Kawasaki

Kawasaki Heavy Industries: Far More Than Just Motorcycles  

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Kawasaki Heavy Industry Limited (KHI) or Kawasaki is a public multinational corporation based in Japan. The company manufactures motorcycles, aerospace equipment, engines, defense equipment, heavy equipment, ships and rolling stocks (rail equipment). The Kawasaki company has headquarters in Chuo, Kobe, and Minato located in Tokyo, Japan.

The Kawasaki company manufactures gas turbines, boilers, industrial robots, pumps, and industrial products. Shozo Kawasaki was the founder of the company its name. KHI is among the top three leading heavy industrial manufacturers in Japan alongside IHI Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

History Of Kawasaki

Shozo Kawasahi was born in 1836 and was involved in the marine industry in his youth. He faced two offshore disasters survived modernization of ships recognized him. This resulted in his decision to develop innovative technologies for the shipping industry in Japan.

In 1878, he got his first order after struggling for several years marking the start of the company in the shipping industry. In1886, Shozo moved his company to Hyogo from Tokyo to accommodate more orders in a larger space. This led to the renaming of the new location to Kawasaki Dockyard.

The company next went public named as Kawasaki Dockyard Company Limited and started receiving ship ordersin the Sino-Japanese war. Kojiro Matsukata became the first president of the Company. In 1906 a new factory was opened that led to diversifying the company’s products. Kawasaki now began producing parts for industries like automobiles, railroads, and airplanes World War 1. Post war the company faced a huge decline in shipbuilding for the 1912 Allied arms limitation agreement. The Depression of 1929, the company faced a financial crisis.

Revival OF Kawasaki Heavy Industries Company

In World War 2, the company built the Ki-61, a combat aircraft. Next they developed high speed motorcycles by adapting air intakes from combat aircraft. In 1947, the Japanese government introduced a latest shipping agenda that helped restore the company with a rise in profits.

By the 1950s the company resumed all its operations and Japan became the largest shipbuilder in the world. In the 1970s Kawasaki withdrew from the shipbuilding industry to diversify the company’s portfolio by manufacturing aircrafts, motorcycles, tunnel boring machines, and jet skis.

Kawasaki supplied the US with advanced railroad cars for New York’s subway system. In 1995 the KHI made an agreement with China to make the largest container ships in the world. This resulted in higher profits in 1996.

The company’s decline in shipbuilding business forced them to come up with a new solution.

In 21st century the company saw continuous losses that led to forming a joint venture with company, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries to survive losses, the agreement was terminate in 2001.

Next year KHI saw fluctuations in their losses and profits.

Present Day  

At present Kawasaki has started building aerospace equipment, rolling stock, shipbuilding, energy plants and energy facilities, industrial equipment, infrastructures, environment and recycling equipment, and transportation.

Aerospace Equipment

KHI is a contractor for the Ministry of Defence in Japan. The company built aircrafts like T-4 intermediate jet trainer, P-3C antisubmarine warfare airplane, and C-1 transport aircraft. In 2007, KHI built the maritime patrol aircraft P-1. 2010 the company has built the C-2 military transport aircraft.

The company helicopters like BK117 in a joint venture with MBB. The CH-47J/ JA helicopter developed and designed by Kawasaki and MBB.

KHI in the commercial aviation industry has a joint agreement with international production and development of large passenger aircraft. The joint venture with The Boeing Company led to development and production of passenger aircrafts like Boeing 777, Boeing 767, and Boeing 787.

The joint venture with Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica led to production and development of 175, 170, 195 and 190 jets. KHI is involve in a joint international venture for developing producing turbofan engines in passenger aircrafts. The V2500, CF34, RB211/Trent and PW4000.

KHI works with the Aerospace Exploration Agency of Japan and is responsible for developing and manufacturing PAF (payload attach fittings), payload fairings, and construction of H-II rocket’s launch complex with other services for the rocket.

The company develops reusable launch vehicles for future space transport of spacecraft along with space robotics projects.

Transportation

The company is known for producing motorcycles, ATVs, cars, and jet skis. Kawasaki Heavy Industry company manufacture the Ninja Sports bikes, dual purpose motorcycles, motocross motorcycles, and cruiser. They produce utility vehicles, general purpose gasoline engines and ATVs.

Kawasaki “jet skis” are a trademark for any personal watercraft in the world.

Rolling Stock

KHI is the largest manufacturer of rolling stock in Japan that began operation in 1906. The company manufactures commuter trains, express trains, monorails, freight trains, subway cars, new transit systems and locomotives. KHI was involve in designing and developing Japan’s high-speed trains like the Shinkansen.

KHI manufactures electric cars, platform screen door systems, passenger coaches, diesel locomotives, monorails, and electric locomotives.

Shipbuilding

Kawasaki has a history in the shipbuilding industry in 1878. Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporations is a subsidiary own by KHI. The subsidiary manufactures high performance LPG and LNG carriers, bulk carriers, VLCCs, container ships and submarines. The company is involve in developing research vessels and offshore structures.

They manufacture marine equipment and marine machinery like steering gears, main engines, fishing and deck machinery, and propulsion systems.

Infrastructure

The company has a history in building steel structures like building bridges. They build retractable roofs, giant structures and floors like the retractable surface of Sapporo Dome. In the construction business they produce tunnel machines, wheel loaders, rollers, purpose-specific loaders and snowplows.

The Channel Tunnel was excavated through their tunnel boring machine and the construction of  Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line was done by their shield machines.

Industrial Equipment

KHI develops and manufactures industrial plants and their equipment. They developed and produced hydraulic equipment, aerodynamic machinery, industrial robots, chemical mental plants, compact precision machinery and large cement machinery.

Hope this article was able to provide you with information on Kawasaki Heavy Industry Company. Kawasaki company’s history dates back to several years and goes beyond manufacturing high-speed motorcycles.

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