Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Kuriyama of America, Inc., a subsidiary of the Kuriyama Holdings Corporation, is a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of industrial rubber and plastic component parts, specializing in rubber and plastic hoses and hose fittings.
Today, the Kuriyama of America, Inc. group of companies includes eight subsidiaries and six distribution centers.
When it first opened its doors back in 1965, Kuriyama started out as a representative office; a reseller of goods imported from its Japanese parent company, Kuriyama Rubber Co., Ltd. Since then, through collaboration and acquisitions, it has grown into a global supplier with one of the most diverse product catalogs in the industry.
While the representative office was first opened in New York in 1965, it was not until 1968 that Kuriyama of America, Inc. would be incorporated in Chicago, Illinois at 777 Milwaukee Ave., as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kuriyama Rubber Co., Ltd.
In 1978, Tigerflex Corporation was established as a joint venture with Kuriyama using the “Tigerflex” brand name. No longer having to import these products, Kuriyama was now able to both manufacture these products in the U.S. and have them available for distribution to their distributors.
In 1984, Kuriyama Canada, Inc. was established in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, as a manufacturer of yarn and wire reinforced thermoplastic hose and tubing products. This was a significant development for Kuriyama in that it was their first wholly owned manufacturing plant for thermoplastic hose and tubing products in North America.
In 1989, Kuriyama acquired Accuflex Industrial Hose Ltd., a manufacturer of thermoplastic hose and tubing products in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Hose Technology, Inc. in Williamsport, Indiana was acquired back in 1997 and got Kuriyama involved in the metal hose business. With this acquisition, Kuriyama also acquired additional land, enabling them to build Kuri Tec Manufacturing, Inc., a new manufacturing facility for thermoplastic hose and tubing based in the U.S.
Similarly, the acquisition of Piranha Hose Products (2005) brought the company into the high-pressure sewer and jetting hose and thermoplastic hydraulic markets.
In 2015, Kuriyama Holdings announced the acquisition of the Tipsa Group of companies with manufacturing operations in Spain and Argentina and sales, marketing and warehousing operations in the United States and Australia. The key product lines for Tipsa Group are specialty rubber blended layflat products designed for mining, agricultural, irrigation, oil and gas, and water transport markets around the world.
Twenty years ago, Kuriyama’s competitive advantage was the breadth of its product line. Today, it still is their mantra to provide the widest assortment of hoses, tubing and accessories to their distributors, but they also offer customized solutions by virtue of their technical capabilities. Despite all of the changes in the industry, the company still values a one-on-one “human touch” approach to dealing with customers. Besides the obvious advantage of building customer loyalty with good customer service, Kuriyama has also used this strategy to find gaps in the market, identify customer needs and develop products to meet those needs.
Kuriyama of America
www.kuriyama.com
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