HOME // COMPANY PROFILE // HISTORY OF TEIN Representative President, Hakaru Ichino With the start of the 21st century already behind us, the environment surrounding the automobile industry and the state of consumers' minds are changing at a rapid pace. Cars are now, no longer just tools for moving or carrying people and objects. Rather, people are starting to look for cars to bring them comfort and enjoyment, enabling them a better quality of life. Our company is based on this understanding and originates from the concept of developing and producing products to be able to bring out the best of driving. Through our tireless development efforts to create the most advanced products, we have been able to build a high reputation within the market. Since the partial revision of the safety regulations for automotive after-market products in 1995, the market has received further interest, requirements for planning, quality, price and safety has increased. In order to maintain the confidence we have established in the market for our products, we plan to expand further our field by reinforcing our planning and development skills with utilized knowledge we have accumulated. We will also hone our development skills as a suspension manufacturer in order to increase the quality of our products, with three key words in mind: "Safety", "Reasonable Price", and "High Quality". Evolving with the motor industry Consumer's taste has expanded, and the market now uniquely, demands high quality products. The market for automotive after-market products is growing within this background. In a market where drivers are starting to pursue the joy of driving, and motor culture is maturing uniquely, high quality goods are also needed in the automotive after-market sector. With an eye of the market, and global trends, we have continued to develop suspensions to meet the high demands of the customers. Our first step was OEM production based on our high reliability and engineering skills. In 1990, we went on to produce our own brand products. We believe that we have been able to establish a unique brand image, mainly through sports shock absorbers. Our goal is to become a "total suspension manufacturer who provides driving pleasure to all drivers", and we will continue to strive for higher quality, performance and precision. Our development process will be continuous. Fusion of craftsmanship and high efficiency products We take pride in our manufacturing technology which does not allow for an inch of compromise. Not only are we set on maintaining our quality, but we have merged in product efficiency by utilizing the most advanced technology in order to deliver the performance that only TEIN can bring about. TEIN is a company specialized in suspension manufacturing, that brings out the best enjoyment out of driving. Origin of our company name The company name "TEIN" was named after a combination of the first two letters, "TE"CHNICAL "IN"NOVATION, as it has been our principle to provide the best products supported by our state of the art technology since we started our business. ISO9001 Certification All business units certified for ISO9001 International Standard for Quality Management. The certification was received on March 28,2002 from JIC Quality Assurance Ltd. after successful examination. Taking this opportunity,we will further improve quality to meet increasing customer requirements for quality. Automatic piston rod cutter cuts rods to the specified numbers and lengths. Transfer milling cutter (Fraser machine) carries out multiple processing milling tasks, such as drilling and grinding. Automatic gun drill processing machine operates for processing the inner chamber which is indispensable for adjustable damping force shock absorbers. Automatic pipe-cutter cuts pipes to the specified numbers and lengths. CNC lathe with bar feeder can be automatically operated by feeding material in the stocker. The APC equipped machining center initiates batch processing such as drilling and tap processing, per palette, through numerical controls. Numerically controlled automatic welding robots can achieve uniform welding which assures air tightness and durability. Shock absorbers are susceptible to dust and dirt. All inner parts are washed by ultrasonic washers. Precise measurements are needed for shock absorbers and CAD-CAM-CAE systems enables verification from various angles for designing. By putting the parts which have gone through forging, casting and pressing under tension and compression tests, quality improvement is achieved. An efficient delivery procedures are achieved through the bar-code delivery verification system, which prevents misdeliver and allows for same day delivery. All of TEIN production items are validated at the Engineering Department on actual cars, and only products which have passed the tests for ride height, lever ratio, corner weight and drivability are prepared for the mark. CORPORATE HISTORY 1985 Established in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 1986 Start of OEM production of shock absorbers 1988 Moved Headquarters to Midori-ku, Yokohama 1990 Start of production of own brand products (Type H damper) 1993 Start of sales of Type S damper 1995 Start of sales of Type H1, Type H2 damper Moved Headquarter Factory to Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama 1996 Completion of new factory - Okuma Plant Completion of delivery center Start of sales of S-Tech spring Start of sales of Type HA, Type HR damper 1997 Completion of Ikebe Plant 1998 Start of sales of Type NR, Type NA damper Completion of Orimoto Plant Moved head office to Orimoto-cho, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama Start of sales of Type RA damper 1999 Established Yokohama, Osaka Office Start of sales of Type RE, RS damper Start of sales of Type HT, HG damper Start of sales of Type CS damper Start of sales of Type HE damper 2000 Start of product warranty system Start of sales of Type WAGON damper Start of sales of HIGH.TECH spring 2001 Established TEIN U.S.A., Inc. in the United States of America. 2002 Start of sales of Type FLEX damper, EDFC All business units certified for ISO9001 Listed on JASDAQ Established TEIN TAIWAN Inc. in Taiwan 2003 Moved head office, Technical development center and Yokohama office to Kamiyabe-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama Start of sales of Super WAGON damper Established TEIN UK LIMITED in the United Kingdom 2004 Start of sales of Super STREET damper Start of sales of HYBRID WAGON damper 2005 Start of sales of SUPER DRIFT DAMPER Start of sales of SUPER RACING DAMPER Start of sales of GT WAGON DAMPER Start of sales of SPECIALIZED DAMPER 2006 Start of sales of BASIC WAGON DAMPER Start of sales of BASIC COMPACT DAMPER Start of sales of SUPER COMPACT DAMPER Start of sales of MONO FLEX DAMPER Start of sales of COMFORT SPORT DAMPER 2007 Start of sales of BASIC-K Start of sales of S.TECH K-SPECIAL Start of sales of EURO DAMPER 2008 Established TEIN U.S.A., Inc. - East in Georgia, U.S.A. Established TEIN Hong Kong Limited in Hong Kong Start sales of BASIC FLEX WAGON Start sales of SUPER FLEX WAGON