| 1920-12-28 |
Takaharu Kitano founded Kitano Shokai, the predecessor of Stanley Electric. It was located in Shiba-ku, Tokyo City (now Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo). He started a private shop dealing with special bulbs centered on automotive bulbs. |
| 1921 |
Started manufacturing and selling special bulbs centered on automotive bulbs. |
| 1923-09 |
Suffered damage from the Great Kanto Earthquake. In December of the same year, a building that served as both office and workshop was constructed, and the company name was changed to "Tokyo Kitano Shokai" to signify a fresh start. Sales continued to grow after the disaster, establishing a top position in the industry with automotive bulbs. |
| 1929-12 |
Released Japan's first permanent contact-spec special bulb. Sold bulbs in sets of eight for Christmas trees, with a design that allowed the remaining bulbs to stay lit even if one bulb failed. |
| 1932-05 |
Established a new factory in Meguro. |
| 1933 |
Released the small pocket flashlight "Baby Light" based on bean bulbs. |
| 1933-05-05 |
Changed the company name to Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. |
| 1934 |
Established a new Osaka branch office. |
| 1935 |
Started manufacturing porcelain resistors. |
| 1938-11 |
Moved the headquarters and sales office to the factory location (Nakameguro). |
| 1940 |
Successfully developed high-performance selenium rectifiers. |
| 1945-04-15 |
All of the headquarters, factory, and warehouse in Nakameguro were destroyed in the Tokyo air raid. |
| 1946 |
Held a relaunch ceremony at Harukaze Dormitory and began the path toward reconstruction. |
| 1947 |
Resumed bulb production. |
| 1949-11 |
Returned the company name to Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. |
| 1956 |
Commenced expansion into the optoelectronics field. |
| 1957 |
Built the foundation for growth with the "Metal Back Shield Beam". |
| 1958 |
Supported the boom of built-in exposure meters. |
| 1959 |
In 1959, jointly developed an automatic exposure meter that automatically adjusts the aperture, installed in the Yasika 8EE. It attracted significant attention as the industry's first EE (Electric Eye) mechanism and led the 'EE boom'. |
| 1960 |
Established a new Hamamatsu factory. |
| 1960-03 |
In March, a new Hamamatsu factory was established. Initially, it assembled and inspected bulbs and lamps for motorcycles, and later expanded with a steel-framed single-story factory in the second phase. It established a comprehensive system from pressing to plating and assembly. |
| 1960-12 |
In December, a new comprehensive main factory was built in Hadano City, with the first phase completed as Building No. 1 (electrical equipment factory). It was equipped with modern facilities including partitionable structures, daylighting, corridors, and green belts. In 1961, the second phase was completed with Building No. 2, and the semiconductor and equipment divisions began operations. |
| 1961 |
Established the Hino factory. |
| 1962 |
Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. |
| 1967 |
Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. |
| 1967 |
Established Stanley Iwaki Factory Co., Ltd. as a related company. |
| 1968 |
Established Stanley Iwaki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. as a related company. |
| 1968-07 |
In July, established Taiwan Stanley Electric Co., Ltd., marking the company's first overseas expansion. |
| 1968-07 |
Established Taiwan Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. in Taiwan as the first overseas expansion. |
| 1969 |
Started research in 1967 and succeeded in mass production in 1969. Ultra-small bulbs with diameters of 1.5 to 3 mm were utilized in a wide range of fields including computers and medical devices. |
| 1969-12-08 |
On December 8, established a Technical Research Institute in Yokohama City. Started improving the quality of existing products and challenging new fields. |
| 1969-12-08 |
Established a technology research institute in Yokohama City. |
| 1970 |
Established new manufacturing plants at four locations—Niigata, Miyagi, Tsuruoka, and Ina—as subsidiaries. |
| 1970 |
In 1970, launched the first domestic square-shaped halogen fog lamp, pioneering a new field of automotive lighting. |
| 1970 |
Successfully mass-produced ultra-compact light bulbs. |
| 1970 |
Established subsidiary factories in Niigata, Miyagi, Tsurugaoka, and Ina. |
| 1972 |
Released the super halogen fog lamp in 1972. |
| 1972 |
Released Japan's first square-shaped halogen fog lamp. |
| 1973 |
In August 1967, launched an infrared "yagura kotatsu" using our infrared lamps. Production of the infrared lamps reached one million units annually by fiscal 1972, with about 80% supplied to major home appliance manufacturers. |
| 1973 |
Opened a Hiroshima factory in Higashihiroshima City to manufacture automotive lighting products. |
| 1973 |
Established the Hiroshima factory. |
| 1973-12 |
Commenced production of all-glass shield beams. |
| 1975 |
Started production of all-glass shield beams at the Hatano plant in December 1975. By 1974, a full-scale mass production system was established, and major manufacturers such as Honda and Mitsubishi adopted the product. |
| 1975-06-23 |
Established the Foundation 'Kitano Lifelong Education Promotion Association'. |
| 1976 |
On June 23, 1976, Chairman Kitanoharu, aiming to promote lifelong education, established the Foundation "Kitanoharu Lifelong Education Promotion Association." |
| 1976 |
Established continuous manufacturing technology for high-brightness red LEDs and began mass production. |
| 1977 |
In 1977, established continuous manufacturing technology for high-brightness red LEDs and began mass production. |
| 1977 |
Developed high-brightness pure green LEDs. |
| 1978-03 |
The mass-produced square-shaped 4-lamp all-glass shield beam was adopted by Mitsubishi Motors' 'Garan L Eterna'. |
| 1979 |
In October 1979, commercialized the square-shaped four-lamp all-glass shield beam, which was adopted by Mitsubishi Motors in March. |
| 1979-10 |
Successfully commercialized the square-shaped 4-lamp all-glass shield beam. |
| 1980 |
Established Stanley Electric U.S. Co., Inc. as a manufacturing base in the United States in 1980. |
| 1980 |
Established 'Stanley Electric U.S. Co., Inc.' in the United States. |
| 1981 |
Hosted the first "Stanley RediS Pro Golf Tournament" in 1981. |
| 1981 |
Established the Okazaki factory. |
| 1981 |
A gyro sensor was incorporated into Honda's 'Electro Gyro-Keater'. |
| 1981-05 |
Developed the world's first color LCD display method 'GH two-layer type' and began mass production. |
| 1984 |
Initiated the promotion of LED high-mount stop lamps in the United States. |
| 1985 |
Pioneered the world's first HID (discharge lamp) headlamp with domestically produced adoption. |
| 1986 |
Established the Utsunomiya Technology Center. |
| 1986 |
Established "Stanley Electric Sales of America, Inc." in the United States. |
| 1986 |
Established "Stanley Electric GmbH" in Germany. |
| 1987 |
Established "Stanley Electric Korea Co., Ltd." in South Korea. |
| 1987-09 |
A large-scale fire occurred at Hadano Manufacturing Plant, completely destroying the factory. |
| 1989-12 |
Completed the new Building No. 2 at Hadano Manufacturing Plant. |
| 1991-08 |
Established the Yokohama Technology Center. |
| 1993 |
Established "Hong Kong Stanley Electric Co., Ltd." in Hong Kong. |
| 1993 |
Launched the high-efficiency bulb "RAYBRIG Hyper-Halogen" close to sunlight. |
| 1994 |
Established the Yamagata Factory. |
| 1995 |
Established "Tianjin Stanley Electric Co., Ltd." in China. |
| 1996 |
Commercialized Japan's first HID (discharge lamp) headlamp. |
| 1996 |
Intensified motorsport support activities and promoted the "RAYBRIG" brand. |
| 1998 |
Established "Stanley Electric Sales of America, Inc." in the United States. |
| 2000-04 |
Formulated "Stanley Group Vision". |
| 2001 |
Established "Stanley Electric (U.K.) Co., Ltd." in the United Kingdom. |
| 2001 |
Established "Suzhou Stanley Electric Co., Ltd." in China. |
| 2001 |
Established "PT. Indonesia Stanley Electric" in Indonesia. |
| 2002 |
Adopted the world's first 7-eye Gatling headlamp in NISSAN "Cima". |
| 2004 |
Established a new Hamamatsu factory. |
| 2004 |
Developed the world's first xenon strobe for mobile phones. |
| 2005 |
Established Stanley Electric Korea Co., Ltd. in South Korea. |
| 2007-07 |
Established the Opto Technical Center. |
| 2008 |
Adopted our first LED headlamp in Mitsubishi i-MiEV. |
| 2009 |
Established Stanley Electric do Brasil Ltda. in Brazil. |
| 2009 |
Signed a technology and equipment acquisition agreement for deep UV LEDs and made HexaTech, Inc. a subsidiary. |
| 2011 |
Established the world's longest indoor test facility, the Light Tunnel Building. |
| 2012-12 |
Completed the new headquarters building. |
| 2013 |
Released the high-contrast LCD, S-PBTLCD, for liquid crystal displays. |
| 2014 |
Developed an LED headlamp for motorcycles, adopted by Kawasaki Z1000. |
| 2015 |
Established Tianjin Stanley Electric Technology Co., Ltd. as a manufacturing base in China. |
| 2015 |
Established Stanley Electric Manufacturing Mexico S.A. de C.V. in Mexico. |
| 2015 |
Established Tianjin Stanley Electric Technology Co., Ltd. in China. |
| 2016 |
The adaptive lighting headlamp ("Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB)") detects surroundings with an onboard camera and provides high-beam-level visibility without dazzling oncoming or preceding vehicles. It was first adopted in the MAZDA CX-5. |
| 2016 |
Adopted the adjustable beam headlamp (ADB) in Mazda CX-5. |
| 2017-01 |
Enhanced deep UV LED technology and launched disinfection solutions. |
| 2017-01 |
Verified the disinfection effect against COVID-19 in collaboration with Yamaguchi University. |
| 2017-12 |
In December, illuminated Niagara Falls with 1,400 ultra-narrow-angle LED spotlights. Achieving a maximum distance of 600 meters, it delivered highly accurate illumination that suppressed light scattering even under harsh low-temperature and high-humidity conditions, earning the prestigious IES Illumination Awards in the lighting field in 2017. |
| 2018 |
Developed the world's first field-of-view switching backlight. |
| 2019 |
Developed the "Privacy Back Light" for the first time worldwide, using two light guides and LEDs positioned on either side to alter light propagation according to the PC's privacy mode on or off. Overcame manufacturing precision and weight challenges, and it was incorporated into HP's EliteBook series. |
| 2019 |
Established a design technology building adjacent to the Light Tunnel Building. |
| 2020 |
Established Stanley Electric Philippines, Inc. as a manufacturing base in the Philippines. |
| 2020-04 |
Completed the new headquarters building, Nakameguro HQ. |
| 2020-04 |
Established a new indoor testing facility, the Light Tunnel Building. |
| 2020-12-28 |
Reached its 100th anniversary on December 29. |
| 2020-12-28 |
Celebrated the company's 100th anniversary. |
| 2021 |
In January 2017, signed a technology and equipment acquisition agreement with Tokuyama Corporation for deep-ultraviolet LEDs. In March 2019, acquired HexaTech, Inc., a world-leading company in large-diameter, defect-free aluminum nitride crystals, making it possible to produce everything from semiconductor substrates to LED packages within the group. In May of the same year, achieved world-leading output at a wavelength of 265 nm. Joint testing with Yamaguchi University confirmed effectiveness against SARS‑CoV‑2, enabling support for customer‑driven sterilization solutions. |
| 2021 |
Acquired deep UV LED technology and equipment, and launched a disinfection solution. |
| 2021 |
Launched the ultraviolet product brand 'AℓNUV'. |
| 2024 |
Focused on the sterilization effect of deep-ultraviolet light sources, launched the deep‑UV product brand "AℓNUV" to propose various surface, air, and water sterilization solutions. AℓNUV features high‑efficiency 265 nm LEDs and 254 nm cold‑cathode UV lamps, expands wavelength variations, and visualizes the modularized and systemized technologies of these light sources through the brand to differentiate itself. The brand name combines AlN (aluminum nitride substrate) and UV (ultraviolet). |
| 2024 |
Established Stanley-Angstrom Electric da Amazonia Ltda. as a manufacturing base in Brazil. |
| 2024 |
Established 'Thai Stanley Electric Public Co., Ltd.' as a manufacturing base in Thailand. |
| 2024 |
Established 'Stanley-Angstrom Electric da Amazonia Ltda.' in Brazil. |
| 2024 |
Developed matrix LED ADB headlamps for motorcycles. |
| 2026 |
Developed the world's first headlamp equipped with an Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) for a motorcycle. This product not only automatically adjusts the illumination area to avoid dazzling oncoming and preceding vehicles, but also changes the light distribution pattern according to the vehicle's tilt during cornering, achieving high visibility during turns. It was adopted by YAMAHA's TRACER 9 GT, significantly contributing to improved nighttime safety for motorcycles. |
| 2026 |
Adopted matrix LED ADB headlamps for motorcycles on Yamaha 'TRACER 9 GT'. |
| 2026 |
Established a joint venture, 'Stanley Mobility Electric Co., Ltd.', with Mitsubishi Electric Mobility. |
