Yamaha Corporation

Infobox_Company
company_name = Yamaha Corporation Kurosawa
company_
company_type =
foundation = October 12, 1887|area_served =
location_city = Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture
location_country = Japan
key_people =

industry = Conglomerate
products = Musical instruments, Audio/Video, Electronics, Computer related products, ATVs, Motorbikes, Vehicle Engines, Personal water craft
revenue = profit 7.4 billion US$ (2003)
operating_income = 900 million US$ (2005)
net_income = 149 million US$ (2003)
num_employees = 23,500 (3/2003)
parent =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.yamaha.com/ www.yamaha.com]
footnotes =The nihongo|Yamaha Corporation|ヤマハ株式会社|Yamaha Kabushiki Gaisha (tyo|7951) is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments and electronics.

History

Yamaha was established in 1887 as a piano and reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha as nihongo|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. [http://www.global.yamaha.com/about/brand/index.html]

After World War II, company president Genichi Kawakamisaki 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 "Green Buzzard"), of which 125 were built in the first year of production (1958), 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 1959, 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 Pianos,"silent" pianos, drums, guitars, woodwinds, violins, violas, celli, and vibraphones), as well as a leading manufacturer of semiconductors, Audio/Visual, computer related products, sporting goods, home appliances, specialty metals and Industrial robots.

In October 1987, on its 100th anniversary, the name was changed to "The Yamaha Corporation".

In 1979, 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.

In 2002, Yamaha closed down its archery product business, that was started in 1959. Six archers in five different Olympic Games won gold medals using their products. [cite web | url = http://www.global.yamaha.com/news/2002/20020201.html | title = YAMAHA to Close Archery Products Business | date = 2002-02-01 | accessdate = 2008-04-30]

It acquired German Audio Software manufacturers Steinberg in 2004, from Pinnacle Systems.

In July, 2007, Yamaha bought out the minority shareholding of the Kemble family in Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd, Yamaha's UK import and musical instrument and professional audio equipment sales arm, the company being renamed Yamaha Music U.K. Ltd in autumn 2007. [ [http://www.global.yamaha.com/news/2007/20070710.html Cancellation of Joint Venture Contracts for Sales Subsidiaries in U.K. and Spain] , Yamaha Global website, July 10, 2007] Kemble & Co. Ltd, the UK piano sales & manufacturing arm was unaffected. [ [http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/28011/Yamaha-buys-out-Kemble-family Yamaha buys out Kemble family] , MI Pro, July 10, 2007]

On December 20, 2007, Yamaha made an agreement with the Austrian Bank BAWAG P.S.K. Group BAWAG to purchase all the shares of Bösendorfer [Competition For Bosendorfer. [http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/30/bosendorfer-bawag-yamaha-markets-equity-cx_jc_1130markets04.html] ] , intended to take place in early 2008. Yamaha intends to continue manufacturing at the Bösendorfer facilities in Austria. [ [http://www.global.yamaha.com/news/2007/20071220a.html Yamaha Reaches Basic Agreement with Austrian Bank to Purchase All Shares of Bösendorfer] , Yamaha Global website, December 20, 2007] The acquisition of Bösendorfer was announced after the NAMM Show in Los Angeles, on 28 January, 2008. As of February 1, 2008, Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH operates as a subsidiary of Yamaha Corp. [Business Week. March 3, 2008. Bosendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH. [http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=1554618] ]

Yamaha Corporation is also widely known for their music program that began in the 1980s.

Other companies in the Yamaha group include:
*Bösendorfer Klavierfabrike GmbH, Vienna, Austria.
*Yamaha Motor Company
*Yamaha Fine Technologies Co., Ltd.
*Yamaha Livingtec Corporation
*Yamaha Metanix Corporation
*Yamaha Pro Audio

References

Products

ports teams

*Yamaha Jubilo - rugby

External links

* [http://www.yahoo.yamaha.com/ Official website]