A Brief History of Kawasaki’s Hydraulic Business
1916 – Work began on Hele-shaw type radial piston pumps at the marine machinery works (now Kobe Works), formerly Kawasaki Dockyard.
1936 – Began producing and selling screw pumps.
1962 – Began producing and selling bent axis type piston pumps and motors.
1963 – Began producing and selling low speed, high torque, radial piston motors.
1964 – Began producing and selling hydraulic control valves.
1968 – The Hydraulic Machinery Division was created and moved to Nishi Kobe Works. Developed swash plate type piston pumps and motors.
1979 – Developed the L series bent axis type piston pumps and motors. Developed the NV series swash plate type piston pumps and motors.
1982 – Developed the MX/MB piston type medium-speed motors.
1983 – Began producing and selling the LVP series bent-axis type piston pumps and motors for open circuits.
1984 – Began sales of the DNB series two-speed motors with integral reduction gear for travel function of construction machinery.
1987 – Renamed the division to Kawasaki Precision Machinery. Developed the M2X series mid-speed axial piston motors. Developed the K3V series swash plate type axial piston pumps.
1992 – Developed the K3VG series swash plate type axial piston pump for general industrial machinery.
1994 – Established Kawasaki Precision Machinery (U.S.A.), Inc., in Grand Rapids, MI, as a sales base in the United States.
Established Kawasaki Precision Machinery (UK) Ltd. and commenced production of Staffa Motors in the UK.
2000 – Developed the K3VL series swash plate type axial piston pump with SAE mountings, shafts, and ports.
2006 – KPM established a production facility in China.
2009 – Kawasaki Precision Machinery (U.S.A.), Inc. attains ISO 9001 certification.
2011 – Kawasaki Precision Machinery (U.S.A.) relocates to new expanded facility supporting it’s customer base in North and Latin America.
2016 – Began producing and selling the K3VLS series axial piston pump, the K8V series closed-loop variable displacement type axial piston pump, and the M7V swash plate type axial piston motor.