YAZAKI: Past, present, future. We are connected.

On April 19, 1966, Yazaki Oerlikon Corporation (YOC) was officially launched as the first European business foothold to be established by a Japanese automobile parts manufacturer. The new corporation was formed as a joint venture between Yazaki Corporation and the Oerlikon conglomerate of Switzerland. Primarily handling automotive electric wires, automotive instruments and vinyl tape among other products, YOC began by supplying car manufacturers and selling aftermarket products (for spare parts and accessories) as Yazaki Corporation’s sales representative for all of Europe. At the same time, it set up sub-sales representatives in four countries (the United Kingdom, France, West Germany and Denmark). It later steadily expanded this network by also setting up sub-sales representatives in Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. One after another, these YOC sub-sales representatives were subsequently elevated in status to general sales representatives in their respective countries. Eventually, in 1970, YOC, the head office, was also officially given a new name: “Yazaki Europe.”

In fact, Yazaki had desired the name “Yazaki Europe (YEC)” ever since it had entered the European market. However, Swiss law would not allow such a name for an unproven company, and thus Yazaki had to settle for the name Yazaki Oerlikon for the time being. By 1970, however, YOC was successfully doing business with sales representatives in 18 European countries (the United Kingdom, France, West Germany, Denmark, Italy, Malta, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greece, Turkey and Lebanon), and the name Yazaki Europe was finally approved. At the time of its launch, the YEC head office in Zurich had a staff of seven people, five men and two women. Of them, six were Swiss nationals. Only the head of technology was Japanese, and this person had to cope in an international environment in which German, French and English were all spoken.

Leading the way amid a swelling wave of capital liberalization, Yazaki Europe’s steady advance was a thrilling development that embodied the concept of “offense is the best defense.”