In 1972, THK became the first company in the world to develop a method of linear motion with rolling contact, and began manufacturing and selling the commercialized result: Linear Motion (LM) Guides.

• The Pioneer of LM Guide

In 1977, THK's Kofu Plant -- the first full-scale LM Guide production plant -- was established. This was THK's first step in expanding production facilities.

Believing that "good technologies can be transferred across borders, and so can the satisfaction of the efficient manufacturing these technologies bring," we decided to expand our overseas business. The 1981 founding of THK America Inc. in the United States and the founding of THK Europe in Germany the following year formed the basis of our international sales network's expansion.

To meet increased market demands, we established the Gifu Plant in Japan in 1984. And, we established the Mie Plant and the Yamaguchi Plant in Japan in 1985 for further enhancement of our manufacturing capacity

In 1996, THK developed "Caged Ball LM Guides", which offer significantly increased performance over conventional products. As human- and environment friendly products, Caged Ball LM Guides have the following outstanding features:

• Long service life with infrequent need for maintenance
• Low noise emission and acceptable acoustics
• Ultra-high-speed operation
• Low dust emission
• Very smooth operation

To meet increased demands from global markets, we established THK Manufacturing of America in the United States and, in 2000, THK Manufacturing of Europe in France. We have expanded globalization of the manufacturing system to quickly respond to local needs.

• Manufacturing bases

To meet the demands of the rapidly growing Chinese market, we established THK Shanghai Co., Ltd. as a sales base in 2003. In 2005, we established THK Manufacturing of China (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. and THK Manufacturing of China (Liaoning) Co., Ltd. as manufacturing bases. We now have manufacturing and sales bases in a tetra-lateral system: Japan, Europe, Americas and Asia.

• Sales and Logistics bases