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Brother Industries Ltd

1-1-1, Kawagishi, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi


(Information courtesy of Brother Industries, Guide Bridge, UK)

The origins of Brother Industries date back to 1908 when the Yasui Sewing Machine Company was established for parts production and sewing machines repairs.

In 1925 the name of the company was changed to Yasui Brothers Sewing Machine Company in recognition of the role of Masayoshi Yasui and his brother Jitsuichi Yasui as managers of the company.

Production of the first Brother industrial sewing machine began in 1928 and the first domestic prototype model being made in 1932.

With the incorporation of the company in Nagoya, on 15th January 1934, full production of Brother sewing machines began.

In 1954 twenty years later, the company began production of knitting machines and with exports of Brother products growing rapidly, Brother International Corporation (Japan) was established to handle overseas sales.

At the same time Brother International Corporation (US) was set up in New York with responsibility for the sale of Brother products in the United States.

Entry into the business machine market began in 1961, when the first Brother typewriter was produced.

It was obvious that for the continued growth of the group as a whole, some means would have to be found of entering into the massive European market.


To this end a decision was taken in 1958 to set up a sewing machine production plant in Dublin, Ireland.

At that time Jones Sewing Machine Company was second only to Singer in terms of manufacturing and sales within the UK and they seemed an ideal stepping stone for further penetration of the European market.

This of course prompted the decision to acquire the company for the marketing of Brother sewing machines, and the Jones + Brother Company was set up in 1968.


© Alan Quinn 2003

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