The history of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries dates back to 1884, when Yataro Iwasaki, considered the company’s founder, hired the state-owned Nagasaki shipyard. He renamed it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works and began large-scale shipbuilding, which became a very successful business. Later, the company changed its name several times, until in 1934 it adopted the current – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. At that time, it was one of the largest private companies in Japan and produced a wider range of vehicles – ships, trucks, trains and more.
Left – the first factory of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; right – Yataro Iwasaki, founder of the company
During World War II, the company began producing aircraft, including the famous Mitsubishi Zero, which went down in history with the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After the end of the war, a law on deconcentration of the economy came into force, which mainly affected the so-called “Zaibatsu” – financial and business conglomerates with great economic influence. MHI is part of the so-called Big Four Zaibatsu – Sumitomo, Mitsui, Mitsubishi and Yasuda and as a result of the law is divided into three companies – West Japan Heavy Industries, Ltd., Central Japan Heavy Industries, Ltd. and East Japan Heavy Industries, Ltd. Subsequently, in 1964, the company was consolidated again as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
In 1970, MHI’s car manufacturing division emerged as an independent company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, which continues to manufacture and sell cars to this day.
Throughout its long history, MHI has developed in a number of areas and has gained vast business experience and technical expertise, which helps it compete successfully in the domestic and international market.
We present you a short timeline with some of the most important dates for the company and the premiere of remarkable products and technologies with the brand Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
ow did the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries logo come?
The corporate logo of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, or the so-called “Three Diamonds”, is the prototype of the family crest of Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi. A stylized image of the coat of arms fluttered like a flag over each newly built ship at Tsukumo Shokai’s shipyard, the company’s ancestor.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and air conditioners
As far back as 1956, the Japanese company created its first air conditioner, and a little more than 10 years later its first split system. Since then, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has gradually established itself as one of the leaders in the air conditioning market, known for its good reputation in a wide range of products – centrifugal chillers, heat pumps, refrigerated transport systems, domestic and industrial air conditioning systems. In 2016, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems was established, 100% owned by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which takes over the air conditioning and refrigeration business of the Japanese corporation.
Company today
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has come a long way in its development and nowadays it extends many times beyond the borders of the Japanese market. Today, the company has more than 83,000 employees worldwide and has registered more than 31,000 patents in various fields globally. In addition to innovation and technology moving the world to a better future, Mitsubishi relies heavily on its social commitment. Today, all subsidiaries support the Mitsubishi Foundation, established in 1970 to commemorate the company’s 100th anniversary.
