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History

1938-1964

Independence from RIKEN

era of turbulence

1938Kenichiro Hayashibe becomes the company’s first president

RIKEN Sangyodan purchases Fukoku Machinery Co., Ltd. to manufacture and sell optical gas indicators, photo-elasticity apparatus, and other precision equipment invented and developed at the Tsuji Laboratory of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN).
Manufacture and sale of optical gas indicators and photo-elasticity apparatus commence following acquisition of patent licenses belonging to Tsuji Laboratory.
Kenichiro Hayashibe becomes the company’s first president (office held from December 1938 until May 1944). Capital of JPY450,000 and workforce of approximately 100 employees.

初代社長 林邉賢一郎

Kenichiro Hayashibe-company’s first president

1939Company founded as RIKEN KEIKI Co., Ltd.

Company founded; name changed to RIKEN KEIKI Co., Ltd. Thirty koto shogakko (higher elementary school) graduates taken on as technical apprentices.

技工見習い達

Technical apprentices

1940Completion of new factory.

1941First sales office opened in Sapporo

First sales office opened in Sapporo to expand sales in Hokkaido, where numerous coal mines are located.

1944Jiro Tsuji appointed company’s second president

Factory commandeered as munitions factory by the Minister of Munitions.
Jiro Tsuji appointed company’s second president (office held from May 1944 until October 1968).
Modern lens factory completed to support military production. Part of the factory relocated to Tokamachi in Niigata Prefecture as a precaution against air raids.

第2代社長 辻二郎(1896 ~ 1968)

Jiro Tsuji-company’s second president

1945Lens factory at head office destroyed in air raid.

Lens factory at head office destroyed in air raid.
After the end of the war, the gas indicator factory relocated to Tokamachi in Niigata is moved back to Tokyo on the orders of the GHQ Economic and Science Section to support increased coal production.

1946Approved by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as a major important factory for the manufacture of coal mining safety equipment.

Reversion to civilian production following approval from GHQ.
Approved by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as a major important factory for the manufacture of coal mining safety equipment.
Becomes approved gas indicator manufacturer, contributing significantly to improved safety in coal mines.

1948 年当時の本社

The head office in 1948

1950Unable to keep abreast of inflation

Large orders received from China lost due to trade ban during Korean War; in Japan demand from coal mines stagnates; compelled to maintain production at a loss when the price of gas indicators (controlled by pricing regulations) is unable to keep abreast of inflation.

1951RIKEN SEIKI KOGAKU Co., Ltd.
established as manufacturing company.

Manufacture separated from retail operations; RIKEN SEIKI KOGAKU Co., Ltd. (merged with RIKEN KEIKI in 1952) established as manufacturing company.
Awarded Director’s Award from the Coal Mining Safety Agency for achievements in manufacturing coal mining safety equipment.

1952Gas indicators pass certification examination of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Resources Research Institute.

Gas indicators pass certification examination of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Resources Research Institute.
Development and introduction of Type 17 and Type 18 gas indicators.

17 型

Type 17

18 型

Type 18

1956Development of automatic gas alarm.

自動ガス警報器

Automatic gas alarm

1959Development and introduction of
combustible gas alarm and detector

Development and introduction of combustible gas alarm and detector (catalytic combustion type).

1961Listed on Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

当時の本社工場全景

Post-war head office and factory overview

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1965-1989

Period of sensor and product range expansion

era of growth

1965Development and introduction of GP-105 catalytic combustion type fixed automatic gas alarm.

GP-105

GP-105

1966Completion of head office No. 1 building.

Completion of head office No. 1 building.
Development and introduction of GP-300 catalytic combustion type portable automatic gas alarm.

本社1 号館建設中

Under construction
of head office
No. 1 building.

GP-300

GP-300

1967Development and introduction of
OX-1 oxygen monitor

Development and introduction of OX-1 oxygen monitor based on newly developed galvanic cell type sensor.

OX-1

OX-1

1968Hideo Oshima appointed third president .

Hideo Oshima appointed third president .
(held office from November 1968 until July 1980)

第3代社長 大嶋秀男(1911 ~ 1990)

Hideo Oshima-company’s third president

1969Development and introduction of GX-1 oxygen deficiency and explosive gas alarm.

GX-1

GX-1

1970Nara Factory begins operating to expand the manufacturing division.

Development and introduction of FP-200 hydrogen sulfide detector.
Nara Factory (in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture) begins operating to expand the manufacturing division.

当時の本社航空写真

Head office and factory
air photograph of that time

操業当時の奈良工場

Nara factory
at time of opening

1971RIKEN SERVICE Co., Ltd. established to spin off and expand the Service Division.

RIKEN SERVICE Co., Ltd. established to spin off and expand the Service Division (merged with RIKEN KEIKI in 2015).
Subsequently established: RIKEN KEIKI HOKKAIDO SERVICE Ltd.
(merged with RIKEN SERVICE in 2010);
RIKEN KEIKI CHUBU SERVICE Co., Ltd., RIKEN KEIKI CHUGOKU SERVICE Co., Ltd., and RIKEN KEIKI KYUSHU SERVICE Co., Ltd.
(all three companies merged in 2011 to form RIKEN KEIKI NISHI-NIHON SERVICE Co., Ltd., then merged with RIKEN KEIKI in 2015);
RIKEN KEIKI KANSAI SERVICE Co., Ltd.
(merged with RIKEN KEIKI in 2015).

1972Nara factory spun off to form RIKEN KEIKI NARA MFG. Co., Ltd.

Nara factory spun off to form RIKEN KEIKI NARA MFG. Co., Ltd.
Development and introduction of Gascon household gas leak alarm. Introduction of Infrared-based devices.
RIKEN KEIKI KYUSHU SALES Co., Ltd. established (renamed RIKEN KEIKI KYUSHU SERVICE Co., Ltd. in 1987).

1974Completion of head office No. 3 building.

Completion of head office No. 3 building.
Awarded Ota Award (present-day Technology Award) from The Japan Gas Association for the development of a gas identification device.
GX-1B and GX-110 toxic gas detectors approved as certified products by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation (present-day NTT). Development of GL-100 gas leak detector in collaboration with Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. and device certification by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (present-day Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry).

竣工時の本社3号館

Head office No. 3 building on completion

1975Development and introduction of EC-231 carbon monoxide detector.

1976Development and introduction of BL-1000 bus line gas leak monitoring system.

1977Completion of head office No. 4 and No. 5 buildings.

竣工時の本社4号館

Head office No. 4 building
on completion

竣工時の本社5号館

Head office No. 5 building
on completion

1978Development and introduction of portable automatic suction type combustible gas detector.

Development and introduction of portable automatic suction type combustible gas detector (intrinsically safe explosion-proof type).

1979RIKEN KEIKI KANSAI SERVICE Co., Ltd. established.

RIKEN KEIKI KANSAI SERVICE Co., Ltd. established. Development and introduction of DC-3A oil/water boundary surface automatic detector.
Manually pushed gas leak inspection car based on hydrogen flame ionization receives Ota Award (present-day Technology Award) from The Japan Gas Association.
Development and introduction of GX-7 toxic gas detector.

1980Yoshio Nakajima appointed fourth president.

Yoshio Nakajima appointed fourth president
(held office from July 1980 until June 2006)
Development and introduction of ultra-compact personal toxic gas and combustible gas detectors; development and introduction of LP gas alarm for fishing vessels.

第4代社長 中島義男

Yoshio Nakajima- company's fourth president

1981Development and introduction of Repco 472R wheel balancer.

レプコ472R

Repco 472R

1982Development and introduction of "82" series
of personal gas alarms

Development and introduction of 82 series of personal gas alarms (capable of detecting four different gas types).

「82」シリーズ

"82" series

1984Development and introduction of
GASMAN (GX-82) combination gas alarm

Development and introduction of GASMAN (GX-82) combination gas alarm.

1986Development and introduction of
"AC-1" "IF-774"

Joint development and introduction of AC-1 atmospheric photoelectron spectrometer with RIKEN. Development and introduction of the IF-774 optical interferometric calorimeter.

AC-1

AC-1

IF-774

IF-774

1987RIKEN KEIKI CHUBU SERVICE Co., Ltd. established.

Development and introduction of RM-570 fixed gas monitor incorporating bar meter. RIKEN KEIKI CHUBU SERVICE Co., Ltd. established. Overseas joint venture launched with capital participation in EPI SYSTEM Co., Ltd. (wholly-owned subsidiary from 2002).

RM-570

RM-570

1988RIKEN KEIKI CHUGOKU SERVICE Co., Ltd. established.

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1990-2014

Refining quality and expanding after-sales service

era of stability

1990RIKEN KEIKI ESAN MFG. Co., Ltd. established

RIKEN KEIKI ESAN MFG. Co., Ltd. established in Esan in Hokkaido (present-day Hakodate City) to expand the manufacturing division (merged with RIKEN KEIKI in 2008 to form the present-day Hakodate Plant).

1991Awarded 23rd Ichimura Industry Award

Awarded 23rd Ichimura Industry Award (Contribution Prize) from the New Technology Development Foundation for the development of the AC-1 atmospheric photoelectron spectrometer.

1992Development and introduction of FP-250

Development and introduction of FP-250 paper-tape photoelectric photometry high-sensitivity toxic gas monitor.

FP-250

FP-250

1993RIKEN KEIKI HOKKAIDO SERVICE Ltd. established.

1994Head office annex completed.

Head office annex completed. RKI INSTRUMENTS Inc. established in the USA with capital funding (spun off as subsidiary in 2017).

1995Listed on First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

東京証券取引所市場第一部銘柄指定通知書

Notification of First Section
of the Tokyo Stock Exchange

1996Acquired ISO 9001 international standard quality assurance certification.

1997Acquired ISO 14001 international standard environmental management certification.

2000Development and introduction of GX-2000 portable suction-type four-gas detector.

Development and introduction of GX-2000 portable suction-type four-gas detector.

2001Development and introduction of "GX-2001" and "FI-21"

Development and introduction of GX-2001 four-gas detector; development and introduction of FI-21 optical gas concentration meter.

GX-2001

GX-2001

FI-21

FI-21

2002Further shares in EPI SYSTEM Co., Ltd. purchased to make it a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Further shares in EPI SYSTEM Co., Ltd. purchased to make it a wholly-owned subsidiary (present-day RIKEN KEIKI TAIWAN Co., Ltd.).
Development and introduction of Gas Watch series of wristwatch-style monitors.

GW-2X

GW-2X

2003Development and introduction of FI-800 optical interferometric gas concentration meter.

FI-800

FI-800

2006Takeshi Koido appointed fifth president.

Takeshi Koido appointed fifth president
(held office from June 2006 until June 2008)
The AC-3 atmospheric photoelectron spectrometer awarded ADY2006 First Prize at Finetech Japan and Manufacturing & Equipment Division Award at Orgatechno 2006.

Takeshi Koido - company's fifth president

Takeshi Koido - company's fifth president

2007Completion of head office technical center.

2008Tadashi Iwasawa appointed sixth president.

Tadashi Iwasawa appointed sixth president
(held office from June 2008 until December 2013)

Tadashi Iwasawa- company's sixth president

Tadashi Iwasawa- company's sixth president

Absorption and merger of RIKEN KEIKI ESAN MFG. Co., Ltd.
Development and introduction of GX-2009 personal gas detector;
development and introduction of GD-70D fixed gas detector

GX-2009

GX-2009

GD-70D

GD-70D

2009RIKEN KEIKI COMMERCIAL (SHANGHAI) Co., Ltd. established as sales subsidiary in China.

2011Three companies merged to form RIKEN KEIKI NISHI-NIHON SERVICE Co., Ltd.

Three companies (RIKEN KEIKI CHUBU SERVICE Co., Ltd., RIKEN KEIKI CHUGOKU SERVICE Co., Ltd., and RIKEN KEIKI KYUSHU SERVICE Co., Ltd.) merged to form RIKEN KEIKI NISHI-NIHON SERVICE Co., Ltd. Development and introduction of AC-5 atmospheric photoelectron spectrometer.

AC-5

AC-5

2013Hisayoshi Kobayashi appointed seventh president.

Hisayoshi Kobayashi appointed seventh president
(held office from December 2013 until March 2021)

Hisayoshi Kobayashi- company's seventh president

Hisayoshi Kobayashi- company's seventh president

Development and introduction of CO-FL1 Hantei Meijin carbon monoxide monitor; development and introduction of OHC-800 explosion-proof calorimeter.

OHC-800

OHC-800

2014Development and introduction of FI-8000 optical interferometric gas concentration meter.

FI-8000

FI-8000

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2015-2019

Advancing to the next generation

era of innovation

2015Completion of development center in Kasukabe City in Saitama Prefecture; development and production division relocated from head office.

Completion of development center in Kasukabe City in Saitama Prefecture; development and production division relocated from head office. RIKEN SERVICE Co., Ltd., RIKEN KEIKI NISHI-NIHON SERVICE Co., Ltd., and RIKEN KEIKI KANSAI SERVICE Co., Ltd. absorbed and merged. Development and introduction of GX-6000 portable gas monitor, capable of detecting six gas types simultaneously; development and introduction of SDWL-1 Series of fixed wireless gas detectors (meets ISA 100.11a wireless communication standards).

Development center exterior

GX-6000

GX-6000

SDWL-1

SDWL-1

2016Development and introduction of SP-220 portable gas leak checker.

2017Completion of new head office building.

Completion of new head office building. Additional shares of RKI Instruments Inc.
purchased to make it a subsidiary. The subsidiary RIKEN KEIKI GmbH established in Germany to expand shares in European market and provide maintenance and servicing. Development and introduction of OX-08 drop-in type portable oxygen monitor.

New head office exterior

OX-08

OX-08

2018Completion of new head office.

2019Development and introduction of "GX-3R/GX-3R Pro"

Development and introduction of the world's smallest and lightest portable gas monitor "GX-3R" as a four-component gas detector, as well as its superior model, the "GX-3R Pro", which is equipped with Bluetooth for the first time in Japan.
Development and introduction of a new type of gas detector, "GX-2100", which uses a "diffusion type" detector as a hazardous gas detector for manhole pit work.

GX-3R / GX-3R Pro

GX-3R / GX-3R Pro

GX-2100

GX-2100

2020Completion of production center

Production center was completed on premises of the Development Center (Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture) as a production base for gas detectors. Development and introduction of "GW-3" the world's smallest and lightest portable gas monitor.

We developed and released a fixed gas detector "SD-3".
It conforms to various global standards and is recognized as the global product.
We developed and released a Multi Gas Detector "GD-84D" for semiconductor factories. It puts four detectors into a single unit.

Production center exterior

Production center exterior


GW-3

GW-3

SD-3

SD-3

GD-84D

GD-84D

2021Junichi Koyano appointed eighth president.

Junichi Koyano appointed eighth president
(held office from April 2021 )

Junichi Koyano- company's eighth president

Junichi Koyano- company's eighth president

We developed and released an atmospheric photoemission yield spectrometer "AC-2S". It is a successor model of "AC-2" which can measure work functions and ionization potential in air. "AC-2S" is added new functions from "AC-2" and realized a great improvement.

GW-3

AC-2S

2023 2023 Tetsuya Matsumoto appointed ninth president.

2023 Tetsuya Matsumoto appointed ninth president.
(held office from April 2023 )

Tetsuya Matsumoto- company's ninth president

Tetsuya Matsumoto- company's ninth president