Corporate History
| 1908 | Started business as a railroad tie dealer in Ichikawa-cho Kanzaki-gun, Hyogo prefecture. |
| 1916 | Moved to present-day Gifu city, and made a start on manufacturing and selling wood railroad ties and timbers mainly in Gifu prefecture. |
| 1921 | Became available for direct delivery to Japanese National Railways as a specified contractor by the Ministry of Railways. |
| 1957 | Started producing wood chips, raw materials for paper manufacturing. |
| 1965 | Changed the organization from Kobayashi Sannosuke Syoten (a private shop) to Sannosuke Kobayashi Co., Ltd. In the same year, co-founded Meitetsu Mokuzai Bofu Co., Ltd., equipped with facilities of high-pressure high-temperature injection, with Nagoya Railroad Co., Ltd. |
| 1966 | Spun off our transportation department, and established Nihon Makuragi Unyu Co., Ltd. |
| 1971 | Completed a Factory specializing in wood railroad ties (present Kani Factory) in Kani city, Gifu, which increased capacity of manufacturing department. |
| 1973 | Established Kobayashi Zorin Fudosan Co., Ltd. in order to strengthen the operation of mountain forests and the forestation business. |
| 1976 | Established Genboku Center Auction Department in Kakamigahara city, Gifu in order to strengthen the distribution business of materials. |
| 1979 | Completed Iwate Factory, an intelligent Factory specializing in wood railroad ties by introducing advanced machineries, in present-day Moichi, Miyako city, Iwate, to plan to strengthen the activities in Tohoku area. |
| 1980 | Completed a Chip Factory in Iwate Factory to plan to strengthen the manufacturing department. |
| 1983 | Opened Tokyo Office inside Tokyo to plan to strengthen the business in Kanto area. |
| 1988 | Introduced computer-controlled lumber facilities in Kani Factory in order to increase the amount of wood railroad ties and lumber products, which made it possible to increase the volume of production. |
| 1992 | Obtained permission of construction industry, made a start on interior finish work business, and extended the reach in Kanto area. |
| 1993 | Started a new Factory for laminated wood in Kani Factory, at the same time, completed facilities for drying wood, and started a new development of lumber products. |
| 1996 | Following interior finish work business, obtained permission of construction work business of landscape gardening. |
| 1997 | Obtained permission of civil engineering work business. |
| 1998 | Integrated Ono Factory, which had been in Ono city, Fukui, into Shiratori Factory in Gujo city Gifu, and made Shiratori Factory as a foundation for activities in Hokuriku area. |
| 1999 | Obtained permission of Industrial Waste Disposal Operators (Intermediate process of wood waste) |
| 2000 | Completed a facility for Intermediate process of wood waste at Kani Factory , and started wood waste pulverization business, that wood waste is from wrecked houses, and others. |
| 2002 | Extended the reach of forest Improvement business in Gero area of Gifu. |
| 2006 | The founder, Sannosuke Kobayashi (former Chairman of the board of directors and CEO), passed away. In the same year, focused on the Head Office in Gifu, all of the business places, Kani Factory, Genboku center, Tokyo Office, and Iwate Factory, were connected with PC network to improve business efficiency. |
| 2007 | Integrated Shiratori Factory into Kani Factory, because the entire Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway was about to open, which would make the traffic in Tokai-Hokuriku area become more convenient, and prepared the system of which the Head Office, Tokyo office, and Kani Factory would support the businesses in Kanto, Tokai, Hokuriku, Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku areas, and Iwate Factory would support the businesses in Hokuriku and Hokkaido areas. |
| 2008 | Celebrated the 100th anniversary of the company’s foundation in April 1908, and completed a new building of the Head Office. |
| 2009 | Retooled the facilities in Kani Factory to promote the streamlining. |
| 2010 | Changed the name of Genboku Center to “Kakamigahara Office”. |
| 2011 | Moved Tokyo Office from Koto-ku to Bunkyo-ku in Tokyo. Established an overseas subsidiary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. SANNOSUKE KOBAYASHI (MALAYSIA) SDN.BHD. |
| 2014 | Established an overseas subsidiary in Dublin, Ohio, USA. SANNOSUKE AMERICA,INC. |
| 2015 | Established an overseas subsidiary in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. SANNOSUKE WOOD CANADA,INC. |
| 2023 | Sendai office opened in Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture. |
| 2024 | Established Hakoishi Sannosuke Co., Ltd. Malaysian overseas subsidiary closed |
Our company’s vision in the future
Sannosuke Kobayashi Co., Ltd. has kept moving forward steadily with forests and trees since the company was founded in 1908 as a railroad tie dealer.
Our company lives in coexistence with nature, we accommodate customer’s demand as customers will well realize that merit of wood, the president and all staff members work harder than ever, for that purpose we show wisdom, we have sense of responsibility, we make efforts, and we become conscious of growing with the company. Simply saying, but acting in practice and making efforts, we believe that we will be able to produce a good result. We try to do so before and since, and we all set a goal to become happy.
Sannosuke Kobayashi Co., Ltd. has kept moving forward steadily with forests and trees since the company was founded in 1908 as a railroad tie dealer.
Our company lives in coexistence with nature, we accommodate customer’s demand as customers will well realize that merit of wood, the president and all staff members work harder than ever, for that purpose we show wisdom, we have sense of responsibility, we make efforts, and we become conscious of growing with the company. Simply saying, but acting in practice and making efforts, we believe that we will be able to produce a good result. We try to do so before and since, and we all set a goal to become happy.