Okuma Corporation Celebrates 125-Year Anniversary

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Apr 05, 2023, 14:12 ET

Highlights Key Milestones & Vision for Future

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The leadership team of Okuma Corporation, a world-leading builder of computer number control (CNC) machine tools, controls and automation systems, is honored to announce the company's 125-year anniversary in 2023.

The leadership team of Okuma Corporation, a world-leading builder of computer number control (CNC) machine tools, controls and automation systems, is honored to announce the company’s 125-year anniversary in 2023.

The company was founded by Eiichi Okuma in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan, with the initial purposes of manufacturing and selling noodle-making machines. Since that time, the company has grown into a global enterprise company of nearly 4,000 employees and has reached several innovative milestones which have pushed the evolution of the manufacturing industry forward. Notable milestones include:

1898 – Founded company and developed a noodle making machine
1904 – Began producing and selling machine tools
1963 – Developed the company's first NC (numerical control) controller with absolute position encoder system, becoming Japan's only comprehensive manufacturer of both machine and control
1972 – Developed the world's first computerized numerical control (CNC) for its machines
1984 – Expanded into American markets by establishing an office in the US to serve as a sales and service organization throughout the Americas, which would later be incorporated as Okuma America Corporation
2004 – Launched the next-generation, open-architecture THINC control –the first smart CNC
2013 – Constructed the first Dream Site smart factory in Japan
2023 – Okuma America Corporation launched the Okuma Factory Automation Division for the advancement of automated solutions throughout the Americas

As a global manufacturing enterprise, Okuma continues to innovate next-generation CNC machines and manufacturing systems designed to increase customer efficiencies and productivity levels, address evolving workforce challenges, and continue to push the evolution of manufacturing to new possibilities.

Okuma America Corporation President and COO Jim King reflected on the company's milestone anniversary, "We are honored to be part of a company with more than a century-long track record of innovating solutions for customers within the manufacturing industry. As we continue to innovate new product and service offerings for manufacturers, we look forward to serving the evolving needs of our customers and the industry for today and throughout the next century."

To learn more about the company's rich history, visit www.okuma.com/history.

About Okuma America Corporation
Okuma America Corporation is the U.S.-based sales and service affiliate of Okuma Corporation, a world-leading builder of CNC (computer numeric control) machine tools, controls and automation systems. The company was founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan, and is the industry's only single-source provider of CNC machines, drives, motors, encoders, spindles and automation systems, all manufactured by Okuma. The company designs its own CNC controls to integrate seamlessly with each machine tool's functionality. In 2014 Okuma launched the Okuma App Store, the industry's only centralized online marketplace for machine tool apps and related content. Along with its extensive distribution network (largest in the Americas), and Partners in THINC network of enhanced manufacturing technologies, Okuma is committed to helping users gain competitive advantage through the open possibilities of machine tools today and into the future. For more information, visit Okuma.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.