YKK Group

The YKK Group (YKK, Waikeikei Gurūpu) is a Japanese group of manufacturing companies. As the world's largest zipper/zip manufacturer, YKK Group is most famous for making zippers; however, it also manufactures other fastening products, architectural products and industrial machinery.

The initials YKK stand for Yoshida Kōgyō Kabushiki gaisha (Japanese: 吉田工業株式会社), meaning "Yoshida Manufacturing Shareholding Company". YKK produces fasteners and architectural products at 109 YKK companies in 71 countries around the world.

History

Pre World War II

What would later become YKK operated initially as San-es Shokai and was founded by Tadao Yoshida in Higashi Nihonbashi, Tokyo in January 1934. The company specialized in marketing of fastening products. In February 1938 San-es Shokai was renamed to Yoshida Kogyosho. WWII was underway by 1939 and the next major corporate event would not take place until February 1942.

After World War II

In January 1946 the company registered the YKK trademark. A major technological change came in 1950, when the company purchased a chain machine from the U.S. that allowed the automation of the zipper making process. Previously, YKK zippers were made by hand, and hence had an inferior quality compared to automated zippers from abroad.

YKK

YKK may refer to: