Fuji Corporation

Fuji Corporation (フジコー, FUJI CORPORATION) was a Japanese manufacturer headquartered in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture, specializing in nonwoven fabrics and felt. Its origins trace to 1927, when Yoshitaro Horikiri founded Horikiri Hat Manufacturing (掘抜帽子製造所) in Itami. The factory was large enough to be called the finest hat factory in the Orient. During the Sino-Japanese War and World War II, raw material controls shifted its main output to military gaiters. After the war, attempts to restart as a peace industry failed because wool could not be imported under the occupation and distribution stalled, leading to bankruptcy in 1951. To rebuild the business, Nippon Kangyo Bank invested, and in July 1951 the company was reorganized as Fuji Hat Industry Co., Ltd. (富士帽子工業株式会社). It shifted its main products from hats, which were declining, to felt, entering the industrial felt field in 1956. In the mid-1960s it began producing needle-punched carpets made from synthetic fiber felt. It also diversified its original hat business into cloth and knit caps, and through a tie-up with the American buyer Lorraine Neck, it produced and exported the prestigious men's hat brand KNOX domestically. By the 1970s, nonwoven fabrics and felt for various industries grew in importance, and the company changed its name to Fujiko (フジコー) as a general manufacturer. It produced a wide range of products, from advanced technology fields such as high-temperature heat-resistant molded insulation and felt for NAS (sodium-sulfur) battery electrodes to everyday consumer goods such as carpets. NIKKE announced on May 13, 2021, that it would make Fujiko a wholly owned subsidiary through a simplified share exchange effective September 1, 2021. Fujiko's shares were delisted on August 30, 2021, and it became a wholly owned subsidiary of NIKKE on September 1, 2021. On June 1, 2024, it was absorbed into NIKKE and dissolved.

Fuji Corporation's history began in 1927 when Yoshitaro Horikiri founded Horikiri Hat Manufacturing (掘抜帽子製造所) in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture. The factory was of a scale that earned it the description of the finest hat factory in the Orient. During the Sino-Japanese War and World War II, under the wartime system, raw materials were controlled and the main product shifted to military gaiters. After the war, the company attempted to restart as a peace industry, but under the occupation wool could not be imported and distribution was delayed, leading to bankruptcy in 1951. To rebuild Horikiri Hat Manufacturing, Nippon Kangyo Bank invested, and in July 1951 the company was reorganized as Fuji Hat Industry Co., Ltd. (富士帽子工業株式会社). It switched its main products from hats, which were declining, to felt, entering the industrial felt field in 1956. In the mid-1960s it began manufacturing needle-punched carpets made from synthetic fiber felt. Meanwhile, it diversified its original hat manufacturing into cloth and knit caps, and through a tie-up with the American buyer Lorraine Neck, it handled domestic production and export of the prestigious men's hat brand KNOX. In the 1970s, nonwoven fabrics and felt for various industries grew in importance, and the company changed its name to Fujiko (フジコー) as a general manufacturer. It produced a wide range of products, from advanced technology fields such as high-temperature heat-resistant molded insulation and felt for NAS (sodium-sulfur) battery electrodes to everyday consumer goods such as carpets. NIKKE announced on May 13, 2021, that it would make Fujiko a wholly owned subsidiary through a simplified share exchange effective September 1, 2021. Fujiko's shares were delisted on August 30, 2021, and it became a wholly owned subsidiary of NIKKE on September 1, 2021. On June 1, 2024, it was absorbed into NIKKE and dissolved.

• 2024

  Absorbed into NIKKE and dissolved on June 1.

• 2023

  Integrated management with Ambic in December; transferred nonwoven fabric and felt business to F&A Nonwovens (renamed from Ambic).

• 2022

  Resumed operations at Ichinoseki factory in March.

• 2021

  Closed Tatebayashi factory in January; delisted from JASDAQ on August 30; became wholly owned subsidiary of NIKKE through simplified share exchange on September 1.

• 2020

  Concluded capital and business alliance with NIKKE on May 14; Ichinoseki factory burned down on October 30.

• 2012

  Made Sanwa Felt Co., Ltd. a subsidiary in January; established Tatebayashi office (now Tatebayashi factory) in July; absorbed Fujiko Service Co., Ltd. in October; established Ichinoseki factory in November.

• 1999

  Moved headquarters to a new building in October.

• 1995

  Listed on the over-the-counter market (now JASDAQ) in October.

• 1992

  Began manufacturing spunlace in August.

• 1983

  Established Fujiko Service Co., Ltd. in September.

• 1980

  Began manufacturing automotive carpets in March; established Ishioka factory in June.

• 1971

  Changed company name to Fujiko Co., Ltd. (株式会社フジコー) in March.

• 1964

  Began manufacturing needle-punched carpets in September.

• 1956

  Entered the industrial felt field.

• 1952

  Established Tokyo office (now Tokyo branch) in October.

• 1951

  Reorganized as Fuji Hat Industry Co., Ltd. (富士帽子工業株式会社) in July; began manufacturing wool hats, hat bodies, and small flat fur felt in October.

• 1927

  Founded as Horikiri Hat Manufacturing (掘抜帽子製造所) in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture.

A diversified Japanese manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics and felt, evolving from hat manufacturing to advanced industrial materials before being integrated into NIKKE.

• Industrial felt

  Felt products for industrial use, entered in 1956.

• Needle-punched carpets

  Carpets made from synthetic fiber felt, production began in 1964.

• Automotive carpets

  Carpets for automobiles, production began in 1980.

• Spunlace

  Nonwoven fabric produced by spunlace technology, production began in 1992.

• Heat-resistant molded insulation

  High-temperature heat-resistant molded insulation for advanced technology fields.

• Felt for NAS battery electrodes

  Felt used in sodium-sulfur (NAS) battery electrodes.

• Hats

  Cloth and knit hats, including domestic production and export of the KNOX brand.

1. 1FUJI CORPORATION - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2フジコー - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org