Company Profile

When our company was first established, we started out manufacturing small chucks, but as there were many competitors and we were a small company, we were forced to struggle. So, in order to avoid competition with major companies and to continue manufacturing reliable products that meet customer needs, we shifted our focus to manufacturing large chucks, which other companies avoided because they were difficult to handle and often required custom orders. We also began exporting to the United States, and trading began when a local trading company evaluated the products we manufactured for domestic manufacturers.

1933

San-X Koki Factory was established, lathe chuck manufacturing began.

1945

Relocated to Abe, Sakurai City, and changed company name to Kawata Ironworks.

1950

Trademarks changed to NOBEL, and main focus shifts to lathe chucks.

1961

Restructured the company as a corporate organization, and changed our name to Kawata Iron Works Co., Ltd

1965

Commissioned a new factory and directed focus to large chucks.

1971

Began sales of index chucks.

1979

Commissioned a new company head office and the Abe factory.
Began exportation of large-sized steel chucks to the US.

In the 1980s, a customer approached us with the prospect of manufacturing pallet changers, and with their support, we began. The number of customers also increased, and by the 1990s, sales of pallet changers accounted for half of our sales. As a result, the technical capabilities of Kawatatec also improved dramatically.

1983

Began production of pallet changers for vertical lathes and square pallets.

1985

Commissioned the Hashimoto No. 1 Factory.
Began production of pallet changers for machining centers.
Began production of tool changers.

1992

Changed company name to Kawatatec Corp.

1996

Relocated to our current head office located in Hashimoto.

However, in the mid-2000s, the pallet changer business developed into a situation where it was difficult to continue due to intensifying competition with other companies. On the other hand, the market for vertical lathes and multi-tasking machines expanded, and demand for large chucks increased, so the business returned focus to large chucks. The company also focused on developing new products, and it continued to release a series of large lathe chucks with covers, thin scroll chucks, floating chucks, and other products.

2004

Signed a sales agent agreement with OML of Italy for Touchdex products.

2010

Began sales of the Genius vice for 5-axis machining centers.
Began sales of the Thin Scroll Chuck TM series.

2015

Commissioned the 4th factory in our Hashimoto complex.
Commissioned the painting factory.

2017

Selected as a “Future Regional Driving Company” by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

We realized that meeting the growing demand while maintaining high quality using conventional methods might become a difficulty, and as such, Kawatatec has begun to devote focus to strengthening the recruitment and training of young employees, and take on the challenge of automating processing using digital technology to achieve highly efficient production.

2022

Awarded the 2022 (5th) Nara Prefecture Overseas Expansion Leading Company Award.