History

1918

Shinano Kenshi Boseki Co., Ltd. is inaugurated with 500,000 yen in capital under an initiative by the late Yukinori Kaneko to engage in silk spinning.

1962

Establishes the Electrical Division in anticipation of a major change in Japan's industrial structure and launches AC motors for open-reel tape recorders.

1965 The late Norio Kaneko assumes office as President.
1967 Opens a silk spinning factory in Nagato Town (closed in 1992).
1968 Opens a silk spinning factory in Sanada Town (closed in 2002).
1971 Launches fan motors for air-conditioning.
1972 Hachiro Kaneko assumes office as President.
Acquires Hanaoka Hosei Co., Ltd. in Ueda City and opens the Ueda Factory within its site to begin tape deck production.
1973 Changes the company name to Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.
Launches gear motors for copy machines.
1976 Launches BGM tape players.
1977 Launches coreless motors for VCRs.
1980 Three-division (Textile, Electrical Machinery, Electronic Equipment) system starts.
1981 Opens the Higashiuchi Factory in Maruko-machi as part of the Electrical Machinery Division expansion program.
Launches stepping motors for office automation equipment.
1982 Increases capital to 300 million yen.
Establishes Shinano Kenshi Corporation in Los Angeles, U.S.A.
1984 Establishes CS Denki Co. Ltd. to offer employment opportunities for senior citizens.
1985

Hanaoka Hosei Co., Ltd. is renamed TEXEL Corporation and opens its Tokyo office to engage in export business.
Launches compact offset printing presses.

1986 Establishes Shinano Kenshi (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. as first overseas production base.
1987 Establishes Shinano Kenshi (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in Thailand.
Launches DC brushless motors with optical encoders.
1989

Launches CD-ROM drives and CD-I encoding system.
Launches CD background music players.

1990 Opens precision motor sales offices in Tokyo and Osaka.
Establishes TEXEL America, Inc. in Sunnyvale, California.
Acquires the management rights of San-Esu Denki Mfg. Co., Ltd.
1991 Begins Shinano Kenshi Yan Tian Factory operations as a production base in China.
1992 Closes Nagato Factory as operations of Shinano Kenshi (Thailand) are expanded and strengthened.
Moves TEXEL America, Inc. to Santa Clara, California.
Launches double-speed CD-ROM drives.
1993 Establishes Printing Equipment Division.
Establishes PLEXTOR S.A. and Shinano Kenshi Europe, N.V. in Belgium.
Electronic Division acquires ISO9002 accreditation.
Launches multifunction compact offset printing presses.
1994 TEXEL America, Inc. is renamed PLEXTOR Corporation, and TEXEL Corporation is renamed PLEXTOR Co., Ltd. in Japan.
Establishes Dong Guan Shinano Motor Co., Ltd. as a local subsidiary in Guangdong Province, China.
Launches quadruple-speed CD-ROM drives.
1995 Launches sextuple-speed CD-ROM drives.
Establishes PLEXTOR (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in Thailand.
Builds a new motor factory in Guangdong Province, China.
1996 Electronic Equipment and Electrical divisions acquire ISO9001 accreditation.
Opens a precision motor sales office in Nagoya.
Construction of Electrical Division's East Bldg. at the headquarters is completed, Ueda Factory #2 is integrated inside.
CD-based talking book players for the visually impaired are developed.
1997 Printing Equipment Division acquires ISO9001 accreditation.
Launches 32x-speed CD-ROM drives.
Launches CD-R drives.
Moves Shinano Kenshi's Tokyo Sales Office and PLEXTOR's Tokyo Headquarters to the Yaesu district in front of Tokyo Station.
Transfers manufacturing operations of Shinano Kenshi (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. to Dong Guan Shinano Motor Co., Ltd.
1998

Dong Guan Shinano Motor Co., Ltd. acquires ISO9002 accreditation.
Increases capital to 600 million yen.
Opens Shinano Kenshi Shanghai Representative Office.
Shinano Kenshi acquires companywide ISO14001 accreditation.
Launches CD-based talking book players for the visually impaired.
Launches 40x-speed CD-ROM drives.

1999 Construction of the new Ueda Factory is completed.
Launches CD-RW drives.
Dong Guan Shinano Motor Co., Ltd. opens Shanghai Sales Office.
(The late) Hachiro Kaneko assumes office as Chairman.
Motoaki Kaneko assumes office as President & CEO.
2000 Shinano Kenshi (Thailand) Co., Ltd. acquires ISO9001 accreditation.
Music CD audition system based on digital barcode scanning is developed.
2001 Dong Guan Shinano Motor Co., Ltd. acquires upgraded ISO9001 accreditation.
Moves PLEXTOR Corporation to Fremont, Ohio.
PLEXTOR Co., Ltd. opens Shanghai Representative Office.
Launches slim-type CD-R/RW drives, receives Good Design Award.
2002 Makes entry into the automobile industry with on-vehicle motors and actuators.
CS Denki Co. Ltd. is renamed CS Service Co. Ltd.
Launches PLEXTALK portable recorders for the visually impaired, receives Good Design Award.
Launches 48x-speed CD-R drives.
Launches Inter Media System (IMS).
2003 Establishes Shinano Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Silk spinning operations in Japan is terminated.
Dong Guan Shinano Motor Co., Ltd. acquires ISO14001 accreditation.
Launches recordable DVD drives.
Launches 52x-speed CD-R/RW drives.
Electrical Division opens its Europe Representative Office in Belgium.
Textile Division is renamed Engineered Materials Division.
Carbon Nanotube-and-copper composite electrolytic powder and the Carbon Silk new material are developed.
2004 Micro pumps are developed.
Establishes Shinano Kenshi Trading in Thailand.
Dong Guan Shinano Motor Co., Ltd. acquires ISO/TS16949 accreditation.
2005 Carbon Silk-and-Carbon Nanotube composite powder is developed.
2006 Electronic Equipment and Printing Equipment divisions are integrated into Industrial System Equipment Division.
2007 Digital recorders are developed.
Transfers operations of PLEXTOR Co., Ltd. to Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.
2008 Launches "Plexmotion" standard motors and drivers.
Launches "PLEXLOGGER" for high-speed visual data verification and analysis.
Launches next-generation drive recorders.
Launches portable digital talking book players for the visually impaired.
Launches the Bicho pocket-type hearing aid after obtaining a medical equipment business license.
Launches "MIZUKOTO" healing sound creator.
2009 Corporate organization is changed from the division system to the business unit system.
2010 Establishes He Fei Shinano Motor Co., Ltd. in China.
Establishes Shinano ABV Technologies Private Limited in India.
2011 Launches "PLEXLOGGER Thermo" temperature distribution analyzer.
Effects a model change to "Bicho" pocket-type hearing aid.
2012 Receives Japanese Prime Minister's Commendation of Cabinet Office, Barrier-Free Universal Design Contributors Awards 2012.
2014 Establishes Shinano Kenshi Europe GmbH.
2015 Opens factory in Mexico for production base.
2016 Develops DAISY playback app for iPad for special education.
2017 Incorporates Shinano Kenshi, S.A. de C.V in Mexico.
2018 Group's 100th anniversary.
2019

Introduces new corporate brand "ASPINA".

Starts business of end effector for collaborative robots.

2020 Makes entry into the space industry with core parts for small satellites.
2021 Autonomous Mobile Robot (AspinaAMR) for the manufacturing plants is developed.
2022

Construction of new HQ begins.

Changes the name of some overseas subsidiaries to ASPINA.