Makita
 | |
Romanized name | Makita Kabushiki-gaisha |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public K.K. |
| TYO: 6586 OTC Pink: MKTAY | |
| Industry | Power tools |
| Founded | March 21, 1915 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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Number of employees | 13,845 (2015) |
| Website | makita |
Makita Corporation (TYO: 6586, OTC Pink: MKTAY) is a manufacturer of power tools. Founded on March 21, 1915, it is based in Anjō, Japan, and operates factories in Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Romania, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. Annual sales were equivalent to $2.9 billion in 2012.[1][2] Makita assembles a significant amount of their tools sold in North America in their Buford, Georgia factory.
History
In March 1915 Mosaburo Makita founded Makita Electric Works (proprietorship) in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan and began selling and repairing lighting equipment, motors, and transformers.[3][4] In April 1969 they introduced the 6500D battery-powered drill (the first rechargeable power tool). In December 1978 they launched the 6010D re-chargeable drill (the first nickel cadmium battery tool). In August 1997, the 6213D rechargeable driver-drill was exhibited at the Chicago Hardware Show (the first nickel hydride battery tool). In February 2005, the TD130D (the first lithium-ion battery tool) was made available.