The history of Showa Shinku begins with the establishment as an individual enterprise in 1953 of the Omata Vacuum Machinery Research Center, which repaired vacuum pumps and later began manufacturing them in 1955. At that point, in 1958, Showa Shinku Kikai (Showa Vacuum Machinery) Company Limited was established. Growing demand for quartz crystal was spurred by the transition of watches from the mechanical type to the quartz type, and this provided the foundation for the present-day company.

Later, CB radios became popular in the U.S. in 1975, and the quartz crystal used in those radios were made only in Japan, which caused a sudden surge in demand for the vacuum equipment which was indispensable for manufacturing them. Also, effort was put into the development of vacuum-evaporation equipment and sputtering equipment in order to domesticize machinery for the mass production of thin-film electronic parts. Today, concentrating on quartz crystal-related devices, the Company has established its position as an electronic parts and thin-film manufacturing equipment maker freely using vacuum technology. We are the leading company in the area of equipment for quartz devices, with a dominant global position without peer.

Showa Shinku's machinery is primarily produced on a made-to-order basis, and furthermore we only manufacture parts which perform special functions. This is a difficult area for large companies to enter, and Showa Shinku principal operating policy is to aim for this niche market. Furthermore, in order to address customers' very specific requirements, we are always thinking "What product will provide the customer with high added value?", and by developing and manufacturing products which reflect this we have gained the trust of many customers.

The scale of the market for equipment using vacuum technology is expected to show large growth in the future. Against the background of this remarkable market growth, Showa Shinku expects to vault even higher.

Kunimasa Omata,
President