SEARCH
CONTACT USPlease visit before contacting us.
SUPPORTClick here for product support information
DOWNLOADYou can see PDF of catalogs and leaflets.

VESSEL
GENERL CATALOGUE

THE COMPANY

Succession of imaginative management practices and techniques

HISTORY

VESSEL was founded in 1916 as Japan’s first volume manufacturer of screwdrivers. With most ironworks at the time producing agricultural implements such as spades and hoes, the young company put in place a mass production system specialized for the manufacture of screwdrivers for industrial applications and began supplying its products to the market.

 

Founding

Japan’s first domestically produced screwdriver and the VESSEL brand
Screwdrivers were typically included with industrial machinery such as spinning machines. VESSEL set out to create an originally designed, domestically produced screwdriver to compete with these overseas products. In 1933, the company began emblazoning its products with the brand “VESSEL,” meaning a large ship in English, as a signifier of their superior quality.

Growth

Streamlining operations at assembly plants with pneumatic screwdrivers and bits
The Japanese economy embarked on a period of rapid growth starting in the 1950s. VESSEL began production of bits for pneumatic tools on a significant scale in 1954 based on expectations of dramatic growth in demand for pneumatic drivers and bits. Four years later, the company launched its first impact driver, helping to streamline operations at assembly worksites nationwide.

Expansion

VESSEL as a supplier of every type of screwdriver
VESSEL established the three pillars of its business: screwdrivers; bits; and pneumatic tools, including the air impact wrenches it began producing in 1967. During this period, the company successfully staked out a position as a leading manufacturer of fastening tools.

Reorganization

Embracing the challenge of expanding into a broad range of industrial fields
VESSEL reacted to the first oil shock in 1973 by moving beyond a screwdriver-centric management philosophy and accelerating efforts to develop products in new fields so that its fortunes would not be affected by the vagaries of the global economy. The company launched products such as air nippers and microgrinders and developed QSYSTEM, a “take-a-number” line management system for facilities such as banks and hospitals.

VESSEL Mark of Quality
A single screwdriver may be used to tighten thousands or tens of thousands of screws. Our uncompromising approach to manufacturing and craftsmanship and our stubborn commitment to quality underpin a philosophy that lives on in each and every tool we make. Today, this philosophy is being carried on in completely new fields by products such as anti-theft and static electricity elimination equipment.

Timeline

1916 Ginosuke Taguchi founds Taguchi Tekkosho.
1933 Taguchi registers the VESSEL trademark.
1948 Nihon Nejimawashi Co., Ltd., is established (present-day VESSEL Industrial Co., Inc.).
1950 Nihon Nejimawashi Co., Ltd., begins manufacturing Phillips head screwdrivers.
1962 VESSEL Kogu Co., Ltd., is established (present-day VESSEL Co., INC.).
Teruo Taguchi assumes the position of president and CEO.
1965 Tokyo Office (present-day Tokyo Branch) opens.
1966 Nagoya Office opens.
1968 Fukuoka Satellite Office (present-day Fukuoka Office) opens.
Sapporo Satellite Office opens.
1969 Kyodo Kosan Co., Ltd. founded (present-day Vessel Distribution Center Co., Ltd.).
1970 Hiroshima Satellite Office opens.
1972 Sendai Satellite Office opens.
1974 Company name changed to Vessel Co., Inc.
1980 “GREEN” Home Center Fukuchiyama opens.
1982 “GREEN” Home Center Hashimoto opens.
Vessel marks the 20th anniversary of its founding.
1987 Vessel enters into a sales alliance with Sweden’s Q-Matic.
1992 Vessel marks the 30th anniversary of its founding.
1996 Junichi Taguchi assumes the position of president and CEO.
2005 France Liaison Office opens.
2009 New office building for the Q-system department was complete.
2010 Distribution center buildings and facilities were extended.
VESSEL EUROPE SARL is established.
2016 Vessel marks the 100th anniversary of its founding.
VESSEL TOOLS USA is established.
VESSEL CHINA is established.
2019 Kita-Kantou Office opens.
2020 Production and Distribution of SP AIR branded pneumatic tools begins.
2021 FUKUCHIYAMA KOGYO K.K. absorbed into VESSEL Group.
2023 Yuichi Taguchi assumes the position of president and CEO.
pagetop