is a Japanese multinational

electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

corporation that manufactures

electronic component An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singula ...

s and recording and data-storage media. Its motto is "Contribute to culture and industry through creativity". "TDK" is an initialism of the original Japanese name of the company: Tokyo Denki Kagaku Kōgyō K.K. (Tokyo Electric Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.). The company is listed on the

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. The exchange is owned by Japan Exchange Group (JPX), a holding company that it also lists (), and operated by Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc., a wholly owned sub ...

and is a constituent of the

Nikkei 225 The Nikkei 225, or , more commonly called the ''Nikkei'' or the ''Nikkei index'' (), is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). It is a price-weighted index, operating in the Japanese yen, Japanese Yen (JP¥), and its compone ...

and

TOPIX The , commonly known as the TOPIX, is an important stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in Japan, along with the Nikkei 225. The TOPIX tracks the entire market of domestic companies and covers most stocks in the Tokyo Stock Exc ...

indices.

History

TDK was founded by Kenzo Saito in Tokyo, Japan, on 7 December 1935 to manufacture the

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

-based magnetic material ferrite, which had been recently invented by Yogoro Kato and Takeshi Takei. In 1952 and 1957, they began to produce magnetic tape, with

compact cassette The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens and his team at the Dutch company ...

tapes following in 1966. TDK manufactured an extensive portfolio of magnetic and optical media, including several formats of

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually Sound recording and reproduction, sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog signal, analog or Digital signal (signal processing), digital signal. V ...

and blank

CD-R CD-R (Compact disc-recordable) is a digital media, digital optical disc data storage device, storage format. A CD-R disc is a compact disc that can only be Write once read many, written once and read arbitrarily many times. CD-R discs (CD-Rs) ...

and recordable DVD discs until the recording media business was sold to

Imation GlassBridge Enterprises, Inc., formerly Imation Corporation, is an American holding company. Through its subsidiary, Glassbridge focuses primarily on investment and asset management. The company was founded in 1996 under its original name o ...

in 2007. TDK produced five million ferrite cores through 1945 that were primarily used to reduce the volume and weight of radio receivers used by the Imperial Japanese military. Operations in the US began in 1965 with a New York City office, and European operations began in 1970 with an office in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. In 1980, TDK developed a multilayering technology to create chip capacitors and inductors used in personal computers, laptops, smartphones and other electronic devices. In 1986, TDK acquired SAE Magnetics and introduced high-density recording heads. In the 1990s, TDK's Mass Storage Division included brushless DC spindle motors,

magnetoresistance Magnetoresistance is the tendency of a material (often ferromagnetic) to change the value of its electrical resistance in an externally-applied magnetic field. There are a variety of effects that can be called magnetoresistance. Some occur in bulk ...

(MR) heads and thin-film heads. Since 1997, TDK has gradually withdrawn from the production of compact cassettes. First with the MA-X and AR ("Acoustic Response"), then the AD ("Acoustic Dynamic") and SA-X line in 2001 and 2002 respectively, then the MA ("Metal Alloy") line in 2004. The SA ("Super Avilyn") and D ("Dynamic") lines were withdrawn in 2011. Industry trends see the company moving into new forms of media. In 2004, TDK was the first media manufacturer to join the companies developing BD post-

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

technology. TDK operated a semiconductor division in California for about a decade, but divested it in 2005. The company dabbled in the video game business in the late 1990s and early 2000s, by operating

TDK Mediactive TDK Mediactive was a brand name given to two multimedia divisions of Japanese multinational electronics company TDK; the first - TDK Mediactive Europe was a subsidiary of TDK Recording Media Europe that dealt with the distribution of music DVDs ...

in the U.S. and Europe, and TDK Core in Japan. In late 2007,

acquired TDK's recording media business, including flash media, optical media, magnetic tape, and accessories, for $300 million. This also included a license to use the "TDK Life on Record" brand on data storage and audio products for 25 years. In September 2015, Imation announced that it had agreed to relinquish this license and would cease selling TDK-branded products by the end of the year. Since the 2000s, TDK has focussed on the development, manufacture and sales of electronic components, HDD heads and suspension, and power supplies. Beginning in 2005, TDK has acquired many types of electronic device manufacturers including passive component developers, sensors manufacturers and power supply companies. These areas remain TDK's focus today. Since acquiring numerous companies and sharpening its product line focus in recent years, TDK has begun building a portfolio of varying sensors, actuators and power electronic components through these brands. These include multi-axis MEMS motion tracking devices and MEMS microphones from

InvenSense InvenSense Inc. is an American consumer electronics company, founded in 2003 in San Jose, California by Steve Nasiri. They are the provider of the MotionTracking sensor system on chip (SoC) which functions as a gyroscope for consumer electronic d ...

, a point-of-load DC-DC converter from Faraday Semi, and MEMS-based ultrasonic Time-of-Flight sensors from Chirp Microsystems intended for consumer electronics, AR/VR, robotics, drones, IoT, automotive and industrial market segments. Other areas of TDK's recent focus include power components for mobile devices, high-stability MEMS accelerometers from Tronics, and miniaturized haptic actuators. In 2017, TDK and GenCell began collaborating to develop and produce an ammonia-based fuel solution.

Key acquisitions and joint ventures

*1986: SAE Magnetics (H.K.) Ltd., a magnetic head maker based in Hong Kong *2000: Headway Technologies, a magnetic head maker based in the United States *2005: Amperex Technology Limited, a Lithium Polymer battery company based in Hong Kong *2005: Lambda Power Division, a group of power supply businesses of London-based Invensys PLC. *2008:

Epcos TDK Electronics AG is a German manufacturer of electronic components, modules, and systems. It is a subsidiary of Japan-based TDK Corporation. Company history The company was created as EPCOS AG in 1999 from Siemens Matsushita Components, which ...

, an electronic device manufacturer based in Germany *2016: Hutchinson Technology Inc., a manufacturer of HDD suspension assemblies based in the United States *2016: Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG *2017: RF360 Holdings Singapore PTE Ltd. – a joint venture with Qualcomm Inc. (USA) *2017: ICsense NV, a mixed-signal ASIC design & supply company based in Belgium *2017: InvenSense, Inc., a sensor specialist based in the United States *2018: Chirp Microsystems, a developer of low power, ultrasonic 3D-sensing solutions based in the United States *2018: Faraday Semi LLC, a developer of miniature Point of Load (PoL) solutions based in the United States *2023: Qeexo, co. a developer of embedded AI / TinyML technologies based in the United States

Sponsorship and advertising

Close up of TDK sign at Piccadilly Circus January 2012

TDK has sponsored the IAAF World Championships in Athletics since the 1983 inaugural event in Helsinki. TDK sponsored

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

for several years in the 1980s during which it won

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. From 1993 to 1999, TDK were also the sponsors of the English football club

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

, who were promoted to the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

twice during this era, though lasting for just one season before being relegated on both occasions. TDK was also a minor sponsor of the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

Rugby League Team during the early 1990s. It also sponsors activities and events such as those at The Cross

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

, and it had a prominent sign at

Piccadilly Circus Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End of London, West End in the City of Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. In this context, a ''List of road junctions in the Unite ...

from 1990. The contract for this sign was terminated in 2015, as TDK was moving away from consumer electronics. TDK has owned a sign on

One Times Square One Times Square (also known as 1475 Broadway, the New York Times Building, the New York Times Tower, the Allied Chemical Tower or simply as the Times Tower) is a 25-story, skyscraper on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of ...

since 2000. The screen is placed under that of

Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...

and can be seen during the annual Times Square New Year's

Ball Drop The Times Square Ball is a time ball located in New York City's Times Square. Located on the roof of One Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of a New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to as the ball drop, where th ...

. Since 2001, TDK has supported performances of some of the world's distinguished orchestras in Japan within the company's "TDK Orchestra Concerts" program. TDK's "Outreach-Mini Concerts" and "Special Rehearsals and Main Concert Invitations" additionally serve as avenues for the company to attract younger audiences. TDK's own football club, based in Nikaho, Akita, recently split from the corporation to become independent football club

Blaublitz Akita is a Japanese professional association football team based in Akita (city), Akita, capital of Akita Prefecture. The club currently play in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football league. Due to the club's former ownership b ...

, with the aim for the professional leagues. In October 2024,

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

announced TDK as the official technology partner for the

McLaren Formula E Team McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

and the McLaren Shadow F1 Sim Racing Team.

Museum

TDK operates a company museum in Nikaho, Akita, Japan. The museum is open to the public, free of charge. Among its exhibits are a comprehensive history of the company, its products and technologies, and emerging developments.

TDK products

TDK D60 1979.JPG, D60 audio cassette from 1979 TDK MA60 001.jpg, MA60 - 1990-92 TDK D C180 cassette.jpg, D-C180 - This three hour audio cassette was unusually long. File:VHS-C 02.JPG,

VHS-C VHS-C is a compact version of the VHS videocassette format, introduced by Victor Company of Japan ( JVC) in 1982, and used primarily in consumer-grade analog recording camcorders. VHS-C uses the same magnetic tape as full-size VHS cassettes a ...

video cassettes TDK blank DVD.JPG, Blank DVD Minidisk01.jpg,

MiniDisc MiniDisc (MD) is an erasable magneto-optical disc-based data storage format offering a capacity of 60, 74, or 80 minutes of digitized audio. Sony announced the MiniDisc in September 1992 and released it in November of that year for sale i ...

TDK DC4-150-9262.jpg, DDS-3 data cartridge

References

External links

*
Official Global Website

TDK US Website

TDK India Website

The TDK history museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tdk TDK Engineering companies based in Tokyo Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo Electronics companies established in 1935 Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Companies in the Nikkei 225 Electronics companies of Japan Japanese brands Defense companies of Japan Capacitor manufacturers Japanese companies established in 1935 1960s initial public offerings