(SHI) is an integrated

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary se ...

of industrial machinery, defence products,

ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

s and

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

structure, equipment for environmental protection, including

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...

power transmission Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to perform useful Mechanical work, work. Power (physics), Power is defined formally as units of energy per unit time. In SI units: :\text ...

equipment,

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

molding machines,

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...

processing systems,

particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel electric charge, charged particles to very high speeds and energies to contain them in well-defined particle beam, beams. Small accelerators are used for fundamental ...

s, material handling systems, cancer diagnostic and treatment equipment and others.

History

In 1888, a company was formed to provide equipment repair services to the Besshi copper mine. Almost 50 years later, in 1934, the company incorporated as Sumitomo Machinery Co., Ltd. to manufacture machinery for the steel and transportation industries in support of that period of rapid economic growth. In 1969, Sumitomo Machinery Co., Ltd. merged with Uraga Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. to create Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. The company continues to innovate and expand to meet the demands of the new market frontiers. Today, Sumitomo Heavy Industries manufactures injection molding machines, laser systems,

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...

machinery and

liquid crystal Liquid crystal (LC) is a state of matter whose properties are between those of conventional liquids and those of solid crystals. For example, a liquid crystal can flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a common direction as i ...

production machinery. In 1979, the company famously built the ''

Seawise Giant TT ''Seawise Giant''—earlier ''Oppama''; later ''Happy Giant'', ''Jahre Viking'', ''Knock Nevis'', and ''Mont''—was a Oil tanker, ULCC supertanker and the longest self-propelled ship in history. It was built in 1974–1979 by Sumitomo Heavy ...

'', an Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) supertanker; the longest ship ever built. In 2021, it was reported that SHI has ceased making light machine guns for the JSDF, citing a bleak economic prospects in the arms sector.

Legal

In March 2005, Sumitomo Heavy Industries underwent an inspection by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) for suspected collusion regarding contracts for flood control gates on rivers and dams commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Water Resources Agency, and local governments.Collusion involving 11 companies and 11 executives indicted
- Shimbun Akahata, June 13, 2006 In May 2005, the JFTC filed criminal charges with the Public Prosecutor’s Office for violations of the Antimonopoly Act against Sumitomo Heavy Industries and seven other companies for engaging in collusion in the bidding process for bridge construction projects commissioned by the former Japan Highway Public Corporation and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (see :ja:橋梁談合事件). On June 12, 2006, the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department indicted Sumitomo Heavy Industries and ten other companies for colluding in the construction of sewage and sludge treatment facilities commissioned by local governments, violating the Antimonopoly Act. As a result, the company was subjected to a nine-month suspension from government contracts by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. On May 25, 2012, it was revealed through a surprise audit by the Board of Audit that Sumitomo Heavy Industries and its subsidiary Sumitomo Heavy Industries Special Equipment Services had over-reported working hours and inflated billing amounts for maintenance and repairs of autocannon systems since the 1970s, leading to a suspension from government contracts. In February 2013, the company’s suspension ended after it paid a penalty of ¥2.3 billion due to fraudulent billing practices. However, in December 2013, it was discovered that the company had falsified test data for 5,000 units of 5.56mm machine guns (license-produced Minimi light machine guns), 7.62mm vehicle-mounted machine guns ( Type 74), and 12.7mm heavy machine guns (license-produced

M2 Browning The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered ...

), leading to another five-month suspension from government contracts. On October 24, 2014, Sumitomo Heavy Industries and its employees were referred to prosecutors for violating the Explosives Control Law and the Firearms and Swords Control Law for conducting unauthorized test firings of machine guns manufactured by the company. On October 1, 2018, Sumitomo Heavy Industries' subsidiary, Sumitomo Heavy Industries High Metax, was found to have falsified inspection data on hardness and components of rolling rolls, affecting steel plate production equipment parts. On January 7, 2020, a former secretary of the Sumitomo Heavy Industries Labor Union was arrested on suspicion of embezzling ¥50 million from a retirement savings account. Ultimately, a total of approximately ¥336.6 million was confirmed to have been embezzled, and on June 19 of the same year, the Tokyo District Court sentenced the former secretary to eight years in prison. On May 20, 2021, Sumitomo Heavy Industries revealed that design drawings for sample parts used in test machine guns for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force had been leaked to China. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a severe warning to the company and its subcontractor for violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. On May 2, 2024, it was revealed that Sumitomo Heavy Industries and its subsidiary, Sumitomo Nako Forklift, had committed inspection fraud during routine checks of forklifts. Workers had omitted necessary steps, such as removing brake components for internal inspection, leading to the discovery of four instances of inspection fraud across two vehicles. Investigations are ongoing to check for similar violations.

Labour issues

A male employee in his 30s, who was employed by the company in 2014 and subsequently seconded to Sumiju Forging, an affiliated company, attempted to commit suicide by jump from the roof of his dormitory in November 2016 and survived but was saved and treated for mental illness. The man appears to have been working overwork since around May 2016 due to a combination of normal work, preparation for audits and research assignments. The Labour Standards Inspection Office of Yokosuka certified the work accident as caused by the onset of adjustment disorder on 30 October 2018.

Products

* Sumitomo NTK-62 Machine gun *

, the largest ship ever built *

Excavator Excavators are heavy equipment (construction), heavy construction equipment primarily consisting of a backhoe, boom, dipper (or stick), Bucket (machine part), bucket, and cab on a rotating platform known as the "house". The modern excavator's ...

, OEM Suppliers of Case and Link-belt * Paver * Gear reducers & Electric Motors

References

External links

Official Site
{{Authority control Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Construction equipment manufacturers of Japan Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange Companies in the Nikkei 225 Manufacturing companies of Japan Shipbuilding companies of Japan Firearm manufacturers of Japan Defense companies of Japan Technology companies established in 1888 Sumitomo Group Manufacturing companies established in 1888 Japanese companies established in 1888