The is a Japanese manufacturer of power tools formed with the September 2008 merger of the Kioritz and Shindaiwa corporations. The brands owned and distributed by Yamabiko are Kioritz, Shindaiwa and Echo. The Yamabiko Corporation is based in Ome, Japan. Yamabiko exports parts to their Echo Incorporated facility in Lake Zurich, Illinois, and assemble Echo and Shindaiwa products there for sale in the USA.

History

Kioritz Corporation

The Kioritz Corporation () (''Kyōritsu'') was a global manufacturer of forestry and agricultural machinery, as well as outdoor power equipment. The company was founded on 8 September 1947, by the Asamoto brothers, primarily to manufacture agricultural machinery. Until 1971, the company operated under the name, Kyoritsu Noki Company. In 1971, the Kyoritsu Noki Company changed its name to the Kioritz Corporation and launched the CS-302, its first 'professional' saw and the first to bear its distinctive orange casing. It began trading under the Echo

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

in 1978.

In its founding year, the company launched a revolutionary engine-powered manual

crop duster A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same spe ...

. Until the 1960s, the company concentrated on the manufacture of power dusters, mist blowers and other pest control machinery. The first Kyoritsu Noki brushcutter was introduced in 1960 and three years later, the company launched its first

chainsaw A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable handheld power saw, power saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. Modern chainsaws are typically gasoline or electric and are used in activities such as t ...

, the Echo CS-80, and the first Kyoritsu Noki tool to bear the "Echo" brand name. In 1970, Kyoritsu claimed to have 'revolutionized' outdoor cleaning with the PB-9, a backpack power blower. The Echo brand of hand-held petrol powered tools including chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmers and

leaf blower A leaf blower, commonly known as a blower, is a device that propels air out of a nozzle to move debris such as leaves and grass cuttings. Leaf blowers are powered by electric or gasoline motors. Gasoline models have traditionally been two-s ...

s are manufactured in

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...

and

Morioka is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...

, with other major plants in

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

, China and

Lake Zurich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Shindaiwa Incorporated

Shindaiwa Incorporated is a global manufacturer of welding machines, generators, agricultural and forestry machinery, and outdoor power equipment. The company originally manufactured electrical and industrial products. Shindaiwa launched its first chainsaw in Japan in 1955. In September 2008, the company merged with Kioritz to form the Yamabiko Corporation. Manufacture of Shindaiwa products in Japan is in

, and

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

, with other plants in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and Lake Zurich, Illinois.

Merger

On 1 September 2008, Kioritz and Shindaiwa merged under one holding company, the Yamabiko Corporation.

References

External links

Yamabiko global website
{{Power tool manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo Power tool manufacturers Tool manufacturing companies of Japan Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Japanese companies established in 2008 Manufacturing companies established in 2008 Japanese brands Chainsaws