38Relocation to Kichijoji and Development of Control DevicesAs the number of employees increased to 300, the Shibuya factory became crowded, but there was no room to expand at this location. So, considering the need for a clean environment and accessibility, Yokogawa decided to move to Kichijoji and build a new factory there. This western suburb of Tokyo is where Yokogawa is currently headquartered. In the spring of 1930, a new two-story white factory building made of reinforced concrete was completed.The new factory building had ve laboratories (each of which was named after its manager), a design oce, and manufacturing oors. Each laboratory conducted highly independent R&D of the type often seen in universities. These laboratories developed, for example, switchboard meters that could withstand rough long-distance transportation and graphic meters that could continuously record values for electric current, voltage, and power on band-like recording paper, a Japan rst.In 1932, Yokogawa started to develop gas analyzers and other industrial instruments, and in the following year, began working in automatic ow, temperature, and pressure controllers. Receiving patents for high-frequency power meters, pneumatic automatic equalizers, and other instruments in 1937, Yokogawa laid the foundation for entering the control business. These developments reected the rise of the electrochemical industry in the 1930s, which increased demand for electricity and revitalized power resource development. This supplied added momentum for electricity-related companies like Yokogawa.Development of Aircraft Instruments and Wartime OperationsYokogawa entered the aircraft instrument eld in the early 1930s. In 1930, Shin Aoki toured Europe and realized the potential of the aircraft instruments business. In 1933 Yokogawa started R&D of magnetos, spark plugs, tachometers, and other components for aviation use. In the same year, expansion of the Kichijoji factory started. The functions of the Shibuya factory were relocated to Kichijoji, and the headquarters function followed in 1935. Another tour of Western countries was made in 1936, and the development of aircraft instruments gathered speed.In May 1937, Yokogawa built the Koganei factory to mass-produce spark plugs and magnetos for aircraft. In July of the same year, however, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out and the economy was placed under tight control. As a result, the Koganei factory was designated by the army and the navy to supply products to them. The factory continued expanding, tripling both in oor space and number of employees, and production increasing more than seven-fold by 1941. Then, the Kichijoji factory was also ordered to mass-produce these two products. Both the Kichijoji and Koganei factories came under military control immediately before the outbreak of World War II, and Yokogawa could no longer run both factories as it liked.In March 1938, Ichiro Yokogawa became the rst president (a new position) and Shin Aoki became executive vice president. However, Ichiro died in June and Aoki in July, a huge loss to Yokogawa amid intensifying economic control. The Kichijoji factory in the 1930sThe Tomota laboratoryAerial photo of the Kichijoji factoryWorkshop at the Kichijoji factoryHigh-accuracy resistorYokogawa’s History —— Chapter 1Test of pivots at the Kichijoji factoryIndicator for the navy
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