After fulfilling his long-cherished ambition of exporting made-in-Japan sewing machines in 1947, Masayoshi Yasui visited the United States to assess the sewing machine market in 1950. The trip led him to make a decision to diversify Brother's business. After that, the company developed knitting machines, a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner, an electric fan, and so forth, by utilizing its technologies, such as the motor development technology which it had cultivated through manufacturing of sewing machines. Around the same time, Brother launched the development of a portable typewriter. By researching typeset manufacturing and applying the press technology gained through the development of sewing machines and knitting machines, Brother actualized commercialization of the typewriter. This style to predict the changes of the times and tackle the world market applying its own core technologies has been still affecting manufacturing in Brother.
Chronology
| 1947 |
200 units of the HA1 domestic straight-stitching sewing machines exported to Shanghai.
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|---|---|
| 1950 | Masayoshi Yasui set off on a 50-day trip to the USA. |
| 1954 | Production of the professional knitting machine KT1-B1 began. |
| 1954 |
Production of home electrical appliances began with the first Brother model, centrifugal-type washing machine.
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| 1954 | Production of domestic knitting machines KH1-B1 began. |
| 1955 | Production of electric fans began. |
| 1957 | Production of refrigerators began. |
| 1957 | Darling, the 80cc motorbike, launched in Japan. |
| 1961 |
Shipment of alphabetical portable typewriter JP1-111 samples to the USA.
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| 1962 | NIPPON SEWING MACHINE MANUFACTURING CO. renamed the company as BROTHER INDUSTRIES, LTD. |
