1. Home
  2. Company
  3. History of THK

History of THK

1970s

Headquarters founded in Yutenji (Meguro-ku, Tokyo)

April 1971

  • Toho Seiko Co., Ltd. established
  • Tokyo Branch opened (currently Tokyo Sales Unit I)

Launched the Link Ball, LM Roller, and LM Ball

Link Ball

Link Ball

LM Roller

LM Roller

LM Ball

LM Ball

Sale of ball splines began

Ball Spline

September 1971

Nagoya Branch, Osaka Branch, Fukuoka Office (currently Fukuoka Branch), Shimizu Office (currently Shizuoka Branch) established

April 1972

Production and sales of the first LM Guide Model LSR began

LSR

December 1972

Toho Seiko Co., Ltd. absorbed NISSHIN MFG CO., LTD. and established the Tokyo plant (currently the Yamagata plant's Tokyo Manufacturing Division)

January 1973

Production and sales of the integrated rail LM Guide Model NSR-BC began

NSR-BC

March 1973

THK CO., LTD. established as a joint venture between Toho Seiko Co., Ltd. and MIYAIRI VALVE MFG. CO.

July 1973

Production and sales of cam followers and roller followers began

Cam Follower

Cam Follower

Roller Follower

Roller Follower

February 1974

Production and sales of robot cylinders began

Robot Cylinder

Robot Cylinder

April 1975

Production and sales of the integrated block LM Guide Model NSR-BA began

NSR-BA

NSR-BA

April 1976

Production and sales of slide packs began

Slide Pack

Slide Pack

April 1977

Toho Seiko Co. Ltd. acquired the manufacturing division from THK CO., LTD., and established it as the Kofu plant

July 1978

Headquarters relocated (2-13-38 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)

Slide Pack
The headquarters near JR Meguro Station (2-13-38 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)

April 1979

THK Sales Co., Ltd. (Osaka) established

September 1979

Production and sales of precision ball screws began

Precision Ball Screw

Precision Ball Screw

1980s

March 1981

THK America, Inc. established in the United States (Chicago)

January 1982

Production and sales of the Four-Way Equal-Load LM Guide Model HSR began

HSR

HSR

May 1982

Production and sales of cross-roller rings began

Cross-Roller Ring

Cross-Roller Ring

July 1982

Production and sales of XY tables began

October 1982

  • Toho Seiko Co., Ltd. was absorbed by THK CO., LTD., and its trade name was changed from Toho Seiko Co., Ltd. to THK CO., LTD.
  • The Nagoya plant (closed in October 2001) and the Osaka plant (closed in March 1993) become production departments of THK CO., LTD.
  • First issue of "THK News" published
  • In Germany (Düsseldorf), THK Europe GmbH (currently THK GmbH) was established as a joint venture with Kawasho Corporation

January 1984

  • Changed Japanese-language trade names to THK CO., LTD. and THK Sales CO., LTD. Company names registered using Japanese characters.
  • Relocated headquarters (3-6-4 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
(3-6-4 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
(3-6-4 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)

February 1984

Daiko Seisakusho Co., Ltd., was acquired and became the Gifu plant

April 1985

  • Toyo Seiko Co., Ltd. was absorbed and continued operation as the Mie plant
  • Yamaguchi plant was established (LM Guide manufacturing)

December 1985

THK invested capital into DAITO SEIKI CO., LTD. (currently THK INTECHS CO., LTD.) and entered into a technical tie-up

March 1986

Production and sales of the Radial Type LM Guide Model SR began

SR

SR

July 1987

Technology Plaza established at the Kofu plant

January 1988

THK Yasuda Co., Ltd. (currently THK NIIGATA CO., LTD.) was established as a joint venture with Sabun Industrial Co., Ltd.

April 1988

THK Sales CO., LTD. was absorbed, and the Ueno Branch (currently Tokyo Sales Unit II), Sendai Office (currently Sendai Branch), and Osaka Nishi Office (currently closed) were established

July 1988

After a second phase of construction, a third facility was opened at the Yamaguchi plant

January 1989

THK TAIWAN CO., LTD. was established in Taiwan (Taipei) as a joint venture with FISHION TRADING CO., LTD.

Production and sales of the Rotary Ball Screw Model BLR began

BLR

BLR

May 1989

The CNTIC-THK Service Center was co-founded in China (Beijing) with the Spare Parts Supply Division of the National Technical Import & Export Corporation (China) and the Beijing Numerical Control Technical Development Center (China)

Production and sales of the Ball Screw/Spline Model BNS began

BNS

BNS

June 1989

In order to strengthen the cooperative relationship with DAITO SEIKI CO., LTD. (currently THK INTECHS CO., LTD.), THK acquired all shares of DAITO SEIKI CO., LTD. owned by former CEO Hiroshi Teramachi (42.2% ownership)

November 1989

THK was listed on the over-the-counter market.

1990s

February 1990

Production and sales of the Simple Nut Precision Ball Screw Model BIF/DIF began

BIF/DIF

BIF/DIF

October 1990

Production and sales of the LM Guide Actuator Model KR began

KR

KR

December 1990

Production and sales of the Ball Spline Model LT/LF began

LT/LF

LT/LF

Production and sales of the XY Stage Models AX/BX/DX began

AX/BX/DX

AX/BX/DX

April 1991

THK invested in the Beldex Corporation

June 1991

Yamagata plant was established

October 1991

THK participated in capital investment in Samick Industrial Co., Ltd. (currently Samick THK CO., LTD.) in South Korea and entered into a technical tie-up

Production and sales of the Cross LM Guide Model CSR began

CSR

CSR

August 1992

THK acquired PGM Ballscrews Ltd. (UK) and PGM Ballscrews Ireland, Ltd. (Ireland)

October 1992

Production and sales of the Curved Guide Model HCR began

HCR

HCR

May 1993

  • THK Europe B.V. was established in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) to oversee European operations
  • Headquarters relocated(3-11-6 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
(3-11-6 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
(3-11-6 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)

September 1993

THK BRASIL INDÚSTRIA E COMÉRCIO LTDA. was established in Brazil (São Paulo)

May 1994

THK invested in Toden System Co., Ltd (currently TALK SYSTEM CORPORATION)

August 1994

  • Gifu plant relocated to its current address (615 Sekigahara, Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture)
  • THK acquired SHOUZAN CO., LTD. (Hong Kong)

March 1996

DALIAN THK CO., LTD., was established in China (Dalian) as a joint venture with Wafangdian Bearing Group Co., Ltd.

July 1996

Production and sales of the Caged Ball LM Guide Model SSR began

SSR

SSR

August 1996

After a second phase of construction, a second facility was opened at the Yamagata plant

February 1997

Production and sales of the Re-Circulating Guide Model CLB began

CLB

CLB

June 1997

Production and sales of the QZ Lubricator for the LM Guide began

QZ

QZ

August 1997

THK Manufacturing of America, Inc. was established in the USA (Hebron, Ohio)

December 1997

THK Holdings of America, L.L.C. was established in the USA (Chicago) to oversee US operations

April 1998

Production and sales of the Caged Ball LM Guide Model SHS began

SHS

SHS

August 1998

Production and sales of the Linear Motor Actuator Model GLM began

GLM

GLM

December 1999

Production and sales of the Caged Ball LM Guide Model SRS began

SRS

SRS

Production and sales of the Alignment Stage Model CMX began

CMX

CMX

2000s

February 2000

THK Manufacturing of Europe S.A.S. was established in France (Ensisheim, Alsace)

February 2001

Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange

Production and sales of the High-Speed Caged Ball Screw Model SBN began

SBN

SBN

June 2001

THK 30-Year History was published

November 2001

Production and sales of the Caged Roller LM Guide Model SRG began

SRG

SRG

May 2002

Production and sales of the Caged Ball High-Load Ball Screw Model HBN began

HBN

HBN

October 2002

THK France S.A.S. was established in France (Dardilly) (currently closed)

August 2003

THK (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD. was established in China (Shanghai)

September 2003

Production and sales of the Caged Ball LM Guide Actuator Model SKR began

SKR

SKR

March 2004

THK MANUFACTURING OF CHINA (WUXI) CO., LTD. established in China (Wuxi)

April 2004

Production and sales of the Micro LM Guide Models RSR1/RSR2 began

RSR1/RSR2

RSR1/RSR2

November 2004

DAITO SEIKI CO., LTD. (currently THK INTECHS CO., LTD.) became a wholly owned subsidiary

February 2005

THK MANUFACTURING OF CHINA (LIAONING) CO., LTD. was established in China (Dalian)

May 2005

THK Basic Policies established

July 2005

The Technology Center (4-9-16, Higashi-kohjiya, Ota-ku, Tokyo) was established to consolidate technical departments

September 2005

THK (CHINA) CO., LTD. was established in China (Dalian) to oversee the management of business in China

February 2006

Production and sales of the Cross-Roller Ring Model RU (with integrated inner and outer rings) began

RU

RU

March 2006

New accuracy standards for the LM Guide announced

April 2006

Production and sales of DIN-standard ball screws began

DIN Standard Compliant Ball Screw

DIN Standard Compliant Ball Screw

December 2006

THK LM SYSTEM Pte. Ltd. was established in Singapore (Suntec City)

March 2007

Production and sales of the Seismic Isolation Table Model TSD began

TSD

TSD

May 2007

THK acquired shares in RHYTHM CORPORATION (currently THK RHYTHM CO., LTD.) and its group companies, turning them into subsidiaries

July 2007

THK RHYTHM (THAILAND) CO., LTD. was established in Thailand (Rayong)

December 2007

Seismic isolation simulation vehicle began operation

June 2008

Production and sales of the Compact Caged Ball Screw Model SDA began

SDA

SDA

September 2008

THK MANUFACTURING OF VIETNAM CO., LTD. was established in Vietnam (Bac Ninh)

July 2009

  • The business operations of Beldex Corporation were transferred to THK INTECHS CO., LTD. (name changed from DAITO SEIKI CO., LTD. in July 2009) and management was consolidated
  • THK invested in Nano Control Co., Ltd. (name changed to THK PRECISION CO., LTD. in September 2019)

2010s

March 2010

Production and sales of the Caged Ball Spline Model SLS/SLF began

SLS/SLF

SLS/SLF

April 2010

R&D Center established within THK China

July 2010

Production and sales of the Double-Row Angular Contact Roller Ring Model RW began

RW

RW

January 2011

Production and sales of the Caged Ball LM Guide Model SPR/SPS began

SPR/SPS

SPR/SPS

March 2011

THK RHYTHM CHANGZHOU CO., LTD. was established in China (Changzhou)

April 2011

PGM Ballscrews Ireland, Ltd. changed its name to THK Manufacturing of Ireland Ltd.

June 2011

THK acquired shares of Malaysian company TRW Steering & Suspension (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (currently THK RHYTHM MALAYSIA Sdn. Bhd.)

July 2011

Production and sales of the Seismic Isolation Module Model TGS began

TGS

TGS

November 2011

THK published its 40-year history, Providing Innovative Products to the World - THK at 40: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

February 2012

THK RHYTHM MEXICANA S.A. DE C.V. and THK RHYTHM MEXICANA ENGINEERING, S.A. DE C.V. established in Mexico (Guanajuato)

March 2012

Manufacturing and development of ball joint products for the automotive and transportation equipment business were split off and integrated into THK RHYTHM CO., LTD.

April 2012

THK MANUFACTURING OF CHINA (CHANGZHOU) CO., LTD. was established in China (Changzhou)

July 2012

A robot hand equipped with a compact ball screw actuator developed by THK contributed to the success of the REX-J experiment on the International Space Station demonstrating the use of an EVA support robot

REX-J

REX-J

November 2012

THK India Pvt. Ltd. was established in India (Bengaluru, Karnataka)

December 2012

Production and sales of the Press Series Model PC/PCT began

PC/PCT

PC/PCT

March 2014

ASEAN Customer Support was established

April 2014

THK RHYTHM KYUSHU CO., LTD. merged with THK RHYTHM CO., LTD. and changed its name to the THK RHYTHM Kyushu plant

August 2014

Production and sales of the Compact Series Model KSF began

KSF

KSF

Production and sales of the High-Speed Rolled Ball Screw Model BTK-V began

BTK-V

BTK-V

February 2015

DALIAN THK CO., LTD. was expanded and relocated to the Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone, China

July 2015

Production and sales of the High-Speed, Compact Caged Ball Screw Model SDA-V began

SDA-V

SDA-V

August 2015

Acquired European and North American linkage and suspension business from TRW Automotive Inc. (currently ZF Friedrichshafen AG); established THK RHYTHM AUTOMOTIVE MICHIGAN CORPORATION, THK RHYTHM AUTOMOTIVE CANADA LIMITED, and THK RHYTHM AUTOMOTIVE GmbH; and acquired TRW-DAS a.s. (now THK RHYTHM AUTOMOTIVE CZECH a.s.) in the Czech Republic

October 2015

A new plant for SAMICK THK CO., LTD. was established in South Korea (Daegu)

November 2015

Automotive & Transportation Headquarters was established

January 2016

Production and sales of the General-Purpose Gripper Model TRX began

TRX

TRX

November 2016

THK CAPITAL UNLIMITED COMPANY and THK FINANCE UNLIMITED COMPANY were established in Ireland (Dublin)

January 2017

Optimal Product Selection Tool was launched

February 2017

Production and sales of the Model WLS Low-Torque Shaft Unit for Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines began

WLS

WLS

March 2017

Omni THK was launched

Omni THK

April 2017

Production and sales of the DB Structure LM Guide Model HDR began

HDR

HDR

October 2017

  • TRA Holdings Co., Ltd. was established (Minato, Tokyo)
  • The headquarters moved to its current address (2-12-10 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
  • Smart sensing chair "ARGUS CHAIR" was announced

Production and sales of the Caged Ball High-Load Ball Screw Model HBN-V began

HBN-V

HBN-V

January 2018

The "ATMOS" sensoroid and "ARGUS MOVA" smart sensing seat were exhibited at CES 2018 (Las Vegas)

March 2018

Shipments of the Ball Screw DK for automotive use began

DK

DK

October 2018

THK developed the Airy Jacket for humanoid service robots in collaboration with Mizuno Corporation

Airy Jacket

Airy Jacket

August 2019

Production and sales of the Low-Inertia Ball Screw/Spline Model BNS-V/NS-V began

BNS-V/NS-V

BNS-V/NS-V

September 2019

Production and sales of the Roller Type LM Guide Model HRX began

HRX

HRX

2020s

January 2020

Official launch of "OMNIedge," an IoT service for manufacturing

OMNIedge

OMNIedge

July 2020

Production and sales of the Autonomous Transfer Robot SEED-Mover with Lifter began

SEED-Mover with Lifter

SEED-Mover with Lifter

September 2020

Production and sales of the autonomous transfer robot SIGNAS began

SIGNAS

SIGNAS

Sales of the Pick and Place Robot PPR for assembling electronic components began

PPR

PPR

October 2020

Sales of display robots jointly developed by THK and Yoshichu Mannequin began

Display Robot

Display Robot

January 2021

Production and sales of the Utility Slide Model ATG began

ATG

ATG

February 2021

  • Launched OMNIedge global service
  • Implemented OMNIedge connectivity with FIELD system

March 2021

Added actuator compatibility to OMNIedge

OMNIedge

OMNIedge

April 2021

LM Guide Model LSR registered in National Museum of Nature and Science’s Database of Materials on the History of Industrial Technology

LSR

May 2021

Production and sales of the Cross-Roller Guide with Cage Alignment System Model VRG began

VRG

VRG

June 2021

Officially launched OMNIedge service in China

Production and sales of the SEED-R7 Series of SEED Solutions Platform Robots began

SEED-R7 series

SEED-R7 series

July 2021

Added two bonus peace-of-mind features to OMNIedge: the no-wait manufacturing ticket and IoT risk coverage

November 2021

  • Expanded OMNIedge global service
  • Transitioned to the Prime Market segment on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
  • THK India Pvt. Ltd. Sri City plant began operations in India (Sri City) as the manufacturing division of THK India Pvt. Ltd.
THK india Pvt. Ltd. Sri City plant
THK india Pvt. Ltd. Sri City plant

Production and sales of the Adaptive Hand Series Model TNH began

TNH

TNH

December 2021

Production and sales of the Miniature Roller Type LM Guide Model HRG began

HRG

HRG

February 2022

Added rotary components to OMNIedge lineup

OMNIedge

OMNIedge

March 2022

Updated company advertisement to say "The cutting edge of automation"

Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome

April 2022

Began production and sales of High Rigidity Cross-Roller Ring Models RB-H/RE-H/RU-H

RB-H/RE-H/RU-H

RB-H/RE-H/RU-H

June 2022

Launched OMNIedge private cloud support

July 2022

Began offering OMNIedge AI Diagnosis Service (ADV) for linear components

Began production and sales of Rotary Module Model RMR

RMR

RMR

Began production and sales of Cross-Roller Ring Model RBU

RBU

RBU

August 2022

Opened THK Solution Center in Fukuoka

THK Solution Center in Fukuoka
THK Solution Center in Fukuoka

October 2022

Published the 50th anniversary book Make Each Moment Count: Doing Our Best in What We Need to Do Today in Order to Achieve the Goals of Tomorrow

50th anniversary book
50th anniversary book

Began production and sales of Picking Robot Hand System Model PRS

PRS

PRS

Began production and sales of High-Speed Double-Row Angular Contact Ring Model BWH

BWH

BWH

November 2022

  • Preemptively renovated the Product Information category on the corporate website
  • Began offering OMNIedge Tool Monitoring AI Solution

December 2022

Began production and sales of high-performance, non-magnetic, and extremely corrosion-resistant products for use in special environments

High-Performance, Non-Magnetic, and Extremely Corrosion-Resistant Products

High-Performance, Non-Magnetic, and Extremely Corrosion-Resistant Products

January 2023

Supported the 2023 World Baseball Classic as a global sponsor

March 2023

  • Renovated the entire corporate website
  • Began offering OMNIedge AI Diagnosis Service (ADV) for rotary components
  • Issued a statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act

Began production and sales of Cylindrical Coordinate Module Model MLS

MLS

MLS

June 2023

Began production and sales of Cross-Roller Guide with Cage Alignment System Model VRG-W

VRG-W

VRG-W

July 2023

Established partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) in Japan

MLB(Major League Baseball)

August 2023

Began production and sales of Utility Slide Model AWG

AWG

AWG

October 2023

Began production and sales of Seismic Isolation Table Model VIT for Display Cases

VIT

VIT

Debuted the prototype four-seat EV crossover coupe LSR-05

LSR-05

LSR-05

November 2023

  • Renovated the entire Global English version of the corporate website
  • Combined the content and services provided for users of the Technical Support Site and Omni THK into THK Online Services
  • Opened THK Manufacturing of Vietnam CO., LTD. sales office in Hanoi
  • Began offering OMNIedge Centralized Maintenance Management Tool
  • Began offering OMNIedge Skill Management AI Solution

January 2024

Transitioned to new president for the first time in 27 years, with President Akihiro Termachi assuming the representative role of chairman and Takashi Teramachi becoming the new president