20.02.2011, 21:23
Neue Erkenntnisse zur Akai Geschichte, von der Akai.com Seite von 1996/97.
Mir war z.B. völlig unbekannt, daß Masukichi Akai die Firma komplett an Sawafuji verkaufte und Saburo Akai nach dem Krieg durch Erfolge mit einer eigenen Firma 1947 die Fabrik in Kamata zurückkaufte und Akai Electronic Company gründete.
Beginnings
Akai was established is July 1929 as a manufacturer of radio components, sockets and other electrical parts. The company was founded by Masukichi Akai. A true cottage industry, Akai was started in a backyard shed. The workplace was so small it could hardly be called a factory and his employees were entirely from his immediate family. Masukichi had originally worked at a plant run by a large electric company in Tokyo. The plant, however, was completely destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake. Masukichi, reflecting that fate had taken a hand in his survival, vowed to live life to its fullest from then on. Masukichi, a highly skilled worker, went out on his own and founded what was to become Akai.
Masukichi's business expanded rapidly through the 20's and 30's. Masukichi's eldest son, Saburo, grew up in the factory, running errands after school, learning to work the presses and drills. As Saburo was finishing school, his father called him in one day for a talk. "It looks like I am going to finish my days running a small firm with only 10 or 20 people," said Masukichi, "You, too, will probably spend most of your life in overalls. And if that is how things are going to be, it's better for you to learn a skill than spend all your time reading books. The best plan is for you to do your studying at night school." Thus Saburo enrolled himself in night school at the Tokyo Institute of Technology to study electrical machinery.
This turned out to be a watershed event for as Akai grew, they expanded into the production of electrical motors due largely to Saburo's new expertise in electrical engineering. The motor Saburo eventually designed caught the attention of a company which was making 16mm film projectors. This was a time when the first 16mm movies were being made in Japan. The new business generated by the production of electrical motors allowed the father / son team to move their facilities from the backyard premises to a factory in Kamata in 1933.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997021507150.../lgnd1.htm
War, Death and the Rebirth of Akai
After growing and prospering throughout the 30's, Akai foundered at the onset of the Second World War. Only ten days after getting married in 1939, Saburo Akai received his military enlistment papers and found himself caught up in the momentous events of the war. Of his 3 years' war experience, Saburo reflected that the terrible experience had a profound effect on him.
By 1944, Saburo had put in enough army service to warrant retirement. Masukichi vowed that he would never again let his son get involved in the war. Masukichi had sold all of his premises and equipment to Sawafuji Electric Co., where Saburo was to take up employment as an engineer. Saburo's new position in charge of production at a large electrical firm secured him against having to return to war duty. Nonetheless a price had been paid; the company his father had worked so hard to build had been handed over to another concern.
Phono Motors to Tape Recorders
With savings he had accumulated before the war, Saburo founded a new firm with a group of colleagues. He persuaded Sawafuji Electric to lease him the Kamata plant. By December 1946, the new firm had produced their first one horsepower motor. Commodities were in short supply and their products soon turned into hard cash at the wholesalers. Business was so good that by 1947, Saburo raised his capital investment in the new firm, bought back the Kamata plant from Sawafuji and changed the name of the concern to Akai Electric Company.
By 1948, Akai had started producing and selling phonograph motors. At this time recording technology was changing rapidly and there was demand for higher precision record players. Akai responded to this demand by continually upgrading the technology of their phono motors. By 1951, they had developed the C-5 Variable Speed Motor, which produced minimal noise and vibration and proved extremely popular with audio enthusiasts of the period.
The C-5 aroused considerable interest in the US as well and this led Saburo to change his market perspective. In 1953-4 Akai was one of the few medium sized companies to export goods without going through a wholesaler. Saburo had advertised in the American technical journal "Electronics." The headline "Why not buy Akai technology?" generated inquiries from 5 interested companies. One of these companies was a small producer of audiovisual equipment for education, Robert Electronics. The company presented Saburo with overwhelming demand for anything Akai was producing and business expanded rapidly for both as Robert Electronics began using Akai products.
Then in answer to a query from Akai about how their products were being used, Roberts sent back a tape recorder. Technicians at Akai looked over the model, made one of their own and quickly sent this back to their US client. Roberts replied in no time. The firm asked Akai to manufacture the completed tape recorders and said that they would take charge of sales. In 1954 Akai made its first foray into the tape recorder field by bringing out the AT-1 model, a tape recorder kit. This was followed in 1956 by their first independently developed tape recorder, the 900. The model was well received and orders started coming in fast.
Saburo decided to take a trip to the U.S. to further study the market. He was completely taken aback by the immense market he found there, and returned to Japan with the realization that if you had a good product, you could be sure of selling it in America. From then on the firm focused on expanding their facilities and gearing their production towards improving quality.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997021507222.../lgnd2.htm
Progress Overseas
Akai had an export ratio of over 90% in the 1970's largely due to President Saburo Akai's focus on selling overseas for the previous two decades. Saburo had two reasons for giving priority to overseas markets for his firm's products. The first was soomething that happened to him while he was staying at the Shiga Kogen Hotel in 1952. Saburo who had not taken a vacation for some 20 years, was spending the new year skiing at Shiga Kogen. The hotel had been taken over by the U.S. Army of Occupation, and the majority of guests were Westerners; it was the first time Saburo had stayed in Western-style accomodations.
The American guests were holding parties every night. At first Saburo was in a quandary as to what to do; all those well dressed men and women, the poker games, piano music and lively goings on had him in a spin. The way people drank and fraternized at these parties came as a shock. For the Japanese, a day at such a resort meant skiing, followed by a change of clothes in the evening and perhaps a glass or two of sake before retiring. To Saburo these people seemed extremely well off. Reflecting that the shirt he was wearing was ex-U.S. Army issue which he had re-dyed, that his trousers were a trifle baggy and that all his skiing gear was homemade. At the time Saburo said, "If we could sell to an amazing country like this, we'd be doing real business." It was at this point that he decided to turn his attention to selling overseas.
There was one more reason for this change in Saburo's business outlook. On January 15, 1954, at a time when the mood of new year had hardly had a chance to subside, news came that I Co., a top wholesaler in Tokyo's Akihabara district, had gone bankrupt. Akai had supplied approximately 9 million yen's worth of products to I Co. Damage was also sustained by large electrical companies besides Akai. But for Akai, the loss sustained threatened the very existence of the company. Fortunately Saburo Akai had the additional capital invested in real estate that could be released in the event of a real emergency such as this one. While this reduced Saburo's personal savings to zero, Akai was able to continue producing as Saburo visited I Co. every day to demand repayment. As luck had it Akai managed to get back 7 of the 9 million it was owed after two months. But the whole experience had taught Saburo a valuable lesson and he became determined to find a more reliable way of doing business.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997062818520.../lgnd3.htm
Audio to Video
In 1957 Akai unveiled a deluxe version of its high grade tape recorder. With the deluxe stereo model which was brought out the following year, Akai had acquired a firm position in the domestic market. In the same year, Saburo took over from his father as president.
Although well established in terms of capital and selling power by 1960, the firm had concentrated on investing the market with low-price tape recorders through its volume production system. Akai was now at a turning point. The company would no longer view the tape recorder as simply a machine for the production of sound; the tape recorder was to be refined as a device for the pursuit of sound quality. At a time when most music listening consisted of listening to live performances, the radio and the record player, Akai was firmly advocating the pleasures of listening to tape recordings. The tape recorder's ability to record, of course, distinguished them from the other types of audio media. While costs would rise with the pursuit of sound quality, Akai was nonetheless committed to the belief that the tape recorder should be an instrument of sonic excellence and set out to make products that demonstrated this conviction.
Throughout the early '60's Akai produced models that made their reputation as a premier producer of audio tape recorders. In the US, OEM-supplied Akai products were being marketed under the Roberts brand name. Despite the wide range of tape recorders available from US manufacturers, Akai sales were exceptionally high. On the strength of this success, Akai decided to expand its sales network into other countries, first moving into Southeast Asia and then the Middle East and Europe.
Akai debuted the M-7 model tape recorder in 1962 and its successor the M-8 in 1964. Equipped with the then new X'Field magnetic recording system, these two models gave superior frequency response which resulted in a vast improvement in tape economy. Together the M-7 and M-8 recorded sales of over 160,000 units in four years and thus established Akai in an unshakable position in the tape recorder field.
The X'Field Head development brought Akai sudden world renown, and the company went on to produce many top selling models. Both Akai's top of the line models and economy models developed favorable reputations largely due to the superiority and uniqueness of the X'Field Head. By 1972, the company was diversifying into the cassette tape recorder field. In 1969, while researching VTR (video tape recorder) technology, Akai succeeded in developing an audio head employing ferrite material. Subsequently named the GX head, this new head showed considerably better performance than the X'Field Head and made possible an ideal system of magnetic recording, that of focused field recording. Recording and playback characteristics proved excellent, and as the core material employed was far harder than the previous permalloy, the initial characteristics were retained for a long period. Today, Akai continues to use descendant generations of this first GX Head in its cassette player / recorders.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997062819372.../lgnd4.htm
Progress with VTR's
About the time that the company was developing the GX Head, work was already underway in the home VTR field. In 1965, 10 years before the first VHS machines appeared on the market, Akai announced the development of a Fixed Head type VTR, the VX-1000, which employed the X'Field Head. This type of system was considered impossible to acheive at the time. Moreover, this ground breaking VTR used 1/4 inch tape. The model was superseded by the VX-1200 in 1967, and in 1968, the firm went a stage further by developing the X-500VT, a helical scan type VTR and high grade tape recorder in one.
Though hindered by formidable technical difficulties, Akai nevertheless went ahead in 1969 to produce a portable VTR , the VT-100, which used 1/4 inch tape and also a portable video camera, the VC-100. Akai was aiming at an alternative to the 8mm camera in an attempt to reduce equipment bulk and tape cost. High technical expertise made the rotating head drum and the motor more compact.
In 1974 the firm brought out a portable VTR handling 1/4 inch videotape, the VT-150. The superb performance of this machine in combination with the compact color video camera, the VC-150, soon gained recognition, and the two came to be widely used as Electronic News Gathering (ENG) equipment in the United States. The VT-150 also clearly offered enticing possibilities for personal use. While bringing out new VTR products, Akai, determined as ever to promote sales in the US, changed over from OEM supply to its own sales base. The company set up Akai America, Ltd. in California in 1970, with the intention of selling products under its own brand name, rather than the hitherto used name of Roberts.
Saburo Akai also decided to establish sales outlets in other countries. A sales force from Akai was sent out in search of agencies abroad. They visited countries where people had never even seen a tape recorder, showed the American music journals and persuaded them of the widespread use of these machines. One fact in particular struck Saburo during this period. He realized that machines that sold well in the U.S. tended to get a favorable reception in other countries. An instance of this was Akai's vertical design for the tape recorder at a time when the predominant form was horizontal. Even some of Akai's own R&D team considered this design unusual, but when the first models came out of the US, they met with resounding approval. From then on new products were sold first in the US to gauge consumer response before going ahead with volume production.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997062819383.../lgnd5.htm
Rising Value of the Yen and the Death of Saburo
By 1970 Akai was prospering and expanding at a furious pace; but with an export ratio of over 90%, this success was largely dependent on its overseas interests. When the US government suddenly introduced monetary policy in 1971 and the value of the yen was raised, Akai's prosperous outlook took on a decidedly gloomier aspect. Under these pressing circumstances, the company was forced to change its business strategy of dealing almost exclusively with the United States and set about extending its sales routes, first to Europe, then Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Two years later at the end of 1973, when world economies were suffering from the oil shock and Akai was still struggling in a rigorous business climate brought about by the high yen rate, Saburo Akai did not let events intrude on his regular New Year trip to the ski resort of Shiga Kogen. It was here that he died.
After Saburo's sudden death, the factory chief who had been with the firm since its establishment, Minokichi Saito, was appointed President. Soon the firm became seriously engaged in VTR development. In 1977 Akai introduced an original cassette type portable VTR, the VT-300, followed by the color portable, the VT-400. Akai was not alone in developing its own cassette type VTR. 1975 saw the introduction of the Beta format VCR and this was followed by the first VHS machines in 1976.
Neither format came as the portable type which Akai had expended its efforts to develop, but were built for the recording and playback of TV programs at home. Akai eventually settled on the VHS format for long duration TV recording and playback. The large manufacturers were already organizing in groups with the aim of spreading the VHS format throughout the world. Research work continued and the combined efforts of the business and technical staff focused on bringing out a VHS format VCR.
Akai's European standard VHS machines first appeared at the Berlin Show in 1977, and Akai began promoting VHS sales in earnest. The president, Minokichi Saito, was already expanding the sales organization in Europe with the establishment of Akai France in 1977, Akai U.K. in 1979 and Akai Deutschland in 1980. With this strong sales network in place Akai quickly gained a significant share of the Europe audio visual equipment market.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997062819392.../lgnd6.htm
Akai Enters a New Era
In 1980, with the support of the Mitsubishi Group, Tadasu Waki was appointed to the office of president. Mr. Waki streamlined production by configuring a new manufacturing system. With a view towards improving business efficiently as well, Akai Electric Co., Ltd. absorbed Akai Trading Co. which had previously handled the PX market and the Japanese domestic market.
In the same year of 1984, Akai diversified into the electronic musical instrument market to give the company an improved balance within business cycles. Akai’s first product in the field of electronic instruments was the Akai Micro Studio System, comprising the AX-80 synthesizer, MG-1212 multi track recorder/mixer and other components. This product aimed to provide an easily accessible way to perform music recording and mixing which previously was possible only in an actual recording studio.
Meanwhile Akai began introducing innovative products in the video field. In 1982, based on its "You can’t miss" product planning concept, Akai introduced the VS-2 VCR, equipped with a bona fide on-screen programming system. Termed the "Interactive Monitor System" from its role in establishing communication between the VCR and the human user, this system is the forerunner of today’s mainstream VCR programming procedure. In the same year Akai also introduced the VC-X2 Fully Automatic Portable Color Video Camera.
In the audio field there had been a notable shift away from reel to reel tapes to cassettes. Cassette decks, first appearing in the mid 1960’s, had improved considerably over the following decade and now the world was welcoming these technological advances with open arms. In this context, Akai halted production of open reel decks in 1985 after the release of the GX-747, thirty one years after Akai had begun sales of its AT-1 tape recorder kit. To take the place of open-reel deck production, Akai poured all of its energies into the development of cassette decks. In 1979 Akai introduced the world’s first quick reverse deck, the CXC-735D. In 1982 Akai introduced the GX-F series which broke all conventions in cassette deck functionality and operational convenience. Featured in these decks were Akai’s advanced original Quick & Quiet mechanism, Auto Monitor, Direct Lead-in / Power Eject and more.
In the meantime, the application of digital technology to the audio field had been advancing since the early 1980’s and the compact disc player was gaining prominence as a new kind of audio system component. In 1983, Akai entered the compact disc player market with its debut model, the CD-D1.
In 1986, Makoto Okada assumed the office of president. Under his leadership Akai furthered the cooperative relationship with the Mitsubishi Group, bringing in another influx of capital from Mitsubishi Electric and executing a program of restructuring and reorganization. Within the context of this broad production and sales restructuring, Akai has been introducing new products both in the Japanese domestic market and abroad. Akai introduced a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) player in 1989 and continues to be a leading innovator in the audio-visual field.
What has contributed to the growth of Akai into a world brand has been the single-minded devotion to technology on the part of the people in both research and development and production. The belief is that good products will sell on their own merits. Creative ideas give these products high added value and it is product creativity that has established the Akai brand name. The future will bring a even greater steps forward in the world of digital technology. Akai will keep pace with these steps forward by developing products that balance the human aspect with products’ functionality and performance.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997062819401.../lgnd7.htm
AKAI CHRONOLOGY
1929 Jun
Akai Electric Co., Ltd. is established by Masukichi Akai in Tokyo to manufacture automotive electrical
parts, magnet parts, radio parts, and small motors.
1933 Dec
Akai's main offices are moved to 883 KoIiya-machi, 3-chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo. (At this time, the company is
also manufacturing general-use motors and small motors for phonographs.)
1949 Jun
Saburo Akai applies for the first U.S. patent (for a phonograph turntable) for a Japanese company since the end of World War II.
1951 Apr
Akai begins manufacturing the C-5 phonograph motor.
1953 Jul
Akai Trading Co., Ltd. is established in Tokyo to strengthen the company's domestic sales.
1954 Aug
Akai's first tape recorder kit, the AT-I, goes on sale.
1956 Apr
The first upright tape recorder the model 900, is put on the market.
1958
Saburo Akai is named president.
1961 Nov
Akai perfects the X'Field Head.
1962 Aug
Akai puts the first model using the X'Field Head, the M-7, on sale.
1964 Jun
The M-8 open reel tape recorder is put on sale.
Aug
The X-4 portable open reel tape recorder is put on sale.
1965 Nov
The VX-1000 stationary-head VCR is announced at the 14th Japan Audio Fair.
1966 Jan
The AA-5000 pre-main amplifier is put on sale.
1967 Sept
The X-1800SD open/cartridge tape recorder is put on sale.
1968 Jul
TheX-360D open reel deck is put on sale.
Aug
The X-500VT audio/video tape recorder using 1/4" tape is announced at the 17th Japan Audio Fair.
Nov
Akai Electric is listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (later to be listed on the
Second Sections of the Osaka and Nagoya Stock Exchanges in April of the next year).
1969 Jun
The VF-100 portable VCR is announced at the New York Consumer Electronics Show.
Aug The GX Head is perfected.
1970 Apr
Akai Electric is promoted to the First Section of the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya Stock Exchanges.
Aug
The GX-365D tape deck is put on sale by Akai as the first model using the GX Head.
Sep
Akai's first cassette deck, the CS-50D, is put on sale.
Oct
Akai America Ltd. is incorporated in California.
1971 Jun
Akai announces its vr-150 portable color VCR at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show.
1973 Feb
The AP-004 turntable is put on sale.
Dec
Minokichi Saito is named president.
1974 Jun
The first upright cassette deck GXC-510D is put on sale.
1975 Feb
The VC-70 video camera using a silicon vidicon is put on sale.
1977 Jan
Akai France S.A. is established in Paris.
Jul
The VT-300 portable video cassette recorder (Akai format) is announced.
Aug
Akai's first component systems, System-A and System-B, are put on sale.
The vS-9300EG, the first VHS/PAL system, is announced at the Berlin Show in West Germany.
Sept
Akai Saitama is established in Gyoda-shi, Saitama prefecture.
1978 Apr
The VS-9300 VHS-format stationary video cassette recorder is put on sale.
Jul
Akai Audio/Video Australia, Pty. Ltd. is established in Sydney.
Dec
The GX-635D open reel deck is put on sale.
1979 Jan
Akai (U.K.) Ltd. is established in London.
Mar
The Quick Reverse cassette decks GXC-735D and CS-732D are put on sale.
Apr
The VHS/PAL system VP-7100 portable VCR is put on sale.
May
Akai is designated the official supplier of video home system (VHS-format) for the 22nd Olympic Games in
Moscow.
Jun
The Super GX Head is perfected. The first cassette deck equipped with the Twin Field Super GX Head, the
GX-M30, is put on sale.
Sep
The VS-9700 VHS-format stationary video cassette recorder and VP-7300 VHS-format portable video cassette
recorder are put on sale.
1980 Jan
The Pro-501, Pro-504, and Pro-601 system components are put on sale.
Feb
Tadasu Waki is named president.
Mar
The UC-5 mini components are put on sale.
Apr
Akai Deutschland GmbH is established in Frankfurt.
The Pro-503 and Pro-602 system components are put on sale. The VHS/PAL SECAM NTSC Multi-system VS-9700EGN
is put on sale.
1981 Jan
The Pro-1011, Pro-1022, Pro-1033, Pro-1044 and Pro-1055 system components are put on sale.
Feb
The VP-7350 VHS- format portable video cassette recorder and VC-X1 automatic-focus color video camera are
put on sale.
Mar
Quick Reverse cassette deck CS-F33R is put on sale.
Apr
High-quality cassette deck GX- F95 is put on sale.
Mini component systems US-3 and US-4 are put on sale.
Aug
Akai Electric France S.A. is established in Honfleur. E.E. tape-compatible Quick Reverse open reel deck
GX-77 is put on sale.
Sep
E.E. tape-compatible GX-747 open reel deck and Quick Reverse cassette deck GX-F66R are put on sale.
Nov
E.E. tape-compatible open reel deck GX-646 and Quick Reverse cassette deck GX-F44R are put on sale.
1982 Mar
Cassette decks GS-F71, GX-F51, GX-F31 are put on sale.
Apr
Cassette deck GX-F91 is put on sale. The VS-2EG with the Interactive Monitor System is announced. Compact
Component System Clarity is put on sale.
Jun
The VP-88 portable VCR is put on sale.
Oct
The GX-747 dbx open reel deck is put on sale.
1983 Feb
The PM-R1 auto-reverse stereo cassette player is put on sale.
Mar
The GX-R6 and HX-R5 (Quick-Reverse cassette decks with rotary heads) are put on sale.
Apr
The CD-D1 compact disc player is put on sale.
The VS-4 stationary VCR is put on sale.
Oct The LL-100 Language Laboratory System is put on sale.
1984 Feb
Akai Micro Studio System is announced at "Musik Masse" in West Germany.
Sep
The AX-80 eight-voice programmable polyphonic syntheslaer and MG-1212 multi-track recorder/mixer are put
on sale.
Nov
Akai Electric absorbs Akai Trading.
1985 Jun
The Pro-A90 and Pro-A70 system components are put on sale.
1986 Feb
Makoto Okada is named president.
1987 Feb
The VS-X9EGN 9-standard system VCR is put on sale.
May
The AW-700 actuated ionized water equipment is put on sale.
Jun
The new "A & D" brand is established in Japan.
Jul
The EWI-1000 and EVI-1000 electronic wind instruments are put on sale.
Nov
The AD-93 Digital Audio Tape deck is put on sale.
Compact portable electrocardiograph is put on sale.
1988 May
The VS-A77 hi-fl VCR with Dolby Surround is put on sale.
Jun
The VS-66 Digital VCR is put on sale.
1989 Feb
The LX-5050 Compact Component System with Cordless Telephone is put on sale in Japan.
1995 Feb
Semi-Tech Global Ltd acquires a 55% interest in Akai.
Sep
Akai acquires a 76% interest in Kong Wah Holdings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1996 by Akai Electric Co. Ltd. All rights reserved.
File last updated: May 16, 1996
http://web.archive.org/web/1997062819412.../chron.htm
Mir war z.B. völlig unbekannt, daß Masukichi Akai die Firma komplett an Sawafuji verkaufte und Saburo Akai nach dem Krieg durch Erfolge mit einer eigenen Firma 1947 die Fabrik in Kamata zurückkaufte und Akai Electronic Company gründete.
Beginnings
Akai was established is July 1929 as a manufacturer of radio components, sockets and other electrical parts. The company was founded by Masukichi Akai. A true cottage industry, Akai was started in a backyard shed. The workplace was so small it could hardly be called a factory and his employees were entirely from his immediate family. Masukichi had originally worked at a plant run by a large electric company in Tokyo. The plant, however, was completely destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake. Masukichi, reflecting that fate had taken a hand in his survival, vowed to live life to its fullest from then on. Masukichi, a highly skilled worker, went out on his own and founded what was to become Akai.
Masukichi's business expanded rapidly through the 20's and 30's. Masukichi's eldest son, Saburo, grew up in the factory, running errands after school, learning to work the presses and drills. As Saburo was finishing school, his father called him in one day for a talk. "It looks like I am going to finish my days running a small firm with only 10 or 20 people," said Masukichi, "You, too, will probably spend most of your life in overalls. And if that is how things are going to be, it's better for you to learn a skill than spend all your time reading books. The best plan is for you to do your studying at night school." Thus Saburo enrolled himself in night school at the Tokyo Institute of Technology to study electrical machinery.
This turned out to be a watershed event for as Akai grew, they expanded into the production of electrical motors due largely to Saburo's new expertise in electrical engineering. The motor Saburo eventually designed caught the attention of a company which was making 16mm film projectors. This was a time when the first 16mm movies were being made in Japan. The new business generated by the production of electrical motors allowed the father / son team to move their facilities from the backyard premises to a factory in Kamata in 1933.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997021507150.../lgnd1.htm
War, Death and the Rebirth of Akai
After growing and prospering throughout the 30's, Akai foundered at the onset of the Second World War. Only ten days after getting married in 1939, Saburo Akai received his military enlistment papers and found himself caught up in the momentous events of the war. Of his 3 years' war experience, Saburo reflected that the terrible experience had a profound effect on him.
By 1944, Saburo had put in enough army service to warrant retirement. Masukichi vowed that he would never again let his son get involved in the war. Masukichi had sold all of his premises and equipment to Sawafuji Electric Co., where Saburo was to take up employment as an engineer. Saburo's new position in charge of production at a large electrical firm secured him against having to return to war duty. Nonetheless a price had been paid; the company his father had worked so hard to build had been handed over to another concern.
Phono Motors to Tape Recorders
With savings he had accumulated before the war, Saburo founded a new firm with a group of colleagues. He persuaded Sawafuji Electric to lease him the Kamata plant. By December 1946, the new firm had produced their first one horsepower motor. Commodities were in short supply and their products soon turned into hard cash at the wholesalers. Business was so good that by 1947, Saburo raised his capital investment in the new firm, bought back the Kamata plant from Sawafuji and changed the name of the concern to Akai Electric Company.
By 1948, Akai had started producing and selling phonograph motors. At this time recording technology was changing rapidly and there was demand for higher precision record players. Akai responded to this demand by continually upgrading the technology of their phono motors. By 1951, they had developed the C-5 Variable Speed Motor, which produced minimal noise and vibration and proved extremely popular with audio enthusiasts of the period.
The C-5 aroused considerable interest in the US as well and this led Saburo to change his market perspective. In 1953-4 Akai was one of the few medium sized companies to export goods without going through a wholesaler. Saburo had advertised in the American technical journal "Electronics." The headline "Why not buy Akai technology?" generated inquiries from 5 interested companies. One of these companies was a small producer of audiovisual equipment for education, Robert Electronics. The company presented Saburo with overwhelming demand for anything Akai was producing and business expanded rapidly for both as Robert Electronics began using Akai products.
Then in answer to a query from Akai about how their products were being used, Roberts sent back a tape recorder. Technicians at Akai looked over the model, made one of their own and quickly sent this back to their US client. Roberts replied in no time. The firm asked Akai to manufacture the completed tape recorders and said that they would take charge of sales. In 1954 Akai made its first foray into the tape recorder field by bringing out the AT-1 model, a tape recorder kit. This was followed in 1956 by their first independently developed tape recorder, the 900. The model was well received and orders started coming in fast.
Saburo decided to take a trip to the U.S. to further study the market. He was completely taken aback by the immense market he found there, and returned to Japan with the realization that if you had a good product, you could be sure of selling it in America. From then on the firm focused on expanding their facilities and gearing their production towards improving quality.
http://web.archive.org/web/1997021507222.../lgnd2.htm
Progress Overseas
Akai had an export ratio of over 90% in the 1970's largely due to President Saburo Akai's focus on selling overseas for the previous two decades. Saburo had two reasons for giving priority to overseas markets for his firm's products. The first was soomething that happened to him while he was staying at the Shiga Kogen Hotel in 1952. Saburo who had not taken a vacation for some 20 years, was spending the new year skiing at Shiga Kogen. The hotel had been taken over by the U.S. Army of Occupation, and the majority of guests were Westerners; it was the first time Saburo had stayed in Western-style accomodations.
The American guests were holding parties every night. At first Saburo was in a quandary as to what to do; all those well dressed men and women, the poker games, piano music and lively goings on had him in a spin. The way people drank and fraternized at these parties came as a shock. For the Japanese, a day at such a resort meant skiing, followed by a change of clothes in the evening and perhaps a glass or two of sake before retiring. To Saburo these people seemed extremely well off. Reflecting that the shirt he was wearing was ex-U.S. Army issue which he had re-dyed, that his trousers were a trifle baggy and that all his skiing gear was homemade. At the time Saburo said, "If we could sell to an amazing country like this, we'd be doing real business." It was at this point that he decided to turn his attention to selling overseas.
There was one more reason for this change in Saburo's business outlook. On January 15, 1954, at a time when the mood of new year had hardly had a chance to subside, news came that I Co., a top wholesaler in Tokyo's Akihabara district, had gone bankrupt. Akai had supplied approximately 9 million yen's worth of products to I Co. Damage was also sustained by large electrical companies besides Akai. But for Akai, the loss sustained threatened the very existence of the company. Fortunately Saburo Akai had the additional capital invested in real estate that could be released in the event of a real emergency such as this one. While this reduced Saburo's personal savings to zero, Akai was able to continue producing as Saburo visited I Co. every day to demand repayment. As luck had it Akai managed to get back 7 of the 9 million it was owed after two months. But the whole experience had taught Saburo a valuable lesson and he became determined to find a more reliable way of doing business.
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Audio to Video
In 1957 Akai unveiled a deluxe version of its high grade tape recorder. With the deluxe stereo model which was brought out the following year, Akai had acquired a firm position in the domestic market. In the same year, Saburo took over from his father as president.
Although well established in terms of capital and selling power by 1960, the firm had concentrated on investing the market with low-price tape recorders through its volume production system. Akai was now at a turning point. The company would no longer view the tape recorder as simply a machine for the production of sound; the tape recorder was to be refined as a device for the pursuit of sound quality. At a time when most music listening consisted of listening to live performances, the radio and the record player, Akai was firmly advocating the pleasures of listening to tape recordings. The tape recorder's ability to record, of course, distinguished them from the other types of audio media. While costs would rise with the pursuit of sound quality, Akai was nonetheless committed to the belief that the tape recorder should be an instrument of sonic excellence and set out to make products that demonstrated this conviction.
Throughout the early '60's Akai produced models that made their reputation as a premier producer of audio tape recorders. In the US, OEM-supplied Akai products were being marketed under the Roberts brand name. Despite the wide range of tape recorders available from US manufacturers, Akai sales were exceptionally high. On the strength of this success, Akai decided to expand its sales network into other countries, first moving into Southeast Asia and then the Middle East and Europe.
Akai debuted the M-7 model tape recorder in 1962 and its successor the M-8 in 1964. Equipped with the then new X'Field magnetic recording system, these two models gave superior frequency response which resulted in a vast improvement in tape economy. Together the M-7 and M-8 recorded sales of over 160,000 units in four years and thus established Akai in an unshakable position in the tape recorder field.
The X'Field Head development brought Akai sudden world renown, and the company went on to produce many top selling models. Both Akai's top of the line models and economy models developed favorable reputations largely due to the superiority and uniqueness of the X'Field Head. By 1972, the company was diversifying into the cassette tape recorder field. In 1969, while researching VTR (video tape recorder) technology, Akai succeeded in developing an audio head employing ferrite material. Subsequently named the GX head, this new head showed considerably better performance than the X'Field Head and made possible an ideal system of magnetic recording, that of focused field recording. Recording and playback characteristics proved excellent, and as the core material employed was far harder than the previous permalloy, the initial characteristics were retained for a long period. Today, Akai continues to use descendant generations of this first GX Head in its cassette player / recorders.
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Progress with VTR's
About the time that the company was developing the GX Head, work was already underway in the home VTR field. In 1965, 10 years before the first VHS machines appeared on the market, Akai announced the development of a Fixed Head type VTR, the VX-1000, which employed the X'Field Head. This type of system was considered impossible to acheive at the time. Moreover, this ground breaking VTR used 1/4 inch tape. The model was superseded by the VX-1200 in 1967, and in 1968, the firm went a stage further by developing the X-500VT, a helical scan type VTR and high grade tape recorder in one.
Though hindered by formidable technical difficulties, Akai nevertheless went ahead in 1969 to produce a portable VTR , the VT-100, which used 1/4 inch tape and also a portable video camera, the VC-100. Akai was aiming at an alternative to the 8mm camera in an attempt to reduce equipment bulk and tape cost. High technical expertise made the rotating head drum and the motor more compact.
In 1974 the firm brought out a portable VTR handling 1/4 inch videotape, the VT-150. The superb performance of this machine in combination with the compact color video camera, the VC-150, soon gained recognition, and the two came to be widely used as Electronic News Gathering (ENG) equipment in the United States. The VT-150 also clearly offered enticing possibilities for personal use. While bringing out new VTR products, Akai, determined as ever to promote sales in the US, changed over from OEM supply to its own sales base. The company set up Akai America, Ltd. in California in 1970, with the intention of selling products under its own brand name, rather than the hitherto used name of Roberts.
Saburo Akai also decided to establish sales outlets in other countries. A sales force from Akai was sent out in search of agencies abroad. They visited countries where people had never even seen a tape recorder, showed the American music journals and persuaded them of the widespread use of these machines. One fact in particular struck Saburo during this period. He realized that machines that sold well in the U.S. tended to get a favorable reception in other countries. An instance of this was Akai's vertical design for the tape recorder at a time when the predominant form was horizontal. Even some of Akai's own R&D team considered this design unusual, but when the first models came out of the US, they met with resounding approval. From then on new products were sold first in the US to gauge consumer response before going ahead with volume production.
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Rising Value of the Yen and the Death of Saburo
By 1970 Akai was prospering and expanding at a furious pace; but with an export ratio of over 90%, this success was largely dependent on its overseas interests. When the US government suddenly introduced monetary policy in 1971 and the value of the yen was raised, Akai's prosperous outlook took on a decidedly gloomier aspect. Under these pressing circumstances, the company was forced to change its business strategy of dealing almost exclusively with the United States and set about extending its sales routes, first to Europe, then Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Two years later at the end of 1973, when world economies were suffering from the oil shock and Akai was still struggling in a rigorous business climate brought about by the high yen rate, Saburo Akai did not let events intrude on his regular New Year trip to the ski resort of Shiga Kogen. It was here that he died.
After Saburo's sudden death, the factory chief who had been with the firm since its establishment, Minokichi Saito, was appointed President. Soon the firm became seriously engaged in VTR development. In 1977 Akai introduced an original cassette type portable VTR, the VT-300, followed by the color portable, the VT-400. Akai was not alone in developing its own cassette type VTR. 1975 saw the introduction of the Beta format VCR and this was followed by the first VHS machines in 1976.
Neither format came as the portable type which Akai had expended its efforts to develop, but were built for the recording and playback of TV programs at home. Akai eventually settled on the VHS format for long duration TV recording and playback. The large manufacturers were already organizing in groups with the aim of spreading the VHS format throughout the world. Research work continued and the combined efforts of the business and technical staff focused on bringing out a VHS format VCR.
Akai's European standard VHS machines first appeared at the Berlin Show in 1977, and Akai began promoting VHS sales in earnest. The president, Minokichi Saito, was already expanding the sales organization in Europe with the establishment of Akai France in 1977, Akai U.K. in 1979 and Akai Deutschland in 1980. With this strong sales network in place Akai quickly gained a significant share of the Europe audio visual equipment market.
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Akai Enters a New Era
In 1980, with the support of the Mitsubishi Group, Tadasu Waki was appointed to the office of president. Mr. Waki streamlined production by configuring a new manufacturing system. With a view towards improving business efficiently as well, Akai Electric Co., Ltd. absorbed Akai Trading Co. which had previously handled the PX market and the Japanese domestic market.
In the same year of 1984, Akai diversified into the electronic musical instrument market to give the company an improved balance within business cycles. Akai’s first product in the field of electronic instruments was the Akai Micro Studio System, comprising the AX-80 synthesizer, MG-1212 multi track recorder/mixer and other components. This product aimed to provide an easily accessible way to perform music recording and mixing which previously was possible only in an actual recording studio.
Meanwhile Akai began introducing innovative products in the video field. In 1982, based on its "You can’t miss" product planning concept, Akai introduced the VS-2 VCR, equipped with a bona fide on-screen programming system. Termed the "Interactive Monitor System" from its role in establishing communication between the VCR and the human user, this system is the forerunner of today’s mainstream VCR programming procedure. In the same year Akai also introduced the VC-X2 Fully Automatic Portable Color Video Camera.
In the audio field there had been a notable shift away from reel to reel tapes to cassettes. Cassette decks, first appearing in the mid 1960’s, had improved considerably over the following decade and now the world was welcoming these technological advances with open arms. In this context, Akai halted production of open reel decks in 1985 after the release of the GX-747, thirty one years after Akai had begun sales of its AT-1 tape recorder kit. To take the place of open-reel deck production, Akai poured all of its energies into the development of cassette decks. In 1979 Akai introduced the world’s first quick reverse deck, the CXC-735D. In 1982 Akai introduced the GX-F series which broke all conventions in cassette deck functionality and operational convenience. Featured in these decks were Akai’s advanced original Quick & Quiet mechanism, Auto Monitor, Direct Lead-in / Power Eject and more.
In the meantime, the application of digital technology to the audio field had been advancing since the early 1980’s and the compact disc player was gaining prominence as a new kind of audio system component. In 1983, Akai entered the compact disc player market with its debut model, the CD-D1.
In 1986, Makoto Okada assumed the office of president. Under his leadership Akai furthered the cooperative relationship with the Mitsubishi Group, bringing in another influx of capital from Mitsubishi Electric and executing a program of restructuring and reorganization. Within the context of this broad production and sales restructuring, Akai has been introducing new products both in the Japanese domestic market and abroad. Akai introduced a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) player in 1989 and continues to be a leading innovator in the audio-visual field.
What has contributed to the growth of Akai into a world brand has been the single-minded devotion to technology on the part of the people in both research and development and production. The belief is that good products will sell on their own merits. Creative ideas give these products high added value and it is product creativity that has established the Akai brand name. The future will bring a even greater steps forward in the world of digital technology. Akai will keep pace with these steps forward by developing products that balance the human aspect with products’ functionality and performance.
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AKAI CHRONOLOGY
1929 Jun
Akai Electric Co., Ltd. is established by Masukichi Akai in Tokyo to manufacture automotive electrical
parts, magnet parts, radio parts, and small motors.
1933 Dec
Akai's main offices are moved to 883 KoIiya-machi, 3-chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo. (At this time, the company is
also manufacturing general-use motors and small motors for phonographs.)
1949 Jun
Saburo Akai applies for the first U.S. patent (for a phonograph turntable) for a Japanese company since the end of World War II.
1951 Apr
Akai begins manufacturing the C-5 phonograph motor.
1953 Jul
Akai Trading Co., Ltd. is established in Tokyo to strengthen the company's domestic sales.
1954 Aug
Akai's first tape recorder kit, the AT-I, goes on sale.
1956 Apr
The first upright tape recorder the model 900, is put on the market.
1958
Saburo Akai is named president.
1961 Nov
Akai perfects the X'Field Head.
1962 Aug
Akai puts the first model using the X'Field Head, the M-7, on sale.
1964 Jun
The M-8 open reel tape recorder is put on sale.
Aug
The X-4 portable open reel tape recorder is put on sale.
1965 Nov
The VX-1000 stationary-head VCR is announced at the 14th Japan Audio Fair.
1966 Jan
The AA-5000 pre-main amplifier is put on sale.
1967 Sept
The X-1800SD open/cartridge tape recorder is put on sale.
1968 Jul
TheX-360D open reel deck is put on sale.
Aug
The X-500VT audio/video tape recorder using 1/4" tape is announced at the 17th Japan Audio Fair.
Nov
Akai Electric is listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (later to be listed on the
Second Sections of the Osaka and Nagoya Stock Exchanges in April of the next year).
1969 Jun
The VF-100 portable VCR is announced at the New York Consumer Electronics Show.
Aug The GX Head is perfected.
1970 Apr
Akai Electric is promoted to the First Section of the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya Stock Exchanges.
Aug
The GX-365D tape deck is put on sale by Akai as the first model using the GX Head.
Sep
Akai's first cassette deck, the CS-50D, is put on sale.
Oct
Akai America Ltd. is incorporated in California.
1971 Jun
Akai announces its vr-150 portable color VCR at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show.
1973 Feb
The AP-004 turntable is put on sale.
Dec
Minokichi Saito is named president.
1974 Jun
The first upright cassette deck GXC-510D is put on sale.
1975 Feb
The VC-70 video camera using a silicon vidicon is put on sale.
1977 Jan
Akai France S.A. is established in Paris.
Jul
The VT-300 portable video cassette recorder (Akai format) is announced.
Aug
Akai's first component systems, System-A and System-B, are put on sale.
The vS-9300EG, the first VHS/PAL system, is announced at the Berlin Show in West Germany.
Sept
Akai Saitama is established in Gyoda-shi, Saitama prefecture.
1978 Apr
The VS-9300 VHS-format stationary video cassette recorder is put on sale.
Jul
Akai Audio/Video Australia, Pty. Ltd. is established in Sydney.
Dec
The GX-635D open reel deck is put on sale.
1979 Jan
Akai (U.K.) Ltd. is established in London.
Mar
The Quick Reverse cassette decks GXC-735D and CS-732D are put on sale.
Apr
The VHS/PAL system VP-7100 portable VCR is put on sale.
May
Akai is designated the official supplier of video home system (VHS-format) for the 22nd Olympic Games in
Moscow.
Jun
The Super GX Head is perfected. The first cassette deck equipped with the Twin Field Super GX Head, the
GX-M30, is put on sale.
Sep
The VS-9700 VHS-format stationary video cassette recorder and VP-7300 VHS-format portable video cassette
recorder are put on sale.
1980 Jan
The Pro-501, Pro-504, and Pro-601 system components are put on sale.
Feb
Tadasu Waki is named president.
Mar
The UC-5 mini components are put on sale.
Apr
Akai Deutschland GmbH is established in Frankfurt.
The Pro-503 and Pro-602 system components are put on sale. The VHS/PAL SECAM NTSC Multi-system VS-9700EGN
is put on sale.
1981 Jan
The Pro-1011, Pro-1022, Pro-1033, Pro-1044 and Pro-1055 system components are put on sale.
Feb
The VP-7350 VHS- format portable video cassette recorder and VC-X1 automatic-focus color video camera are
put on sale.
Mar
Quick Reverse cassette deck CS-F33R is put on sale.
Apr
High-quality cassette deck GX- F95 is put on sale.
Mini component systems US-3 and US-4 are put on sale.
Aug
Akai Electric France S.A. is established in Honfleur. E.E. tape-compatible Quick Reverse open reel deck
GX-77 is put on sale.
Sep
E.E. tape-compatible GX-747 open reel deck and Quick Reverse cassette deck GX-F66R are put on sale.
Nov
E.E. tape-compatible open reel deck GX-646 and Quick Reverse cassette deck GX-F44R are put on sale.
1982 Mar
Cassette decks GS-F71, GX-F51, GX-F31 are put on sale.
Apr
Cassette deck GX-F91 is put on sale. The VS-2EG with the Interactive Monitor System is announced. Compact
Component System Clarity is put on sale.
Jun
The VP-88 portable VCR is put on sale.
Oct
The GX-747 dbx open reel deck is put on sale.
1983 Feb
The PM-R1 auto-reverse stereo cassette player is put on sale.
Mar
The GX-R6 and HX-R5 (Quick-Reverse cassette decks with rotary heads) are put on sale.
Apr
The CD-D1 compact disc player is put on sale.
The VS-4 stationary VCR is put on sale.
Oct The LL-100 Language Laboratory System is put on sale.
1984 Feb
Akai Micro Studio System is announced at "Musik Masse" in West Germany.
Sep
The AX-80 eight-voice programmable polyphonic syntheslaer and MG-1212 multi-track recorder/mixer are put
on sale.
Nov
Akai Electric absorbs Akai Trading.
1985 Jun
The Pro-A90 and Pro-A70 system components are put on sale.
1986 Feb
Makoto Okada is named president.
1987 Feb
The VS-X9EGN 9-standard system VCR is put on sale.
May
The AW-700 actuated ionized water equipment is put on sale.
Jun
The new "A & D" brand is established in Japan.
Jul
The EWI-1000 and EVI-1000 electronic wind instruments are put on sale.
Nov
The AD-93 Digital Audio Tape deck is put on sale.
Compact portable electrocardiograph is put on sale.
1988 May
The VS-A77 hi-fl VCR with Dolby Surround is put on sale.
Jun
The VS-66 Digital VCR is put on sale.
1989 Feb
The LX-5050 Compact Component System with Cordless Telephone is put on sale in Japan.
1995 Feb
Semi-Tech Global Ltd acquires a 55% interest in Akai.
Sep
Akai acquires a 76% interest in Kong Wah Holdings.
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Copyright © 1996 by Akai Electric Co. Ltd. All rights reserved.
File last updated: May 16, 1996
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