Company History

1915 Held an organizing committee in Tokushima city on November 10.
1916 Established as the first machine-made Japanese paper manufacturer in Tokushima Prefecture covering major industrial experts in this prefecture with a capital of 100 thousand yen.
Tokujiro Matsuura became the first president.
1920 Yokichiro Miki (12th) became the second president.
1930 Established the foremost position in the country as a Japanese paper manufacturer and obtained more than 25 % share of the Japanese calligraphy paper market.
1938 Yokichiro Miki (the 13th) became the third president.
1949 Established Sanko Kogyo Co., Ltd., as a subsidiary on the premises of our factory and started the production and sales of celluloid base papers, parchment base papers and other general papers.
1956 Absorbed Sanko Kogyo Co., Ltd., and established the Osaka Sales Office. Also increased the capital to 6.5 million yen.
1957 Remodeled No. 2 paper machine into the fourdrinier type and expanded digestion facilities.
1959 Newly installed No. 4 paper machine (multi-cylinder type) and shifted our emphasis to the manufacture of special papers.
1963 Newly installed a resin processing machine and expanded our business to processing.
1965 Established the Tokyo Sales Office.
1968 Toshiji Miki became the fourth president.
1969 Newly installed No. 3 paper machine (fourdrinier type).
1970 Started the commercialization of newly-developed flame-retardant and incombustible papers.
1977 Newly installed Rotoformer on the No. 2 paper machine.
1979 Established Nichibei Kako Co., Ltd. Separated the filter paper processing department and transferred it to this new company.
1982 Newly installed No. 5 paper machine and started the development of high-grade special papers.
Also established Lead Industry Co., Ltd., as an affiliated company and started processing works such as water-soluble resin processing and heat-sealing.
1986 Established the Nagoya Sales Office.
1988 Constructed a new laboratory to provide better research and development facilities as well as equipment.
Newly constructed a welfare center to provide a better benefits package to employees.
Entered into technical cooperation with James River Corporation, which is a special paper manufacturer to enter the U.S market.
1989 Upgraded the Tokyo Sales Office to Branch. Constructed the Anan plant to increase production capacity significantly. Increased the capital to 690 million yen.
1992 Yasuhiro Miki became the fifth president.
1993 Changed the name of Lead Industry Co., Ltd., to Lead Co., Ltd.
1994 Established Thai United Awa Paper Co., Ltd., as a new production base to enter overseas markets.
1995 Integrated the Nagoya Sales Office into the Osaka Sales Office.
1996 Started the operation of Thai United Awa Paper Co., Ltd.
1999 Obtained ISO 9001 certification at all business facilities of the three companies in Awa Paper & Technological Company group
2000 Newly constructed a processing plant for Lead Co., Ltd., in the Anan plant.
Entered into a technical assistance agreement with Hankuk Carbon Co., Ltd., in Korea and constructed a paper mill.
Obtained ISO 14001 certification at the head office and plant.
2002 Entered into a consignment production contract for automotive filter papers with Knowlton Specialty Papers Inc., which is a functional paper manufacturer located in the U.S.
Passed the transition audit for ISO 9001:2000.
Newly established the Head Sales Department and integrated the Osaka Sales Office into it.
2003 Established Awa Paper (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., as a new production base.
2004 Increased the capital to 735 million yen.
Acquired all business rights for the filter papers for engines produced by Tokyo Roshi Co., Ltd.
Completed the second phase of construction at Thai United Awa Paper Co., Ltd.
2005 Expanded the range of ISO 14001 certification to the entire Awa Paper & Technological Company group.
Increased the capital to 900 million yen.
Started the operation of Awa Paper (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Acquired 100 % ownership of Nichibei Kako Co., Ltd., through a share purchase.
2006 Acquired 100 % ownership of Lead Co., Ltd. through share exchange.
Changed the fiscal term and year from “from October 1 to September 30 of the following year” to “from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.”
Installed a new processing machine (No. 9) at Lead Co., Ltd.
Started the operation of Awa Paper (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
2007 Newly established the second plant (No. 7 paper machine) and the administration buildings in the Anan plant.
Increased the capital to 1,060 million yen.
Absorbed Lead Co., Ltd. and Nichibei Kako Co., Ltd.
2008 Established the Spirit of the Founding and revised the management principles.
Exchanged a memorandum on the plant location toward the expansion into the old Komatsushima plant site of Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
2009 Installed a new processing machine (No. 10) at the Ohgata plant.
2011 Established the branch plant of the Komatsushima plant on the old Komatsushima plant site of Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
Installed a new processing machine (No. 11) at the Ohgata plant.
2012 Completed the construction of the main building of head office.
Listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Increased the capital to 1,385.13 million yen.
2016 Listing on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange approved.