O&K has evolved over the years, from a company making nails and then iron wire to one that makes cold heading steel wire.
No matter how the times change, manufacturing wire and the passion of our staff have remained the same.
We continue forging ahead in order to further enrich people’s everyday lives.
| 1925 | Kaneo Oku founds a business selling iron wire and nails at 9 Unagidani Higashino-cho, Minami-ku, Osaka |
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| 1945 | Begins manufacturing wire nails, special nails, and wire at 12-25 Higashiyama-cho, Higashiosaka |
| 1949 | Changes structure from private management to incorporated status. Okukane Tessen Co., Ltd. begins manufacturing iron wire to screw specifications. Capital of ¥3.0 million. |
| 1965 | Takao Oku succeeds as president. |
| 1972 | Merges with Kawakin Kogyo Co., Ltd., and changes trade name to O&K Company Limited. (Capital: ¥38.0 million) |
| 1974 | O&K Sales, Inc. is founded as a fully-owned subsidiary of O&K Company Limited (Capital: ¥10.0 million) |
| 1979 | Founds a plant in Kanaoka Tobishima-mura, Ama-gun, Aichi; operations begin at the Nagoya Plant. |
| 1980 | Establishes O&K Steel (USA), Inc. in Illinois, USA for market research and to streamline exports. In addition, production facilities are installed and production commences in the USA. |
| 1981 | Acquires 52% of Settsu Tessenn Co., Ltd. (2-8-81 Nakajima, Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka; Capital: ¥80.0 million) shares from ITOCHU Corporation and becomes involved in management, changing the trade name to O&K Steel, Co., Ltd. and operating at the O&K Osaka Plant in Apr. 1982. |
| 1982 | Increases capital to ¥50.0 million. |
| 1985 | Acquires all shares from Wire Sales Company, a local wire manufacturer in Illinois, USA. |
| 1991 | Transfers administrative functions to the office at the Osaka Plant, making this the business headquarters. |
| 1993 | Founds a plant in Yabuzuka Honmachi, Nitta-gun, Gunma; operations begin at the Gunma Plant. |
| 1996 | The entire company obtains ISO 9002 (Certification No. JQA-1250) certification. |
| 1997 | O&K Osaka Test Center obtains ISO/IEC 17025 (Certification No. 200166-0) certification, the first company in Japan to do so. |
| 1997 | Kobe CH Wire (Thailand) Co., Ltd. is founded jointly in Thailand (Capital participation: 11%). |
| 2000 | The entire company obtains ISO 14001 (Certification No. JQA-EM0555) certification. |
| 2001 | The Western Division obtains QS-9000 (Certification number: JQA-QS0150) certification. |
| 2002 | Capital participation in Kobe CH Wire (Thailand) Co., Ltd. increases to 25% through share acquisition. |
| 2002 | Establishes OKUKANE Corporation for the purpose of making the technical development and assistance department an independent entity. |
| 2003 | Certification changes from ISO 9002 to ISO 9001:2000. |
| 2004 | The entire company obtains ISO/TS 16949 (Certification No. JQA-AU0061) certification. |
| 2005 | O&K American Corp. obtains ISO/TS 16949:2002 (Certification No. OY801-TSI) certification. |
| 2007 | Obtains Authorized Exporter (Accreditation No. E4070002) accreditation. |
| 2007 | Purchases all O&K Steel Co., Ltd. shares, making it a fully-owned subsidiary. |
| 2008 | Kazuta Oku is promoted to President; Former President Takao Oku is promoted to Board Chairman and CEO. |
| 2010 | Merges O&K Steel Co., Ltd. |
| 2010 | O&K American Corp. establishes its 2nd plant in Seymour, Indiana, USA. |
| 2013 | O&K Osaka Test Center accredited under ISO/IEC 17025 (Accreditation No. RTL03650) by JAB. |
| 2018 | The entire company obtains IATF 16949 (Certification No. JQA-AU0061) certification. |