Kobe Steel

Kobe Steel, Ltd. (株式会社神戸製鋼所, ''Kabushiki gaisha Kōbe Seikō-sho''), is a major Japanese steel manufacturer headquartered in Chūō-ku, Kobe. KOBELCO is the unified brand name of the Kobe Steel Group.

Kobe Steel has the lowest proportion of steel operations of any major steelmaker in Japan and is characterised as a conglomerate comprising the three pillars of the Materials Division, the Machinery Division and the Power Division.

The materials division has a high market share in wire rods and aluminium materials for transport equipment, while the machinery division has a high market share in screw compressors. In addition, the power sector has one of the largest wholesale power supply operations in the country. {{{Citeweb, url=https://www.kobelco.co.jp/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/index.html , title=統合報告書 , publisher=株式会社神戸製鋼所 , accessdate=28 August 2022

Kobe Steel is a member of the Mizuho keiretsu. It was formerly part of the DKB Group, Sanwa Group keiretsu, which later were subsumed into Mizuho.
The company is listed on the Tokyo & Nagoya Stock Exchange, where its stock is a component of the Nikkei 225.

As of March 31, 2022, Kobe Steel has 201 subsidiaries and 50 affiliated companies across Japan, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the US. Its main production facilities are Kakogawa Steel Works and Takasago Works. {{{Citeweb, url=https://www.kobelco.co.jp/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/index.html , title=統合報告書 , publisher=株式会社神戸製鋼所 , accessdate=28 August 2022

Kobe Steel is also famous as the owner of the rugby team Kobelco Steelers.

History

In 1905, the general partnership trading company Suzuki Shoten acquired a steel business in Wakinohama, Kobe, called Kobayashi Seikosho, operated by Seiichiro Kobayashi, and changed its name to Kobe Seikosho. Then, in 1911, Suzuki Shoten spun off the company to establish Kobe Steel Works, Ltd. at Wakinohamacho, Kobe. {{{Cite web, url=http://www.suzukishoten-museum.com/footstep/history/cat3/cat3/post-158.php , title=神戸製鋼所設立の歴史① , publisher=鈴木商店記念館 , accessdate=28 August 2022

After the Russo-Japanese War, as the Imperial Japanese Navy adopted a policy of fostering civilian factories, Kobe Steel received technical guidance and orders from the Kure Naval Arsenal and other arsenals in Maizuru and Yokosuka, and expanded its scale. {{{Cite web, url=http://www.suzukishoten-museum.com/footstep/history/cat3/cat3/post-155.php , title=神戸製鋼所設立の歴史③ , publisher=鈴木商店記念館 , accessdate=28 August 2022

The company later expanded its performance, partly due to the wartime shipbuilding boom, and began to make its way as a machinery manufacturer; in 1918 it took over the rights to produce diesel engines from the Swiss company Sulzer, which helped speed up the Japanese naval, marine, locomotive and automobile transport sectors. {{{Cite web, url=http://www.suzukishoten-museum.com/footstep/history/cat3/cat3/post-152.php , title=神戸製鋼所設立の歴史⑤ , publisher=鈴木商店記念館 , accessdate=28 August 2022

Today, the KOBELCO Group operates a broad range of business fields that cover Steel & Aluminum, Advanced Materials, Welding, Machinery, Engineering, Construction Machinery, and Electric Power. {{{Cite web, url=https://www.kobelco.co.jp/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/index.html , title=統合報告書 , publisher=株式会社神戸製鋼所 , accessdate=28 August 2022

In the Great Hanshin Earthquake of January 1995, the Kobe head office building and company housing collapsed, and the No. 3 Blast Furnace at the Kobe Steel Works was also damaged, resulting in an emergency shutdown, causing approximately JPY 100 billion in damage, the largest for a private company. The Third Blast Furnace, which restarted only two and a half months after the earthquake, had become a 'symbol of recovery', but was suspended in October 2017 in order to strengthen competitiveness. {{Cite news , title= 神戸製鋼、神戸の高炉休止　震災復興の象徴、歴史に幕 , newspaper=朝日新聞 , date=31 October 2017 , url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASKB002YJKBZPLFA00W.html , accessdate=28 August 2022 In recent years, the company has been focusing on fields other than steel, such as aluminium, machinery, and electric power, and is clearly aiming to change from being a 'steelmaker' to a 'manufacturer that also handles steel'. {{{Cite web, url=https://www.kobelco.co.jp/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/index.html , title=統合報告書 , publisher=株式会社神戸製鋼所 , accessdate=28 August 2022

Former prime minister Shinzō Abe worked at Kobe Steel before entering politics.{{cite news , date=12 October 2017 , title=Kobe Steel admits falsifying data on 20,000 tonnes of metal , work=The Economist , url=https://www.economist.com/news/business/21730244-it-latest-long-list-scandals-have-befallen-corporate-japan-kobe-steel-admits

Main locations {{{Cite　web, url=https://www.kobelco.co.jp/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/index.html , title=統合報告書 , publisher=株式会社神戸製鋼所 , accessdate=28 August 2022

Domestic Locations

* Kobe Head Office
* Tokyo Head Office
* Takasago Works
* Kobe Corporate Research Laboratories
* Kakogawa Works
* Research & Development Laboratory
* Kobe Wire Rod & Bar Plant
* Fujisawa Office
* Ibaraki Plant
* Saijo Plant
* Fukuchiyama Plant
* Moka Works
* Chofu Works
* Daian Works

Overseas Regional Headquarters and Offices

* Kobe Steel USA Inc. (U.S. headquarters): 19575 Victor Parkway, Suite 200 Livonia, MI, 48152, USA
* Kobelco (China) Holding Co., Ltd. (China headquarters, investment company): Room 3701, Hong Kong New World Tower, No.300 Middle Huai Hai Zhong Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, 200021, People's Republic of China
* Kobelco (China) Holding Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou Branch): Room 1203, #285 East Linhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
* Kobelco South East Asia Ltd. (Regional headquarters for Southeast Asia and South Asia): 17th Floor, Sathorn Thani Tower ll, 92/49 North Sathorn Road, Khwaeng Silom, Khet Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500, Kingdom of Thailand
* Kobelco Europe GmbH (Regional Headquarters for Europe and the Middle East): Luitpoldstrasse 3, 80335 Munich, Germany

Business Units & Main Products {{{Cite　web, url=https://www.kobelco.co.jp/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/index.html , title=統合報告書 , publisher=株式会社神戸製鋼所 , accessdate=28 August 2022

Steel & Aluminum

* Steel Sheets
* Wire Rods and Bars
* Aluminum Plate
* Steel Plates

Welding

* Robots and Electric Power Sources
* Welding Materials

Advanced Materials

* Steel Castings and Forgings
* Titanium
* Copper Sheet and Strip
* Steel Powder

Machinery

* Standard Compressors
* Rotating Machinery
* Tire and Rubber Machinery
* Plastic Processing Machinery
* Advanced Technology Equipment
* Rolling Mill・Press Machine
* Ultra High Pressure Equipment
* Energy & Chemical Field

Engineering

* Iron Unit Field
* Advanced Urban Transit System

Electric Power

* Wholesale Power Supply

Scandal

In October 2017, Kobe Steel admitted to falsifying data on the strength and durability of its aluminium, copper and steel products. The scandal deepened when the company said it found falsified data on its iron ore powder, which caused its shares to fall 18%. By 11 October, shares had fallen by a third. After testing the parts of their bullet trains, the Central Japan Railway Company announced that 310 components were discovered to contain sub-standard parts supplied by Kobe Steel.

Following further news in October 2017 that car makers Toyota, Nissan, and General Motors, and train manufacturer Hitachi, were among 200 companies affected by the Kobe Steel's mislabelling, which had potential safety implications for their vehicles, the CEO of Kobe Steel conceded that his company now had "zero credibility". Other affected companies include Ford, Boeing and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. CEO Kawasaki promised to lead an internal investigation. On 13 October 2017, Kobe Steel admitted that the number of companies misled was over 500.

Despite the costs of dealing with the scandal, Kobe Steel issued a revised profit forecast in February 2018 announcing that it expects to generate a net profit of ¥45 billion ($421 million) for the full 2017 fiscal year, marking its first net profit in three years.{{Cite news, url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/02/business/corporate-business/kobe-steel-expects-net-profit-fiscal-2017-despite-data-fabrication-scandal, title=Kobe Steel expects net profit for fiscal 2017 despite data fabrication scandal, date=2018-02-02, work=The Japan Times, access-date=2018-02-26, language=en-US

Gallery

神戸製鋼所寄贈 戦艦「陸奥」スクリュー.png, Screw of IJN Battleship Mutsu, donated by Kobe Steel (Yamato Museum)
Yukikaze ikari 01.jpg, Main anchor of IJN destroyer Yukikaze with the engraving 'KOBE STEEL WORKS LTD' (JMSDF the First Service School)
Kobeseiko Te-Gō.jpg, IJA Kobeseiko Te-Gō

See also

{{Portal, Japan, Engineering, Companies
* Kobeseiko Te-Gō

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official global website
{{in lang, en





Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe

{{Nikkei 225
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Steel companies of Japan
Crane manufacturers
Construction equipment manufacturers of Japan
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Companies listed on the Nagoya Stock Exchange
Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange
Manufacturing companies based in Kobe
Manufacturing companies established in 1905
Japanese companies established in 1905
Defense companies of Japan
Japanese brands
Midori-kai
Industrial machine manufacturers