Kawai Musical Instruments

Kawai Musical Instruments Corporation
Company type	Musical Instruments Manufacturing
Industry	Musical instruments
Founded	August, 1927
Founder	Koichi Kawai
Headquarters	Hamamatsu, Japan
Number of locations	Hamamatsu, Japan - Ryuyo, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Shigeru, Kawai - Hirotaka Kawai
Products	Grand pianos and upright pianos
Revenue	1,000,000,000 Annual Sales
Number of employees	More than 4,000
Website	http://www.kawaius.com/

The Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (河合楽器製作所 Kawai Gakki Seisakusho) TYO: 7952 of Japan is best known for its grand and upright pianos, electronic keyboards and electronic synthesizers. The company was established in August 1927, and is headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. Since then, Kawai has made groundbreaking improvements to the process of building a piano as well as the mechanical features within. They lead the industry in their pianos since the quality is unsurpassed for their prices.

History

Koichi Kawai

It was nearly a century ago in Japan that an obscure medical instrument technician was struggling alone to build an upright piano from imported parts. One day, he was surprised to see a neighbor's son riding by on a unique pedal-driven cart, the first ever to travel the roads of Hamamatsu, Japan. The aspiring piano builder was so impressed when he learned that the boy had designed and built the cart by himself that he invited the young man to be his apprentice. The next day, the invitation was accepted and a dream was born... as the young man, Koichi Kawai, the son of a wagon maker, would set out to build his first piano. The ensuing years would reveal Koichi Kawai's extraordinary genius for design and innovation. He led the research and development team that introduced pianos to his country. Later, he became the first in Japan to design and build a complete piano action, receiving many patents for his designs and inventions. It was an impressive beginning... yet his greatest achievements were still to come.

During the 1920s, the Japanese piano industry began to falter. The company that employed Koichi was struggling and new management had taken control from the original owner. It was then that Koichi Kawai, confident that the pursuit of excellence would always bring opportunity, decided to build a dream of his own. And so, his quest began in 1927 as he and seven kindred colleagues formed the Kawai Musical Instrument Research Laboratory in Hamamatsu, Japan. Together, it was their dream to one day build the world's finest piano.

The early years provided many diverse challenges – the shortage of qualified craftsmen, the continual scarcity of quality materials, and an underdeveloped network of dealers for reaching potential customers. Yet, the determined company prospered. By the early fifties. Kawai had grown to over 500 people producing over 1500 pianos per year – and Koichi Kawai had received the prestigious "Blue Ribbon Medal" from the Emperor of Japan, becoming the first person in the musical instrument industry to receive such an honor.

By the end of its first quarter century, the company had put in place the foundations of excellence and dedication that would motivate and inspire its people for decades to come. <ref> http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/about_us/koichi-kawai_09.html

Shigeru Kawai

Koichi Kawai died suddenly in October of 1955 at the age of 70. Succeeding him at the helm was 33-year-old Shigeru Kawai who would lead his family's company into the realm of modern manufacturing.

With Japan's economy improving, Shigeru foresaw rapid growth in the musical instrument industry. He correctly reasoned that the company could not continue to rely solely upon traditional "hand work" production methods and still meet growing demand. The future, he believed, would combine hand-craftsmanship with the finest technology. Therefore, Shigeru began construction of two new factories, one a wood processing plant and the other a piano assembly plant using the company's first modern production line.

Kawai's production capability and manufacturing expertise grew exponentially in the years that followed. Next, Shigeru began to focus on ways to stimulate market demand for pianos. Believing that music education was the key to any instrument purchase, he built a network of Kawai Music Schools. Since these schools would require teachers, he created the Kawai Academy of Music to train qualified music teachers to staff the newly established schools. At the same time, Shigeru originated the Kawai Piano Technical Center to train Service Technicians in the art of caring for pianos.

Finally, to take the Kawai message to the people, he initiated a unique door-to-door sales program to encourage music education through piano study. Working synergistically, these programs flourished. During the 1960's, Kawai had nearly 2,000 door-to-door salesmen in the field and over 300,000 people participating in Kawai music schools across Japan.

With domestic business now firmly established, Shigeru turned his attention toward making Kawai "the sound heard around the world." Ready and able to meet worldwide demand, Shigeru launched Kawai America in 1963... followed by Kawai Europe, Kawai Canada, Kawai Australia and Kawai Asia. Today, Kawai Musical instruments enjoy recognition in every major market in the world. <ref> http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/about_us/shigeru-kawai_09.html

Hirotaka Kawai

"At Kawai, the quest for perfection is not just an ideal... but a duty." . – Hirotaka Kawai

In 1989, the presidency of the company was passed to Shigeru's son, Hirotaka Kawai. Hirotaka began with a pledge to carry on the "commitment to excellence" established by his father and grandfather. Early in his tenure as president, Hirotaka invested tens of millions of dollars to incorporate advanced robotics in the production process. Then he took production outside Japan for the first time with the launch of Kawai America Manufacturing and the acquisition of the Lowrey Organ Company... followed by the founding of Kawai Asia Manufacturing in Malaysia in 1991 and the establishment of Kawai Finishing in the United States in 1995.

Later, he oversaw the development and introduction of Kawai's internationally-acclaimed RX Series Artist Grand Pianos. And, most recently, he continued to strengthen Kawai's worldwide manufacturing presence with the establishment of Karawan – "Kawai's Japanese manufacturing facility" in Indonesia, built with meticulous care to uphold and perpetuate the company's exacting standards of quality. <ref> http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/about_us/hirotaka-kawai_09.html

Kawai Today

From generation to generation, the Kawai vision continues. From its humble beginnings in 1927, the company has evolved into a multi-national corporation with nearly $1 billion annually in worldwide sales... employing over 4000 people across four continents.

Perfecting the Art of the Piano

At the renowned Shigeru Kawai Research and Development Laboratory, the world's finest master craftsmen strive to extend the boundaries of the piano art form. Day after day, using only traditional hand-crafted methods, these Master Piano Artisans explore new concepts, designs and materials that enable Kawai to continually transcend history's loftiest piano standards. Since the knowledge gained in this one-of-a-kind facility becomes a part of every Kawai instrument, the Shigeru Kawai Laboratory is an essential part of the Kawai family's quest to perfect the art of the piano. The Winners Choice Kawai pianos have reached the pinnacle of international acclaim. Found on concert stages throughout the world, they continue to be selected by gold medal winners and finalists at prestigious international piano competitions across the globe.

Environmental Leadership

In 1997, Kawai became the first in the piano industry to receive ISO 14001, the world's foremost certification for excellence in environmental management. Awarded first to Kawai's Ryuyo Grand Piano Facility, then to the company's Maisaka Upright Piano Factory and most recently to Kawai's Märchen Digital Piano Facility, ISO 14001 recognized exceptional achievement in reforestation, energy conservation, waste reduction and natural resource preservation. This unceasing pursuit of environmental excellence is an integral part of Kawai's commitment to the future – and to our world.

Technological Leadership

Kawai has earned a reputation as the technological leader in digital pianos with the highly acclaimed Concert Artist Series and Concert Performer Ensemble Series pianos. In addition, the celebrated ES Series and MP Series Stage Pianos continue to be top choices for performing musicians. Having received over ten prestigious international awards for technological excellence, Kawai has become the most decorated manufacturer of digital pianos in the industry.

It is this continuing vision for the future, and a diversity of fine products distributed to more than 80 countries around the globe, that has earned Kawai its place among the world's preeminent musical instrument companies. <ref> http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/about_us/kawai_today.html

Products

Pianos

Kawai pianos' action is made of synthetic polymer material rather than traditional wood or metal. In their early editions, it was a styran plastic. Afterward, it evolved to a more sophisticated carbon fiber action. Both solutions allow for no swelling due to humidity, lengthening the life of the piano greatly.

Grand Pianos

EX - 9'
RX-7 - 7'6"
RX-6 - 7'
RX-5 - 6'6"
RX-3 - 6'1"
RX-2 - 5'10"
RX-1 - 5'5"
GE-30 - 5'5"
GE-20 - 5'1"
GM-12 - 5'
GM-10K - 5'
SK7 - 7'6"
SK6 - 7'
SK5 - 6'6"
SK3 - 6'1"
SK2 - 5'10"

As of mid-2010, the Kawai grand piano line has consisted of the RX-Blak series. These pianos are no different from their RX predecessors only for the exception of minor cosmetic details which one may find pleasing in personal opinion.

Stage Pianos

EP2 (discontinued)
EP3
MP9000 (discontinued)
MP9500 (discontinued)
MP4 (discontinued)
MP8
MP5
MP8II

Upright Pianos

K-8
K-6
K-5
K-2
907
607
508
UST9
506N
K15

Guitars

Kawai started building guitars in 1964 then bought Teisco in 1967 but retaining the lines separately. Kawai also built guitars for Saint Louis music in the 1960s and 1970's under their brand name Apollo.

Synthesizers

Kawai started manufacturing synthesizers in the beginning of the 1980s under the brand name Teisco. These instruments were all analog and included the following models: 60F, 110F, 100F, 100P, SX-210, SX-240, and SX-400. At some point, Kawai stopped using the "Teisco" brand and so some of these products can be found labelled either Teisco or Kawai.

During the second half of the '80s, Kawai developed and released a number of digital synthesizers. The most known of these are the K series: K1, Kawai K1mkII, K3 (filters and envelopes are analog), K4 and K5. Except the K5, which is an additive synthesizer, all instruments employ subtractive synthesis. Uniquely for their price range, all instruments feature aftertouch. Kawai also manufactured rack versions of most of these instruments, and an external programming device, Kawai MM-16. Kawai XD-5, a drum synthesizer based on the K4 engine, was produced in 1989-1990.

Later developments resulted in Kawai KC-10 and KC-20 (produced in the beginning of the 1990s), both are simplistic PCM synthesizers. In 1996 Kawai released the K5000, an additive synthesizer that greatly improved on the K5 and is now regarded as one of Kawai's very best instruments. It was manufactured in three versions: K5000S, which had 16 knobs for real-time control and an arpeggiator, K5000W which added a sequencer but lacked both the knobs and the arpeggiator, and the K5000R, a rack version with an arpeggiator, but no sequencer and no knobs. A Knobs Macro Box was sold separately for use with the W and R models. Kawai originally planned to release K5000X, which would combine the features of the S and W models with a 76-key keyboard and enhanced memory, but this was cancelled in the late '90s due to bad sales. Shortly thereafter the company stopped producing synthesizers.

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