10.04.2023
Komori America—Komori America today announced that Komori Corporation will celebrate its 100th anniversary on October 20, 2023. Komori was founded 100 years ago in 1923 by brothers Zenshichi and Yoshikazu Komori, from the rubble of the Great Kanto Earthquake. The Komori brothers originally founded their new company as Komori Machinery Works, focusing on manufacturing manual lithographic presses. In 1928, after many years of litho evolution, Komori developed its first sheetfed offset press. From this first press to the introduction of the Lithrone GX40/G40 advance series of offset presses announced in 2020, offset printing presses have been Komori’s core business.
The company’s first overseas sales from the American market originated in the 1960s using a distributor model for North America. In 1981, convinced of the potential of the American market, Komori broke ground for the construction work that established Komori America in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Komori America was the world’s first sales subsidiary directly established by a manufacturer in the printing machinery industry.
As the demand for faster time to market and a higher level of automation grew, Komori evolved its focus from a printing press manufacturer to a print engineering service provider (PESP), offering a host of technology and solutions that cover the complete range of today’s print requirements. This included the development of the first fully automatic makeready press with fully automatic plate changers (APC); the KHS-AI system, Komori’s self-learning technology for color control and waste reduction; and the System G38 web offset press with LED-UV curing, designed to provide high-volume production with a lower carbon footprint and energy savings. Additionally, Komori expanded its focus by integrating its offset business with the securities printing machinery business, the printed electronics (PE) precision machinery business and digital printing systems (DPS).
“In the past one hundred years, we’ve implemented a variety of technologies that have been industry firsts,” noted Mark Milbourn, Komori America’s executive vice president of sales and service. “Not all of these have remained as long-term products, but that’s the beauty of Komori’s continuing research and development: We are always on the lookout for opportunities to refine the product and take it to the next level.”
In 2020, Komori acquired MBO Group, a global company that specializes in the manufacture and sale of post-press equipment. MBO is distinguished by its core competency of buckle, knife and plow folding technology, making it a world-class finishing solutions provider, able to add further value to Komori’s press solutions. Whether the print environment is sheet-based or web-based, Komori can provide its customers with advanced, robust, seamless printing production systems that include post-press processing.
Along with technological innovations, a central aspect of the Komori legacy is its commitment to the Japanese concept of “kando,” which Komori defines as delivering customer satisfaction “beyond expectations” through the quality of its products and service excellence. Customers of Komori cite their supportive, long-term relationships with the company as evidence that these founding values remain strong, even after a century.
“As a company, we consistently reaffirm our core purpose: our dedication to print technology and our focus on kando, both of which are the basis of our business,” said Toshiyasu Kubotera, Komori America’s president. “This year, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our founding, a historical milestone. We will continue to evolve our business over the next 100 years, strengthening relationships with customers, business partners and all stakeholders by offering innovative ways that expand their potential, create new value and open new opportunities in business scenarios of every kind. We thank everyone for their continued support and encouragement.”
