Founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1946, Hunter Engineering develops automotive service equipment and exports its products to more than 130 countries around the world. The company has earned several awards from the U.S. Department of Commerce over many years.
Hunter’s exclusive partnership with Japan-based Iyasaka Ltd. now spans three generations. That long-running relationship began in 1962, when Iyasaka founder Akigoro Kawaru visited a trade show in the United States and was instantly impressed with the quality and innovation possessed by Hunter Engineering’s products. Kawaru soon contacted company founder Lee Hunter to distribute its products.
Right away, Iyasaka sold a record 3,000 units of the HUNTER® Tune-In Wheel Balancer to Japanese customers. Later, Iyasaka ordered more of Hunter’s products, such as wheel alignment systems, vehicle inspection systems, tire changers, vehicle lifts and brake lathes.
“Iyasaka Ltd. is among our most professional business partners. It has an engineering mind set and always pays great attention to detail. In Japan, Iyasaka’s longstanding relationships with automakers, new vehicle dealerships and premier workshops are unmatched,” Hunter Engineering President Beau Brauer said.
Established in 1944, Iyasaka is Japan’s leading distributor of specialized automotive inspection and maintenance systems. It has seven branches across the country and employs more than 250 people.For his part, Iyasaka Head of International Purchasing Michitada Nagatsuma said: “The partnership with Hunter Engineering is a strong one largely because of the first-class, quality products it develops. Our sales staff’s main focus is on selling HUNTER® products, and our sales continue to grow year over year.”
For his industry-changing innovation, Lee Hunter, Jr. was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1992, joining the ranks of Soichiro Honda, Eiji Toyoda, Yutaka Katayama, Shojiro Ishibashi and other automotive industry pioneers.
