History

  • November  1964
    Hibino Electro Sound Inc. was established at 2-7-5 Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo with a capital of ¥800 thousand by incorporating Hibino Electric, a formerly sole proprietorship founded in June 1956. Started design, sales and repair of professional audio equipment.
  • April  1971
    Started operation business of lending, installing, and operating audio equipment for concerts.
  • September  1976
    Moved headquarters to 4-6-8 Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo.
  • July  1983
    Opened Osaka Office.
  • November  1983
    Moved headquarters to 5-10-2 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
  • May  1984
    Started full-scale video service business.
  • April  1985
    Started operation business of lending, installing, and operating large video equipment.
  • November  1987
    Started installation business for audio, video and computer systems.
  • June  1988
    Company name changed to Hibino Corporation and headquarters moved to 3-5-14 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
  • April  1989
    Opened Fukuoka Office.
  • May  1989
    Started system design, sales, and maintenance of permanent video and audio equipment for corporate showrooms and exhibition facilities.
  • June  1990
    Obtained Tokyo Governor's Permit (General 2) No. 83271 for construction business (telecommunications construction business).
  • October  1991
    Opened Sapporo Office.
  • February  1995
    Made a capital participation in Chromatek Inc., a manufacturer of video peripheral equipment, and started development assistance and sales of its products. The company changed its name to Hibino Chromatek Inc. in August 2001.
  • April  1995
    Opened Nagoya Office.
  • June  2000
    Established Hibino.com, Inc. and entered the video and audio distribution service via the internet. Carried out an absorption merger of the company in July 2004.
  • November  2002
    Integrated the business of Hibino Chromatek Inc. and started development, manufacturing and sales of video equipment.
  • March  2003
    Obtained ISO 9001:2000 quality management standard.
  • February  2006
    Listed our stock on the JASDAQ Securities Exchange (currently the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market).
  • August  2006
    Obtained Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Permit (General-18) No. 21843 for general construction business (telecommunications construction business).
  • September  2006
    Made Media Technical Co., Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary. The company changed its name to Hibino Media Technical Corporation in July 2010.
  • April  2007
    Made Item Plus Co., Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary. Carried out an absorption merger of the company in January 2009.
  • April  2007
    Established Hibino Europe Limited, a local subsidiary (wholly owned subsidiary) in the United Kingdom. Liquidated the company in October 2020.
  • August  2007
    Established Hibino Asia Pacific Limited, a local subsidiary (subsidiary) in Hong Kong.
  • December  2007
    Made Heavy Moon, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary. The company changed its name to Hibino Intersound Corporation in January 2009.
  • Mary  2008
    Made Studer Japan-Broadcast Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary. Carried out an absorption merger of the company in October 2019.
  • April  2010
    Established Hibino Asia Pacific (Shanghai) Limited, a subsidiary in Shanghai, China. The company liquidated in December 2023.
  • October  2010
    Made Victor Arcs Co., Ltd. an equity method affiliate. The company changed its name to JVC KENWOOD Arcs Corporation in July 2014.
  • November  2011
    Made Hibino Asia Pacific Limited wholly owned subsidiary.
  • January  2013
    Subsidiary Hibino Media Technical Corporation made Broadcast Equipment Service Co., Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary. Broadcast Equipment Service Co., Ltd. changed its name to Hibino Besco Corporation in April 2014. Carried out an absorption merger of the company in October 2021.
  • June  2013
    Made Eightythree Corporation a wholly owned subsidiary.
  • July  2013
    Made First Engineering Co., Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary. Started sales of commercial lighting equipment, system design, installation, and maintenance services. The company changed its name to Hibino Lighting Inc. in February 2016.
  • March  2014
    Made Covalent Sales Corporation a wholly owned subsidiary. The company changed its name to Hibino Imagineering Corporation in July 2014.
  • November  2014
    Subsidiary Hibino Media Technical Corporation made Medianix Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary. Hibino Media Technical Corporation carried out an absorption merger of Medianix Corporation in April 2016.
  • April  2015
    Made Nittobo Acoustic Engineering Co., Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary. The company changed its name to Nihon Onkyo Engineering Co., Ltd. in July 2015.
  • April  2016
    Made ELECTORI CO.,LTD. a wholly owned subsidiary.
  • December  2016
    Made JVC KENWOOD Arcs Corporation, an equity method affiliate, a subsidiary. The company changed its name to Hibino Arcs Corporation in July 2017. The company changed its name to Hibino Spacetech Corporation in October 2020.
  • May  2017
    Established local subsidiaries (wholly owned subsidiaries) Hibino USA, Inc. and H&X Technologies, Inc. in the United States.
  • January  2018
    Subsidiary Nihon Onkyo Engineering Co., Ltd. established a local subsidiary (subsidiary), NOE Asia Pacific Company Limited, in Thailand.
  • May  2018
    Established Hibino Entertainment Corporation.
  • December  2018
    Made TECHNO HOUSE INC. a wholly owned subsidiary.
  • January  2019
    Made South Korean companies Sama Sound Inc., Sama D&I Co., Ltd. and Sama CDS Inc. subsidiaries.
  • February  2019
    Subsidiary Hibino USA, Inc. made TLS PRODUCTIONS, INC. of the United States a subsidiary.
  • April  2019
    Made NIPPON SHEET GLASS ENVIRONMENT AMENITY CO.,LTD a wholly owned subsidiary. The company changed its name to NIPPON ENVIRONMENT AMENITY CO.,LTD. in June 2019.
  • August  2019
    Subsidiary Nihon Onkyo Engineering Co., Ltd. made SANOH CORPORATION a wholly owned subsidiary.
  • December  2019
    Established Hibino Europe B.V., a local subsidiary (wholly owned subsidiary) in the Netherlands.
  • February  2020
    Made Sigma A&V and Rental Corporation a wholly owned subsidiary.
  • December  2022
    Made Cerevo Inc. a subsidiary.
  • December  2023
    Made NGC Corporation a wholly owned subsidiary.

(Note) Names of organizations are as they were at the relevant time.

Brief history of Hibino

1. Establishment – Founded in 1964 as a business selling audio equipment

A period of growing affluence during the Izanagi Economy (the period of economic growth from 1965 to 1970)

There was a sudden increase in demand for Western music as a symbol of affluence. Live performances were rare, and virtually all audio equipment was foreign-made. The business of selling audio equipment emerged from the idea that people wanted to enjoy sounds that were close to live performance.
From its founding, the Company focused on the sale of sound systems for commercial facilities. The business area steadily expanded to include the installation, sales, and construction of professional sound equipment for concert sound (PA), broadcasters, halls and theaters, and the Company grew to become the industry leader.

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2. Growth - Entered the concert sound (PA) business in 1971

Major change in Japanese culture triggered by the Osaka World Exposition

The Company was the fastest to respond to the importance of sound equipment at concerts and artists' demands for quality sound and sound equipment when there was a surge in large concerts and other events. The Company established the concert sound business, renting out sound equipment for concerts and providing operators to operate the equipment.
The Company's concert sound systems business expanded with the provision of the sound system for “Hakone Aphrodite,” the first major outdoor concert in Japan, for the World Rock Festival, and for other large venues, such as Budokan and the Tokyo Dome, and the Company grew to become the industry leader.

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3. Leap – Full-fledged entry into the image business in 1984

Increased demand for complex productions

The Company introduced the first multi-vision system in Japan for stage use as demand grew for productions that combined sound and images. Attracting large audiences and providing satisfaction were the top priorities in this golden age of events. The Company was an industry pioneer, establishing businesses in the areas of both sound and images.
Full-fledged entry into the image business meant that the Company also expanded into markets other than concerts, such as sports events, including the Olympics, national athletic meets, and motor races, as well as exhibitions and trade shows. Expanding the business with a partial contract structure, from the planning of image systems to consulting operations, the Company grew to become the industry leader.

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4. Fourth pillar – Expansion into development, manufacture and sales for image products in 2002

Technological innovation in the new digital age opens up possibilities for expression through images

Full color rendition using LED became possible with the development of blue LED, and there was increased interest in equipment able to render large, high-definition images.
In 2002, the year following the introduction of terrestrial digital broadcasting in Japan, Hibino established a “craftmanship structure” that utilized the know-how it had gained from the event image business. The Company commenced development, manufacture, and sales of image products. The Company developed high-performance LED processors and high-definition LED display systems from its proprietary digital image processing technology and established the brand Chroma LED.
Hibino's technology was highly regarded not only in Japan but also internationally, which led to the Company's entry into the digital signage market.

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