Fuji Heavy Industries

Industry: transportation equipment manufacturing
Founded: Established 1953-07-15
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Key people: Ikuo Mori, President and CEO
Products: Subaru automobiles, aircraft, industrial engines, garbage trucks
Revenue: �1428.6 billion (FY. 2010)
Net income: �-16.5 billion (FY. 2010)
Employees: 15,000
Website: Fuji Heavy Industries

Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (富士重工業株式会社, Fuji Jūkōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha), or FHI, is a Japanese transportation conglomerate most known for being the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles. It traces its roots to the Nakajima Aircraft Company, a leading supplier of airplanes to the Japanese government during World War II. At the end of World War II, Nakajima was broken up by the Allied Occupation government, and by 1950 part of the separated operation was already known as Fuji Heavy Industries.

FHI was incorporated on July 15, 1953 when five Japanese companies, known as Fuji Kogyo, Fuji Jidosha Kogyo, Omiya Fuji Kogyo, Utsunomiya Sharyo and Tokyo Fuji Sangyo, joined to form one of Japan's largest manufacturers of transportation equipment. Currently, FHI employs more than 15,000 people worldwide, operates nine manufacturing plants and sells products in 100 countries. It currently makes Subaru brand cars, and its aerospace division makes parts for Boeing, helicopters for the Japanese Self Defense Force, Raytheon Hawker, and Eclipse Aviation business jets.

In 2003, the company adopted the logo of its Subaru division as its worldwide corporate symbol.

Shareholders

Picture - A 5E body with Isuzu Cubic chassis

From 1968 until 1999, FHI was 20% owned by Nissan, who acquired the stake in 1968 during a period of government-ordered merging of Japanese auto industry firms in order to improve competitiveness against foreign companies under the administration of Prime Minister Eisaku Satō. During their ownership, Nissan was primarily interested in its bus manufacturing division and lent automaking expertise to Subaru. Upon Nissan's acquisition by Renault, its 20% stake was sold to General Motors, but GM announced on October 6, 2005 that it will sell 8.4% of the company to Toyota and disposed of its remaining share.

On April 10, 2008, Toyota increased its stake in FHI to 16.7% and announced the end of FHI minicar production at its facility in Gunma Prefecture. Daihatsu, a subsidiary of Toyota, will instead supply the cars to FHI.

Divisions

FHI has four main divisions:

The automobile division, Subaru, has been manufacturing and selling automobiles since 1954 and now has 1,970 dealers in 100 countries.
The aerospace division is a contractor for the Japan Defense Agency and markets and sells both commercial and defense-related aircraft, helicopters and target drones. This division used to build the Fuji FA200 Aero Subaru and is currently participating in the Airbus A380, Boeing 777, Boeing 787, Hawker 4000 and Eclipse 500 programs, and supplies parts for Boeing 737, Boeing 747 and Boeing 767.
The Subaru Industrial Power Products division manufactures and sells commercial engines, pumps and generators under the Subaru-Robin brand in North America, and as Robin everywhere else. Fuji's industrial products division, began manufacturing "Star" engines for Polaris Industries snowmobiles in 1968 but the cooperation ended in 1998 when Polaris Industries started to build their own brand new Liberty two-stroke engines, but Fuji remains a Polaris supplier of pistons to this day. Fuji is a partner with Polaris, owning a percentage of Polaris stock. Fuji has provided more than 2 million engines used in Polaris snowmobiles, ATVs, watercraft and utility vehicles.
The eco technology division manufactures and sells garbage trucks, robot sweeper, and wind turbines.
FHI discontinued the production of buses and railroad cars in 2003.

Picture - A 7E body articulated bus with Volvo B10M chassis

The company's four divisions all share their technological advancements with one another, which has made FHI a leader in innovation. In particular, they apply a great deal of their aircraft technology to their automotive division, the most notable example being the horizontally-opposed boxer engines used in all modern Subaru automobiles.

Leadership

Past presidents

1953-1956 - Kenji Kita
1956-1963 - Takao Yoshida
1963-1970 - Nobuo Yokota
1970-1978 - Eiichi Ohara
1978-1985 - Sadamichi Sasaki
1985-1990 - Toshihiro Tajima
1990-1996 - Isamu Kawai
1996-2001 - Takeshi Tanaka
2001-2006 - Kyoji Takenaka
2006-present - Ikuo Mori

Bus models

Picture - A 1M body with Nissan Diesel Space Arrow chassis

R13
13
3A/3B/3D/3E
R1/R2
R14
14
4B/4E
R15
5B/5E
R1/R2/R3
HD1/HD2/HD3
Double-decker
R16
6B/6E
H1
R17
7B/7E
7HD
7S
R18
8B/8E
R21
1M/1S

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Source: WikiPedia