Message from the President
KUMALIFT is loved by everyone, and 50 years have passed since its birth.
The start-up was when the founder eyed on its original dumbwaiters’ standardization in Japan. And that has popularized the products nationwide.
Afterwards, it has worked on large-scale elevators, and then entered into domestic version and developed home elevators, stairlifts.
KUMALIFT’s development perspective is to stand in the users’ shoes.
For passengers in wheelchairs, we have challenged, before, to reduce the gap between floor and a car down to approximately one centimeter.
It is solely to ensure that passengers in wheelchairs can cross the gap smoothly without risking the fore wheels being caught. And besides, we replaced the position of an operation panel in a car to the height where passengers in wheelchairs and children can use it easier. These are all now taken for granted, but those challenges derive through the eyes of users.
No change at all in standing always on the important perspective of developments, we, all together at KUMALIFT, along with its technology developed will strive to meet the customers’ expectations ever onward.
Tomoya Kumagai
President of KUMALIFT Co.Ltd.
Corporate profile
| Company name | Kumalift Co., Ltd. |
| Established | October 7, 1965 |
| Capital | JPY100 million |
| Employees | 334(as of April 2017) |
| Business | Manufacture, sale, installation, and maintenance of lift equipment including elevators, dumbwaiters, welfare equipments, etc. |
| Licenses | Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (General Construction Contractor) Machinery and Equipment Installation License No. 622 Osaka Labour Bureau Safety License No. 15-1, 15-2, 15-3 Ishikawa Labour Bureau License No. 9 Registered Architect Office, Tokyo Governor Registration No. 36482 |
| Memberships | Japan Elevator Association Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kansai Association of Corporate Executives Kansai Economic Federation Japan Business Federation |
| Directors | Tomoya Kumagai, President |
| Major customers | Government agencies, construction or welfare related contractors and others |
| Head Office | Osaka Headquarters 1-12-20 Kyomachibori, Nishi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 550-0003 tel. 06-6445-6700 fax. 06-6445-6780 |
| Branches |
Tokyo Branch Hon-ikeda Bldg., 3-35-9 Higashi-Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0015 tel. 03-3839-1500 fax. 03-3839-1611 Tohoku Branch 1-18 Rokuchonome Nishimachi, Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture 984-0011 tel. 022-288-6000 fax. 022-288-0800 Kyushu Branch 1-8-18 Otemon, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture 810-0074 tel. 092-739-7760 fax. 092-739-7761 +38 sales offices |
| Plant | Ishikawa Plant 5-26 Kokufudai, Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture 923-0061 tel. 0761-47-4778 fax. 0761-47-4544 |
| Facility | R&D, Technical Center 7-2-6 Saito Asagi, Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture 567-0085 |
Corporate history
| 1930s | Gentaro Kumagai founds a company to pursue his development of dumbwaiters. |
| 1956 | The company's postwar business is restarted. |
| 1965 | Kumalift Co., Ltd. is established in Osaka to manufacture elevators. |
| 1975 | Capital is increased to JPY37.5 million. Kumalift Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd. |
| 1979 | Technical tie-up with Thyssen De Reus of the Netherlands. |
| 1980 | Capital is increased to JPY 80 million. Kumalift develops the world's first electronic control circuit for dumbwaiters. The company's headquarters function is transferred to its Osaka Plant (Settsu City). |
| 1982 | Electronic control circuits for dumbwaiters are replaced by microprocessor controllers in all models. |
| 1984 | A synthesized voice function is developed for a "talking dumbwaiter." Kumalift stays ahead of the times with the launch of small elevators, with a standard model for three-story, three-generation residences. |
| 1985 | Capital is increased to JPY100 million. New products, such as a fully automated transport mechanism combining dumbwaiter and conveyer features, are developed. |
| 1986 | Kumalift's installed elevators pass the 2,000-unit mark. |
| 1989 | In line with Ministry of Construction policy, Kumalift develops its Aisance elevator for private residences. The Tokyo Headquarters is established to facilitate business expansion. |
| 1990 | Kumalift's Operations Division is transferred from the Osaka Plant to the Osaka Headquarters in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. |
| 1992 | Kumalift's residential elevators are certified as superior housing components (BL Label) by the Center for Better Living. |
| 1994 | Phase One of the Ishikawa Plant is completed. |
| 1996 | Kumalift's residential elevators receive ISO 9002 certification and BL Label certification as superior housing components. |
| 1997 | Kumalift's Administrative Division is transferred from the Osaka Plant to Nishi-ku, Osaka as the Osaka Headquarters function. |
| 1998 | Kumalift's elevators and welfare facility lifts receive ISO 9002 certification. Launch of Jiyuuseikatsu straight rail seated stairlift. |
| 1999 | All Kumalift products (excluding OEM products) receive ISO 9001 certification. Launch of Jiyuuseikatsu outside curved-rail seated stairlift. |
| 2001 | Launch of Jiyuuseikatsu inside curved-rail seated stairlift. |
| 2002 | Launch of Jiyuuseikatsu outdoor seated stairlift. |
| 2003 | Phase Two of the Ishikawa Plant is completed. Launch of Jiyuuseikatsu narrow gauge straight-rail seated stairlift. |
| 2005 | Launch of a new Kumapet unit-type dumbwaiter with optional automatic cart door and curved-corner cart floor. |
| 2006 | House of Happiness is completed in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture. Kumalift develops a freight elevator that does not require a machinery compartment. Kumalift Corporation is established. |
| 2008 | Launch of a next-generation dumbwaiter with revised design and easy-operation features. |
| 2009 | Launch of Jiyuuseikatsu seated stairlift with an even more compact, minimum-gauge rail (improved curved-rail type) and the world's first lift up/down feature. |
| 2013 | Launch of Jiyuuseikatsu seated stairlift for installation on outdoor curved stairways (outdoor curved rail). R&D and Technical Centers are established at Saito, Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture. Kumalift Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd. is transferred to R&D Center. |
| 2014 | Kumalift Co., Ltd. and Kumalift Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd. merge. Kumalift Co., Ltd. and Kumalift Corporation merge. |
| 2015 | It became a member company of a group of SECOM Co., Ltd. |
| 2017 | Merger of Kumalift Co., Ltd. and Kumagai Industry Co., Ltd. |