Noritake

{{Short description|Japanese tableware and technology company}}

{{Infobox company

|name = Noritake Co., Limited

|native_name = ノリタケ株式会社

|logo = Noritake logo.svg

|logo_size = 250px

|image = Noritake garden2.jpg

|image_size = 250px

|image_caption = Noritake factory in Nagoya

|type = Public KK

|traded_as = {{TYO|5331}}
{{NAG|5331}}

|ISIN = {{ISIN|sl=n|pl=y|JP3763000001}}

|founder = Ichizaemon Morimura
Toyo Morimura

|foundation = {{Start date and age|1904|01|04|df=y}} as Nippon Toki Gomei Kaisha

|location = Nishi-ku, Nagoya 451-8501, Japan

|key_people = Hitoshi Tanemura
(Chairman)
Tadashi Ogura
(President)

|industry = Glass & ceramics

|services = {{unbulleted list|Industrial ceramic products|Ceramic tableware and decorative products|Heating furnaces|Cutting machines}}

|revenue = JPY 108.8 billion (FY 2016)

(US$ 1 billion) (FY 2016)

|net_income = JPY 4.1 billion (FY 2016)

(US$ 37.9 million) (FY 2016)

|num_employees = 5,097 (consolidated, as of 31 March 2017)

|area_served = Worldwide

|parent = Morimura Group

|homepage = {{Official website|http://www.noritake.co.jp/eng/}}

|footnotes = {{cite web |url=http://www.noritake.co.jp/eng/company/about/profile.html |title=Corporate Profile |work=noritake.co.jp |publisher=Noritake |accessdate=2017-09-04}}{{cite web |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Company/05HZ2J-E |title=Company Profile |work=Nikkei Asian Review |publisher=Nikkei Inc. |accessdate=2017-09-04}}}}

{{Nihongo|Noritake Co., Limited|ノリタケ株式会社|Noritake Kabushiki-gaisha}}, commonly known as "Noritake," is a tableware and technology company headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

History

File:Noritake.jpg

In 1876, Ichizaemon Morimura VI and his brother Toyo founded Morimura Gumi with the intent of establishing overseas trading by a Japanese company. By 1878, Toyo had established a business in New York selling Japanese antiques and other goods, including pottery. The company was renamed Morimura Brothers in 1881. By the 1890s, the company had shifted from retail to wholesale operations and started working on design improvements for the pottery and porcelain ware, which had become one third of its business. By 1899, all of the pottery and porcelain decorating factories in Tokyo and Kyoto had been consolidated in Nagoya, and the company started research on creating European style hard white porcelain in Japan.{{cite web

|url=http://www.morimura.co.jp/english/history/

|title=History

|work=morimura.co.jp

|publisher=Morimura Brothers, Inc.

|accessdate=2014-02-01

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204031632/http://www.morimura.co.jp/english/history/

|archive-date=2014-02-04

|url-status=dead

}}{{cite web

|url=http://www.noritake.co.jp/eng/company/about/history.html

|title=History of Noritake

|work=noritake.co.jp

|publisher=Noritake

|accessdate=2014-02-01

}}{{cite book |first1=Dale |last1=Frederiksen |first2=Bob |last2=Page |first3=Dean |last3=Six |title=Noritake - Jewel of the Orient |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TZZyP1y1VZ8C |date=2001-04-01 |publisher=Replacements, Ltd. |isbn=978-1-889977-11-9}}

In 1904, key members of this trading company created the Nippon Toki Kaisha, Ltd. ("the Company that makes Japan's Finest China") in Japan. A new factory was built in Noritake, near Nagoya (now Noritake-shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi). In 1914 the company succeeded in creating their first Western style dinner set, called "Sedan", to compete with European porcelain companies. Nippon Toki wares were mostly aimed at the European Market. This forerunner of the modern Noritake Company was founded in the village of Noritake, a small suburb near Nagoya, Japan. Most of the company’s early wares carried one of the various “Nippon” back stamps to indicate its country of origin when exported to Western markets. Today, many collectors agree that the best examples of “Nippon-era” (1891–1921) hand painted porcelain carry a back stamp used by "Noritake" during the Nippon era.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

File:Noritake2.JPG

By 1923, Nippon Toki was looking to streamline its paperwork using machines to handle large orders coming in from the United States, and was impressed by the Hollereth tabulating machines manufactured by the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR). In May 1925, Morimura-Brothers entered into a sole agency agreement with CTR (which had been renamed IBM in 1924) to import the Hollerith machines into Japan. The first Hollerith tabulator in Japan was installed at Nippon Pottery in September 1925, making Noritake IBM's first customer in Japan.{{cite web

|url=http://www-06.ibm.com/ibm/jp/75th/index2.shtml

|title=History of Innovation on the 75th anniversary of founding IBM Japan

|work=ibm.com

|publisher=IBM

|accessdate=2014-02-01

}}{{cite web

|url=http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/documents/pdf/1885-1969.pdf

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215062527/http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/documents/pdf/1885-1969.pdf

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=December 15, 2005

|title=IBM Highlights, 1885–1969

|work=ibm.com

|publisher=IBM

|accessdate=2014-02-01

}}

In 1939, Noritake started selling industrial grinding wheels based on its porcelain finishing technology. It now provides ceramic and diamond grinding and abrasive solutions for many industries. Other products currently manufactured by Noritake, also derived from its core tableware manufacturing technologies, include thick film circuit substrates, engineering ceramics, ceramic powder, and vacuum fluorescent displays,{{cite web

|url=http://www.noritake.co.jp/eng/products/ceramic/

|title=Ceramics and Materials

|work=noritake.co.jp

|publisher=Noritake

|accessdate=2014-02-01

}} as well as heating furnaces and kilns, mixing technology, filtration systems, and cutting and grinding machines.{{cite web

|url=http://www.noritake.co.jp/eng/products/eeg/

|title=Engineering

|work=noritake.co.jp

|publisher=Noritake

|accessdate=2014-02-01

}}

Although consumers and collectors alike have called the tableware, "Noritake" (and/or simply, "Nippon") since the late 1920s, the Japanese parent company did not officially change its name to the Noritake Co., Limited until 1981. Evidently, since Noritake is the name of a place, the company was initially prohibited from registering the name as a trade name.

The Noritake Garden in Nagoya features the production of its ceramics.

Overseas

Australia

File:Noritake for Qantas Tableware by David Caon.jpg Tableware by David Caon]]

Noritake Australia Pty Ltd was established in 1958 and it is owned by Noritake Co., Limited. By the late 1960s Noritake brand had become a household name.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} Noritake is an official supplier to Qantas Airways for in-flight and ground-based operations. The brand has worked together with the airline and Australian designers such as Marc Newson{{Cite web |title=Marc Newson by Noritake |url=https://noritake.com.au/product-category/our-collection/our-collection-casual-dinnerware/our-collection-casual-dinnerware-marc-newson-by-noritake/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Noritake Australia Pty Ltd |language=en-AU}} and David Caon{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-02-10 |title=New David Caon by Noritake! |url=https://noritake.com.au/blog/new-david-caon-by-noritake/ |access-date=2022-11-19 |website=Noritake Australia Pty Ltd |language=en-AU}} to create a crockery range for Qantas International First and Business.{{Cite web |last=Noble |first=Dimity |date=2017-07-24 |title=Qantas takes high design to the skies with new tableware range |url=https://www.wallpaper.com/design/qantas-tableware-range-designed-by-david-caon |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=wallpaper.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Marchese |first=Kieron |date=2017-09-27 |title=david caon x noritake create ultra-light tableware for qantas airways |url=https://www.designboom.com/design/david-caon-noritake-tableware-for-qantas-airways-09-27-2017/ |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=designboom {{!}} architecture & design magazine |language=en}} A subsequent collaboration with Australian chef Adam Liaw resulted in a crockery line called "Everyday by Adam Liaw".{{Cite web |title=Everyday by Adam Liaw |url=https://noritake.com.au/product-category/adamliaw/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Noritake Australia Pty Ltd |language=en-AU}}

Noritake Australia also distributes industrial grinding wheels in the Australian market.{{Cite web |title=Noritake (Australia) Pty Ltd - Australia Suppliers and Traders - Australia Machine Tools - Made in Australia |url=http://www.australiasupplier.com/machinetools/noritake.html |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=www.australiasupplier.com}}{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Sri Lanka

In 1973 Noritake constructed a factory in Sri Lanka.{{cite web | url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Chinaware-maker-Noritake-bets-its-future-on-Sri-Lanka | title=Chinaware maker Noritake bets its future on Sri Lanka }} In 2016 this factory employed 1,200 people and exported 6 million pieces of porcelain annually.{{cite web | url=https://bizenglish.adaderana.lk/noritake-lanka-porcelain-ltd-awarded-isos-best-known-standards-ever-qms-ems-and-ohsas/ | title=Noritake Lanka Porcelain Ltd awarded ISO's best known standards ever - QMS, EMS and OHSAS | date=February 2016 }}

References

{{Portal|Japan|Engineering|Companies}}

{{Reflist}}

Literature

  • Neff Alden, Aimee, Collector Books. Collector's Encyclopedia of Early Noritake. 1995
  • Morikawa, Takahir, Maria Shobo Co., Ltd. Masterpieces of Early Noritake. 2003
  • Spain, David H., Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. Noritake Collectibles A to Z.. 1995.
  • Collecting Noritake A to Z, Art Deco & More, 1999
  • Noritake Fancyware A to Z, 2002
  • Art Deco Noritake & More, 2004
  • Van Patten, Joan, Collector Books. The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Nippon Porcelain, Second Series, 1982.
  • The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Noritake, 1984 (2000).
  • Van Patten’s ABC’s of Collecting Nippon Porcelain, 2005.