Kyocera Corporation (京セラ株式会社, Kyōsera Kabushiki-gaisha; pronounced [kʲoːseɾa]) is a Japanese multinational ceramics and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as Kyoto Ceramic Company, Limited (京都セラミック株式会社, Kyōto Seramikku Kabushiki-gaisha) in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. Today, Kyocera manufactures industrial ceramics, solar power generating systems, telecommunications equipment, office document imaging equipment, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools, and components for medical and dental implant systems.
History
Kyoto Ceramic Company The company that would later be known as Kyocera was founded by Kazuo Inamori in April 1959 as Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd, a company specializing in fine ceramics. A Tokyo office was opened in 1960. A plant in Shiga was opened in 1963. In 1969, an international subsidiary was established in the United States. Kyoto also entered the German market. Its original product was a ceramic insulator known as a "kelcima" for use in cathode-ray tubes. The company quickly adapted its technologies to produce an expanding range of ceramic components for electronic and structural applications. In the 1960s, as the NASA space program, the birth of Silicon Valley and the advancement of computer technology created demand for semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs), Kyocera developed ceramic semiconductor packages that remain among its core product lines. In 1972, the company headquarters moved to Yamashina, Kyoto. In the mid-1970s, Kyocera began expanding its material technologies to produce a diverse range of applied ceramic products, including solar photovoltaic modules; biocompatible tooth- and joint-replacement systems; industrial cutting tools; consumer ceramics, such as ceramic-bladed kitchen knives and ceramic-tipped ballpoint pens; and lab-grown gemstones. The company acquired electronic equipment manufacturing and radio communication technologies in 1979 through an investment in Cybernet Electronics Corporation. A ceramics research lab was established in Kagoshima. In 1980, a plant was established in Yohkaichi.
Kyocera Corporation In 1982, the company reorganized by merging Kyoto Ceramics with five of its subsidiaries to create Kyocera Corporation. It also acquired KLH that year. Shortly afterward, Kyocera introduced one of the first portable, battery-powered laptop computers, sold in the U.S. as the Tandy Model 100, which featured an LCD screen and telephone-modem data transfer capability. Kyocera gained optical technology by acquiring Yashica in 1983, along with Yashica's prior licensing agreement with Carl Zeiss, and manufactured film and digital cameras under the Kyocera, Yashica, and Contax trade names. The Samurai SLR camera was released in 1987. In 1984, Kyocera entered the telecommunications field by taking an equity stake in Daini-Denden Kikaku Company (now KDDI), a maker of electronic components for computers. This put Kyocera in direct competition with the powerful Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. At the time, the company had 7,000 employees and made ¥300 billion per year. In 1987, the company established Kyocera America and Kyocera Electronics, turning Kyocera International into a holding company with seven other affiliates underneath. In the 1980s, Kyocera marketed audio components, such as CD players, receivers, turntables, and cassette decks. These featured unique elements, including Kyocera ceramic-based platforms. However, the company stopped production of audio components and sold the KLH brand in 1989. In 1988, Kyocera established head offices in Asia, the United States, and Germany. The following year, it spent $250 million to acquire Elco Corporation, a US-based manufacturer of electronic connectors with facilities in Europe. In 1991, Kyocera's global operations expanded significantly with the $650 million purchase of AVX Corporation, a global manufacturer of passive electronic components, such as ceramic chip capacitors, filters and voltage suppressors. In 1993, DDI went public and Kyocera retained a 25% stake. In 1995, Kyocera held an IPO for AVX, whereby Kyocera sold a 25% stake. It also entered the Chinese market to manufacture electronic components and optical instruments. In 1997, Inamori retired from the company to become a Zen Buddhist monk. By this time, information and telecommunications equipment made up over 30% of sales. A new headquarters building was completed in Fushimi, Kyoto in 1998. To boost its IT equipment operations, Kyocera acquired the CDMA terminal operations of Qualcomm in December 1999.
Since 2000
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