Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd.

Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. (旭東電気株式会社) is a Japanese electrical-equipment manufacturer headquartered in Moriguchi, Osaka. Its origins trace to 1945, when the predecessor Kyokuto Electric Research Institute was founded; the company was formally established as Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. in 1949 as a maker of its own-designed switching devices. For more than seven decades it has supplied products supporting social safety and security, and it has long been known for household safety breakers and earth-leakage circuit breakers, as well as contract manufacturing of liquid-crystal display modules. The company operates three factories in Tottori Prefecture — the Urayasu, Yabase and Nakayama plants — covering automotive equipment, battery power sources and electrical control. It also has an overseas production base in Vietnam, Kyokuto Vietnam Co., Ltd., established in 2016 in Dong Nai Province. Its product range has expanded over the years from safety breakers (1961) and earth-leakage circuit breakers (1970) to earth-leakage protection plugs (1975), miniature earth-leakage breakers (1981), earth-leakage protection relays (1985), power-tool battery packs (2005) and automotive battery packs (2018). After expanding into China and Vietnam, the company faced heavy investment burdens in its Chinese plants and declining profitability. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 sharply reduced factory utilization and worsened its cash position. Kyokuto Electric filed for civil rehabilitation (民事再生法) at the Osaka District Court on 28 April 2020, with liabilities of about 6.2 billion yen; its holding company Kyokuto Holdings followed on 8 May 2020. Kaga Electronics became the rehabilitation sponsor, and on 2 November 2020 a newly incorporated Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. — created by a company split — became a 100% subsidiary of Kaga Electronics. The old entity was renamed YK Kanzai Co., Ltd., while Kyokuto Holdings was excluded from the support and received a bankruptcy order on 17 September 2020. Today Kyokuto Electric operates under the Kaga Electronics Group with the corporate philosophy "Everything for our customers" and the action guidelines F.Y.T. (Flexibility, Young, Try) and 3G (General, Global, Group). It continues to provide high-quality electronic components globally, with its head office in Moriguchi, Osaka, a Tokyo sales office, three Tottori plants and the Vietnam production base.

Kyokuto Electric's origins date to 1945, when the predecessor Kyokuto Electric Research Institute was founded. In 1949 the company was established as Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of its own-designed switching devices. It subsequently changed its name to Kyokuto Electric and has continued under that name. In the postwar decades the company built a reputation in safety and earth-leakage electrical devices. It launched safety breakers in 1961. In 1966 it established Toyo Electric Co., Ltd. in Higashihaku, Tottori (now the Urayasu Plant), and in 1967 began printed circuit board mounting. In 1970 it established Step Electric Co., Ltd. in Higashihaku (now the Yabase Plant), launched earth-leakage circuit breakers and began liquid-crystal module production. It launched earth-leakage protection plugs in 1975, miniature earth-leakage breakers in 1981 and earth-leakage protection relays in 1985. In 1988 it established Tottori Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. in Nakayama, Tottori (now the Nakayama Plant). In the 2000s the company obtained ISO 9001/14001 certification in 2004 and began production of power-tool battery packs in 2005. It expanded overseas, establishing Kyokuto Vietnam Co., Ltd. in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, in 2016, and began production of automotive battery packs in 2018. In July 2018 it shifted to a holding-company structure: the first Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. changed its name to Kyokuto Holdings Co., Ltd., and the business was succeeded by a second Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. established through a company split. After expanding into China and Vietnam, where it manufactured breakers and earth-leakage circuit breakers, the company faced heavy investment burdens in its Chinese plants and declining profitability. In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic, which spread rapidly in China, reduced factory utilization and rapidly worsened its cash flow. On 28 April 2020 Kyokuto Electric applied to the Osaka District Court for application of the Civil Rehabilitation Act, and on the same day received an order prohibiting repayment and a supervision order; liabilities totaled about 6.2 billion yen. Kyokuto Holdings also applied to the Osaka District Court on 8 May 2020 and received the same orders that day. Kaga Electronics submitted a letter of intent to support Kyokuto Electric to the Osaka District Court. On 3 June 2020 Kyokuto Electric and Kaga Electronics reached a basic agreement that Kaga Electronics would become the civil rehabilitation sponsor and that Kyokuto Electric's businesses would be transferred to Kaga Electronics itself or to a new company established by Kaga Electronics in September of that year. On 31 August 2020 a final agreement on the civil rehabilitation sponsor was concluded with Kaga Electronics. On 2 November 2020 Kaga Electronics acquired all shares of a new Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. established by an incorporation-type company split from the old Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. on the day of incorporation, making the new company a 100% subsidiary of Kaga Electronics. Yasuhiro Sawada, president of the old company, became president of the new company. The old company was renamed YK Kanzai Co., Ltd. on the same date. Kyokuto Holdings, meanwhile, was excluded from Kaga Electronics' support; on 17 September 2020 the Osaka District Court dismissed its civil rehabilitation proceedings and issued a bankruptcy commencement decision the same day. The lower floors of the old Kyokuto Electric head office building housed a supermarket (Life Shimmori store), which closed on 31 January 2021 after the business transfer to Kaga Electronics. In June 2021 the head office locations of the new company and YK Kanzai were moved from Asahi Ward, Osaka, to Moriguchi. YK Kanzai continued its civil rehabilitation proceedings. Today Kyokuto Electric operates as part of the Kaga Electronics Group, with its Osaka head office in Moriguchi, a Tokyo sales office, three Tottori plants (Urayasu, Yabase and Nakayama) and the Vietnam production base. It continues to provide high-quality electronic components globally under the philosophy "Everything for our customers."

• 2021

  Head office of the new company and YK Kanzai moved from Asahi Ward, Osaka, to Moriguchi in June.

• 2020

  Filed for civil rehabilitation on 28 April; Kaga Electronics became sponsor; new company became a 100% Kaga Electronics subsidiary on 2 November.

• 2018

  Began production of automotive battery packs; shifted to a holding-company structure in July.

• 2016

  Established Kyokuto Vietnam Co., Ltd. in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam.

• 2005

  Began production of power-tool battery packs.

• 2004

  Obtained ISO 9001/14001 certification.

• 1988

  Established Tottori Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. in Nakayama, Tottori (now Nakayama Plant).

• 1985

  Launched earth-leakage protection relays.

• 1981

  Launched miniature earth-leakage breakers.

• 1975

  Launched earth-leakage protection plugs.

• 1970

  Established Step Electric Co., Ltd. (now Yabase Plant), launched earth-leakage circuit breakers and began liquid-crystal module production.

• 1967

  Began printed circuit board mounting business.

• 1966

  Established Toyo Electric Co., Ltd. in Higashihaku, Tottori (now Urayasu Plant).

• 1961

  Launched safety breakers.

• 1949

  Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd. established as a manufacturer of self-designed switching devices.

• 1945

  Predecessor Kyokuto Electric Research Institute founded.

A long-established Japanese maker of safety and earth-leakage electrical devices and electronic components, now positioned within the Kaga Electronics Group as a global supplier of high-quality electronics parts.

• 1961

  Safety breakers

• 1970

  Earth-leakage circuit breakers

• 1970

  Liquid-crystal modules

• 1975

  Earth-leakage protection plugs

• 1981

  Miniature earth-leakage breakers

• 1985

  Earth-leakage protection relays

• 2005

  Power-tool battery packs

• 2018

  Automotive battery packs

1. 1旭東電気株式会社 公式サイトkyokuto-elec.co.jp
2. 2会社沿革｜旭東電気株式会社kyokuto-elec.co.jp
3. 3企業理念｜旭東電気株式会社kyokuto-elec.co.jp
4. 4会社概要｜旭東電気株式会社kyokuto-elec.co.jp
5. 5旭東電気 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
6. 6Kyokuto Electric - Wikidatawikidata.org