At your side. Ever since it started as a small business repairing sewing machines in 1908, Brother Group has stuck firmly to that ethos. By looking out for its customers, employees, society and the environment, the Japanese company has steadily grown and is now a dominant player in the small office/home office market. While still producing sewing machines, Brother has also expanded into business machines and office equipment, of which the company’s multi-function, all-in-one printers have emerged as very popular around the world.
One of the first five Japanese companies to have entered the U.S. market, Brother has grown immensely over the past 60 years. When Tadashi Ishiguro joined Brother Japan in 1984 and transferred to the U.S. in 1987, Brother’s U.S. operations were reporting around $200 million in revenue.
Under his watch, operations in the Americas now employ more than 1,200 people and generate $2 billion, which represents over 30 percent of the company’s global revenue. Yet, Ishiguro has not lost sight of Brother’s wider significance as a corporate citizen.
“We were adopted and accepted by this society. So, we take pride in paying society back,” stressed the company president, who spreads the same message to his employees.
For Ishiguro, the winning formula of product diversification, globalization and balance sustained Brother over the years. “Brother is a unique company. This is the Brother way,” he said.
- Originally prepared by Global Media for The Japan Times Special Report on the East Coast 2014 (Credit: Elizabeth Arcega)
