> Top Page > KYB Brand > What's KYB? > Working on cars

In November 1946, an year after the end of Pacific War, KYB received an order from 20 prototype shock absorbers. Since then, history of KYB's SA has begun.

	Shock absorber Tester(1948) In August 1946, Mr. William R Gorham and his wife who were requisitioned their house by the US Armed Forces in Japan moved to second floor of President Kayaba's temporary house. Mr. Gorham who was a designer of aircraft and car and President Kayaba hit it off well together. They spent a lot of times to talk over about technologies together. Then they found the leg shock absorbing mechanism of the "zero" fighter planes, the most powerful fighter planes scared by the Allied Forces in World War 2, can be applicable to SA for car. *(KYB manufactured the leg of "Zero" fighter plane called "OLEO", during the war.) In November 1946, KYB was requested to manufacture the trial products of SA by Nissan heavy industries, Ltd. (the present: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.) Mr. Gorham was an executive director of that company. It was the moment that technology of the OLEO was inherited to KYB Shock Absorbers.

Shock absorber Tester(1948)
In August 1946, Mr. William R Gorham and his wife who were requisitioned their house by the US Armed Forces in Japan moved to second floor of President Kayaba's temporary house. Mr. Gorham who was a designer of aircraft and car and President Kayaba hit it off well together.

They spent a lot of times to talk over about technologies together. Then they found the leg shock absorbing mechanism of the "zero" fighter planes, the most powerful fighter planes scared by the Allied Forces in World War 2, can be applicable to SA for car. *(KYB manufactured the leg of "Zero" fighter plane called "OLEO", during the war.) In November 1946, KYB was requested to manufacture the trial products of SA by Nissan heavy industries, Ltd. (the present: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)

Mr. Gorham was an executive director of that company. It was the moment that technology of the OLEO was inherited to KYB Shock Absorbers.

Almost the same time, the Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (the present: Toyota Motor Corporation) sounded out on joint development an air spring SA with KYB. Since then, KYB has started to develop SA and organized its production systems. In 1955, our SA grew up to have a 75% market share in Japanese car.
Only 20 trial shock-absorbing products made our huge success. Nowadays, KYB group manufactures 68 million pieces of SA a year (2004) and being proud of the world biggest production.

SA History
The world first SA was developed by Monroe Auto Equipment Company in 1926. It was called "Shock Eliminator". It was a lever shaped at first, and around 1929, cylinder type was invented.


KYB's OLEO Over 30 years after the end of the war, "OLEO" was discovered from the bottom of the sea. It's exhibited in the KYB Museum now.	Lever Shock Absorber Lever type SA was a major type for truck (1949).	C30 Shock Absorber SA Type C-30 (1948) for Jeep (KYB supplied 4,000 SA to US Armed Forces in Japan in 1948)