Yamaha was a watchmaker who built his first portable
reed organ in 1887. Ten years later, he became the president of Nippon Gakki Co. (later renamed the Yamaha Corporation).
The Yamaha Corporation (ヤマハ株式会社, Yamaha Kabushiki Gaisha) (
TYO:
7951) is a
Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments and electronics.
Yamaha was founded in 1887 as a piano and reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha as Nippon Gakki Company, Limited (日本楽器製造株式会社, Nippon Gakki Seizō Kabushiki Gaisha) in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, and was incorporated on October 12, 1897. The company's origins as a musical instrument manufacturer is still reflected today in the group's logo — a trio of interlocking tuning forks.
After World War II, company president Gen-ichi Kawakami, repurposed the remains of the company's war-time production machinery and the company's expertise in metallurgical technologies to the manufacture of motorcycles. The YA-1 (aka Akatombo, the "Red Dragonfly"), of which 125 were built in the first year of production (1954), was named in honor of the founder. It was a 125cc, single cylinder, two-stroke, streetbike patterned after the German DKW RT125 (which the British munitions firm, BSA, had also copied in the post-war era and manufactured as the Bantam, and Harley-Davidson as the Hummer). In 1955, the success of the YA-1 resulted in the founding of the Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Yamaha has grown to become the world's largest manufacturer of musical instruments (including "silent" pianos, drums, guitars, violins, violas, celli, and vibraphones), as well as a leading manufacturer of semiconductors, audio/visual, computer related products, sporting goods, home appliances and furniture, specialty metals, machine tools, and industrial robots.
In October 1987, on the 100th 
anniversary, its name was changed to The Yamaha Corporation.
In 1989, Yamaha shipped the world's first CD recorder. Since then, Yamaha has purchased Sequential Circuits in 1988 and bought a significant share (51%) of competitor Korg in 1989–1993. It also acquired German Audio Software manufacturers Steinberg in 2004, from Pinnacle.
Other companies in the Yamaha group include:
Yamaha Motor Company
Yamaha Fine Technologies Co., Ltd.
Yamaha Livingtec Corporation
Yamaha Metanix Corporation
Yamaha Pro Audio
Paving the Road to Yamaha Motor Corporation
"I want to carry out trial manufacture of motorcycle engines." It was from these words spoken by Ginichi Kawakami (Yamaha Motor's first president) in 1953, that today's Yamaha Motor Company was born.
Genichi Kawakami was the first son of Kaichi Kawakami, the third-generation president of Nippon Gakki (musical instruments and electronics; presently Yamaha Corporation). Genichi studied and graduated from Takachiho Higher Commercial School in March of 1934. In July of 1937, he was the second Kawakami to join the Nippon Gakki Company.
He quickly rose to positions of manager of the company's Tenryu Factory Company (musical instruments) and then Senior General Manager, before assuming the position of fourth-generation President in 1950 at the young age of 38.In 1953, Genichi was looking for a way to make use of idle machining equipment that had previously been used to make aircraft propellers. Looking back on the founding of Yamaha Motor Company, Ginichi had this to say. "While the company was performing well and had some financial leeway, I felt the need to look for our next area of business. So, I did some research." He explored producing many products, including sewing machines, auto parts, scooters, three-wheeled utility vehicles, andﾉmotorcycles. Market and competitive factors led him to focus on the motorcycle market. Ginichi actually visited the United States many times during this period.
When asked about this decision, he said, "I had my research division chief and other managers visit leading motorcycle factories around the country. They came back and told me there was still plenty of opportunity, even if we were entering the market late. I didn't want to be completely unprepared in this unfamiliar business so we toured to German factories before setting out to build our first 125cc bike. I joined in this tour around Europe during which my chief engineers learned how to build motorbikes. We did as much research as possible to insure that we could build a bike as good as any out there. Once we had that confidence, we started going."
"If you are going to make it, make it the very best there is." With these words as their motto, the development team poured all their energies into building the first prototype, and ten months later in August of 1954 the first model was complete. It was the Yamaha YA-1. The bike was powered by an air-cooled, 2-stroke, single cylinder 125cc engine. Once finished, it was put through an unprecedented 10,000 km endurance test to ensure that its quality was top-class. This was destined to be the first crystallization of what has now become a long tradition of Yamaha creativity and an inexhaustible spirit of challenge. Then, in January of 1955 the Hamakita Factory of Nippon Gakki was built and production began on the YA-1. With confidence in the new direction that Ginichi was taking, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. was founded on July 1, 1955. Staffed by 274 enthusiastic employees, the new motorcycle manufacturer built about 200 units per month.That same year, Yamaha entered its new YA-1 in the two biggest race events in Japan. They were the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race and the 1st Asama Highlands Race. In these debut races Yamaha won the 125cc class. And, the following year the YA-1 won again in both the Light and Ultra-light classes of the Asama Highlands Race.By 1956, a second model was ready for production. This was the YC1, a 175cc single cylinder two-stroke.
Corporate Info
Yamaha Motor India (YMI)Holding the true spirit of commitment to customer satisfaction - Yamaha Motor India is enriching lives of people with the same ingenuity and enthusiasm as its parent company - Yamaha Motor Corporation, Japan. Having operated in India as technology provider for almost two decades, YMI was incorporated in August 2001 as a 100'% subsidiary of YMC, Japan. Since then we have been in the process of redefining our business processes and extending the awe and power associated with the legacy of the Yamaha Group. Adhering to our Corporate Mission - "Creating Kando - Touching Your Heart" we are striving to touch every Heart across the length and breadth of India
We firmly believe in Surpassing Customer Expectations We are aware of our customers' evolving needs and provide them with quality products and services of exceptional value that surpass their expectations.Establishing a Corporate environment that fosters self-esteem We believe in nurturing and empowering our employees to the fullest. Whilst cultivating our employees creativity and all round abilities, we have also established an equitable system of evaluation and rewards to encourage our people to strive towards newer benchmarks.Fulfilling social responsibilitiesAs a good corporate citizen, we continually strive towards creating a better social as well as natural environment.
Manufacturing Process
YMl's Manufacturing facilities comprises of 2 state-of-the-art Plants at - Faridabad (Haryana) and Surajpur (Uttar Pradesh). Currently 10 models roll out of the two Yamaha Plants.
The infrastructure at both the plants supports production of motorcycles and it's parts for the domestic as well as oversees market. At the core are the 5-S and TPM activities that fuel our agile Manufacturing Processes. We have In-house facility for Machining, Welding processes as well as finishing processes of Electroplating and Painting till the assembly line.
The stringent Quality Assurance norms ensure that our motorcycles meet the reputed International standards of excellence in every sphere.
As an Environmentally sensitive organization we have the concept of "Environment-friendly technology" ingrained in our Corporate Philosophy. The Company boasts of effluent Treatment plant, Rain water - Harvesting mechanism, a motivated forestation drive. The IS0-14001 certification is on the anvil - early next year.
