Janome

Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd.

Native name	蛇の目ミシン工業株式会社
Company type	Public KK
Traded as	TYO: 6445
Industry	Machinery
Founded	Tokyo, Japan (October 16, 1921 (1921-10-16))
Founder	Yosaku Ose
Headquarters	Hachioji , Japan
Key people	Hachiro Makabe (President)
Products	Sewing machines Electro-presses Imprinters Desktop robots SCARA robots Cartesian robots
Revenue	JPY 46.01 billion (FY 2014) (US$ 383.4 million) (FY 2014)
Net income	JPY 1.86 billion (FY 2014) (US$ 15.5 million) (FY 2014)
Number of employees	3,528 (as of June 22, 2015)
Subsidiaries	Elna
Website	Official website
Footnotes / references

Janome (蛇の目ミシン工業株式会社, Janome Mishin Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha, Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese company that produces sewing machines, with manufacturing plants in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.

History

The Pine Sewing Machine factory was founded on October 16, 1921. In 1935, the Janome trademark was established, and the company was renamed to Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. in 1954. As one of many manufacturers selling in the USA, its subsidiary is Janome America based in Mahwah, New Jersey.also owns Swiss-brand Elna. The company manufactures all of its machines in the same factories.

Around 1862, William Barker and Andrew J. Clark began producing the "The Pride of the West" machine, later calling it the "New England Single Thread Hand Sewing Machine" after moving the plant to Orange, Massachusetts, in 1867. Over the next few years, the New England machine and the "Home Shuttle" were their two most significant products. In 1882, the company reformed under the name New Home (a combination of the labels New England and Home Shuttle). The company ran into financial difficulties in the 1920s and was taken over by The Free Sewing Machine Company in 1930, after they temporarily ran the business for two years. In 1960, New Home and the "New Home" brand were purchased by the Janome. Janome has led the way with innovation in sewing machines through establishing a research laboratory in Tokyo in 1964. Then in 1971 they released the first sewing machine with both programmable and computerised functions on the market.

Janome was the first to develop a computerized machine for home use (the Memory 7, in 1979), the first to offer professional style embroidery to the home market (the Memory Craft 8000, in 1990) and the first to offer a long-arm quilting machine for home use (the Memory Craft 6500P, in 2003).

Name

The name "Janome" (蛇の目) literally means "snake's eye" and was taken from the appearance of the latest bobbin design. At the time of brand establishment in 1935, the round bobbin system was the more advanced technology replacing the traditional long shuttle type. As the new round bobbin looks like a snake's eye, Janome was chosen as the company's name.

Janome is also the name of the traditional Japanese bull's-eye umbrella design.

Machines

Machines produced by Janome range from basic sewing, quilting and embroidery through to specialty machines for overlocking (serging), embroidery, fibre arts, machines for schools and compact models. The range includes electronic and computerised machines that can be updated via software and there is a treadle for power-free sewing.

Brands manufactured by Janome include Kenmore for Sears, Artistic Sewing Suite, Elna and all Janome brands. Additionally, brands like Necchi are made in their Asian factories.

Expansion and Purchasing

Janome is a globally recognized brand and has expanded into over 100 countries around the world. Distribution occurs through a retail sales channel, and information about where to purchase can be found through their global website. For a user, this means if you require parts, accessories or manuals, you also need to contact a retail distributor for any purchasing needs.

External links

• Official website