Introduction of the history leading up to the founding of Saint-Gobain K.K. in Japan as well as the formation of joint enterprises and expansion of Saint-Gobain business activities in the modern era. In 2017, the Saint-Gobain Group will enter its 100th years of activities in Japan.
From the establishment to 1999
| 1917 | Start of business in Japan by Norton Company (USA), acquired by Saint-Gobain in 1990 |
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| 1972 | Establishment of abrasives joint venture, Kure-Norton Co., Ltd., with Kure Grinding Wheel |
| 1975 | Establishment of wholly owned trading company subsidiary, Nihon Norton Hanbai K.K., renamed Nihon Norton K.K. in 1978 |
| 1984 | Merger of Japanese abrasives businesses leads to establishment of Japan subsidiary, Norton K.K. |
| Start of operations at Norton's refractories plant in Seto, central Japan | |
| 1986 | Establishment of Nihon Saint-Gobain K.K., a Japanese subsidiary trading glass products, beads and powder |
| 1992 | Start of operations at Saint-Gobain's plastics plant in Suwa, central Japan |
| 1997 | Suwa plant awarded ISO 9001 certification, and subsequently ISO 9001 in 1997 (and ISO 14001 in 2001) |
| 1999 | Acquisition of Japan Abrasives Co. (JACO), maker of ceramic grains for abrasives and refractories refractories and establishment of Saint- Gobain Ceramic Materials K.K. |
From 2000 to the present
| 2000 | Nihon Saint-Gobain K.K. renamed Saint-Gobain K.K. Opening of Saint-Gobain K.K. headquarters in Kojimachi, Tokyo, in purpose-built office building showcasing Saint-Gobain products and technology |
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| 2002 | Joint venture NSG Vetrotex formed in the reinforcements business with Nippon Sheet Glass, Japan's second-largest flat glassmaker |
| Establishment of Saint-Gobain HanGlas (Japan) K.K., an architectural flat glass joint venture with Hankuk Glass Industries Inc., South Korea’s largest glass maker (renamed Saint-Gobain Glass Japan K.K. in 2019) | |
| 2003 | Joint establishment with Central Glass Co., Ltd. of automotive glass sales company, Central Saint-Gobain K.K., targeting Japanese automakers |
| 2008 | Acquired shares of MAG Co., Ltd., Japan’s leading glass wool insulation maker, which became an equal joint venture between Saint-Gobain K.K. and Taiheiyo Cement Corporation |
| 2010 | Acquired the stake owned by Taiheiyo Cement Corporation in MAG, which has become a Saint-Gobain Group company. The company name changed to MAG-ISOVER K.K. |
| 2015 | All the Saint-Gobain group’s employees worldwide celebrated our 350th anniversary together. |
History of the Saint-Gobain Group
For information on the Saint-Gobain Group's 350 years of history, please visit the following page.