is a Japanese corporation that develops and produces components and systems for the automotive industry. Aisin is a
Fortune Global 500
The ''Fortune'' Global 500, also known as Global 500, is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue. The list is compiled and published annually by ''Fortune'' magazine.
Methodology
Until 1989, it listed onl ...
company, ranked 359 rankings. Aisin is a member of the
Toyota Group of companies.
Aisin was founded in 1965
and supplies
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...
,
drivetrain, body and
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpar ...
,
aftermarket, and other automotive parts for the
Toyota Motor Corporation and other various major
OEMs.
In addition to automotive products, Aisin also offers life and amenity products (such as
sewing machine
A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with Thread (yarn), thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. ...
s and, from 1966 to 2020,
mattress
A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a lying person. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, conta ...
es),
cogeneration
Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time.
Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...
and
heat exchange systems, and welfare products, among others.
History
The company traces its origins to 1943, when was founded as a joint venture between the
Toyota Motor Corporation and
Kawasaki Aircraft Industries
is the aerospace division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI). It produces aircraft, space systems, simulators, jet engines, missiles, and electronic equipment.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Kawasaki Aircraft Industries developed numerous types o ...
to produce aircraft engines for the
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. The company was quickly renamed after it was discovered that there was a pre-existing company with the same name.
After the war, Tokai renamed itself , and shifted production from aircraft parts to sewing machines and automobile parts. In 1965, Aichi Kogyo merged with auto parts manufacturer Shinkawa Kogyo 新川産業 to form .
In October 2019, Aisin Seiki announced that it would merge with subsidiary Aisin AW, consolidating management and renaming the company. Effective April 1, 2021, the combined company was officially renamed Aisin Corporation.
Subsidiaries
Aisin AW
Aisin AW was Aisin Seiki's subsidiary building
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
s. It was originally established in 1969 as Aisin-Warner, a joint venture with
BorgWarner
BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company maintains production facilities and technical systems at 93 sites (as of June 6, 2022) in 22 countries worldwide and has around 49,000 employ ...
. In 1981, BorgWarner reduced its equity in Aisin-Warner to 10%, and by 1987 had divested themselves of the remainder. Aisin-Warner was renamed Aisin AW in 1988, and merged with
parent company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
Aisin Seiki in 2021.
Aisin AW developed the
Toyota Prius
The is a car built by Toyota which has a hybrid drivetrain, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Initially offered as a four-door sedan, it has been produced only as a five-door liftback since 2003.
In 2007, ...
transmission and the world's first speaking navigation system. Additionally, its two-axis
electric continuously variable transmission has been adapted to Prius models (except the
Prius C
The Toyota Prius c (''c'' stands for "city"), named the (''"aqua"'' is Latin for water) in Japan, is a full hybrid gasoline-electric subcompact/supermini hatchback manufactured and marketed by Toyota. The Prius c is the third member of the Pri ...
) from 2016 onward, the 1st-generation (2005-2007) and 2nd-generation (2008-2012)
Ford Escape Hybrid, and the
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid from 2017 onward. The two-axis design eliminates the second
planetary gearset used in the 2010–2015 Prius and Prius c, which reduces the width and weight of the eCVT and improves its overall efficiency.
Aisin AW was based in
Anjō
is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,693 in 76,087 households, and a population density of 2,193 persons per km². The total area of the city was .
Geography
Anjō is situated in southern Aichi P ...
, with another major division located in
Okazaki. Two European divisions, AW Europe & AW Technical Center Europe, were located in
Braine-l'Alleud (for
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
) and
Baudour (for the
remanufacturing
Remanufacturing is "the rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts". It requires the repair or replacement of worn out or obsolete components and modules. P ...
of automatic transmissions and
transaxle
A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions.
Engine and drive at the s ...
s, and the production of electronic components).
Aisin AI
Aisin AI was an Aisin Seiki subsidiary spun off in July 1991 to produce
manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...
s and
transfer cases, moving its headquarters to
Nishio. Until 1996, Aisin AI only client was Toyota; then
DaimlerChrysler
The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacture ...
and
Isuzu began using its products. The company later began supplying products to other companies worldwide.
Aisin AI was consolidated into Aisin AW in 2019.
Aisin USA
Aisin constructed a factory in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
in 1986, with production beginning in 1989. This factory in
Seymour, Indiana has since been expanded and supplies components for
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
,
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
,
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
,
Nissan
, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...
, and
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
. Another factory was built in
Marion, Illinois. On October 5, 2005, Aisin USA opened an
testing facility near
Fowlerville, Michigan
Fowlerville is a village in Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the northeast portion of Handy Township, but is politically independent from the township. The population was 2,886 at the time of the 2010 census.
...
. The facility, which is Aisin's first in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
and third worldwide, is officially named FT Techno of America (FTTA), but is also known as the Fowlerville Proving Ground. FTTA is Aisin's fifth group company in Michigan.
In 2009, the North American division and its companies were placed under a newly created entity named Aisin World Corporation of America, which was structured so that Toyota,
Mitsui, and the American branch of
Hino have majority ownership of Aisin's North American operations.
BluE Nexus
BluE Nexus is a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
company established by Aisin and
Denso in April 2019 to build powertrain systems for
electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes ch ...
s. Both Aisin and Denso are members of the
Toyota Group and the
Toyota Motor Corporation has a 10% stake in the company. The main product from BluE Nexus is the e-Axle, which integrates an electric motor, gears and inverter. BluE Nexus will also market the hybrid drive systems produced by Aisin AW.
IMRA
IMRA (Institut Minoru de Recherche Avancé) is a
research
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...
organization founded in 1986 in
Sophia Antipolis
(wisdom), gr, (Ἀντίπολις, antipolis) ("opposite city" from its position on the opposite side of the Var estuary from Nice, also former name of Antibes, part of the technology park)
, postal_code = 06220 (Vallauris), 06250 (Mo ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. It has three entities based in Europe, US, and Japan, which have become the key power of Aisin group to conduct R&D and offer technological consulting. The American division, IMRA America, was founded in 1990 in
Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
.
IMRA mainly conducts research on biomedical, battery and produces
femtosecond lasers.
Sponsorship
The company sponsors the
SeaHorses Mikawa
Seahorses Mikawa is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Kariya and sponsored by Aisin. The team was founded in 1947. The team played in the National Basketball League. In July 2015 it was announced that the team will compete in ...
, the 5-time champions of the
JBL Super League
The JBL Super League was a professional basketball league in Japan. It started operations in 2001 and was disbanded in 2007, with the foundation of the Japan Basketball League.
History
The first season of the JBL Super League was played in 2001� ...
, and has sponsored
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe since 2012.
NASCAR
Aisin AW currently sponsors
Austin Hill in the
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Camping World Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
and
Xfinity Series. Hill drives the #61
Toyota Supra
is a sports car and grand tourer manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation beginning in 1978. The name " supra" is derived from the Latin prefix, meaning "above", "to surpass" or "go beyond".
The initial four generations of the Supra were ...
and #16
Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra is a pickup truck manufactured in the United States by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota since May 1999. The Tundra was the second full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer (the first was the Toyota T100), but th ...
for
Hattori Racing Enterprises. HRE's first win came at
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series s ...
with
Brett Moffitt, whose truck was also sponsored by Aisin, in 2018. HRE and Moffitt also won the
CWTS championship that same year. Aisin AW also sponsored the team in the
ARCA Menards Series
The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three nation ...
.
See also
*
List of Aisin transmissions
*
Toyota Group
*
1997 Aisin fire The 1997 Aisin fire was a fire which shut down one of the production facilities of the Toyota-subsidiary Aisin Seiki Co. on February 1, 1997, a Saturday. The event was notable as the factory was the main supplier of a motor part for Toyota cars. Du ...
References
External links
Aisin Japanese siteAisin English siteAisin Worldwide siteAisin Europe siteAisin AW an
Aisin Aftermarket EuropeToyota Home Sewing - Aisin* Wiki collection of bibliographic works on Aisin Seiki
{{Authority control
Auto parts suppliers of Japan
Automotive transmission makers
Companies based in Aichi Prefecture
Manufacturing companies established in 1949
Dye-sensitized solar cells
Toyota
Japanese brands
Japanese companies established in 1949
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Toyota Group
Multinational companies headquartered in Japan