Corporate History

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.

Our company’s vision in the future

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.