) Co., Ltd. , Power Electronics of Minebea Co., Ltd.) in Thailand under the new company name "NMB-Minebea Thai Ltd."
Jul Minebea opens the Advanced Electronic R&D Center Europe (Advanced Electronic Research and Development Centre Europe) in Odelzhausen, Germany.
2009 Jan Minebea acquires the stepping motor division of FDK Corporation and establishes the Micro Actuator Business Unit.
Mar Minebea acquires miniature and small-sized ball bearings manufacture myonic Holding GmbH of Germany and its subsidiaries.

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