Masao Horiba

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Masao Horiba (2006)

Masao Horiba ( Japanese 堀 場 雅夫 , Horiba Masao ; born December 1, 1924 in Kyōto , Japan ; † July 14, 2015 ) was a Japanese inventor and businessman. In 1945 he founded the Horiba Radio Research Institute ( 堀 場 無線 研究所 , Horiba Musen Kenkyūsho ). This resulted in Horiba Seisakusho in 1953 , a global manufacturer of measuring devices and systems for the areas of automotive test systems, process and environmental technology, medical diagnostics and semiconductor manufacturing.

childhood and education

Masao Horiba was born on December 1, 1924, the son of chemistry professor Shinkichi Horiba in Shimogyō-ku , a district of Kyoto, Japan. As a child in the 1920s and 1930s, Horiba suffered from rheumatoid arthritis , which is why he listened to a lot of music and built models and radio receivers. While accompanying his father on visits to his former university students, Masao Horiba got to know the inner workings of various Japanese chemical factories and laboratories. After he had to finish high school earlier than planned due to the war, he studied nuclear physics at the renowned Kyoto Imperial University .

Company formation

After graduating in physics, he began to develop a radar system at the military research center, which, however, was not yet completed at the end of the war and was therefore never tested in a combat situation. After the occupation of Japan by the United States in 1945, Horiba founded his own research laboratory, which he called the Horiba Radio Laboratory. The laboratory mainly specialized in the development of emergency lighting lamps and high-quality capacitors . These products were in high demand in post-war Japan due to the unreliable power supply. During the Korean War in the early 1950s, the laboratory developed pH meters that were cheaper and more reliable compared to the otherwise mostly imported competing products. Horiba saw great potential for his product in the Japanese food and chemical industries. He mainly sold the pH meters to fertilizer factories, which used them to monitor the pH values in the production of the ammonium sulfate used for growing rice . In 1953, the conversion was carried out for limited company under the name of HORIBA, Ltd. .

Rise of the company

The renamed company specialized in the development of instruments for infrared spectroscopy and produced infrared gas analysis devices from 1958. In response to a request from the Japanese government, HORIBA began developing a device for analyzing car exhaust gases, which became the worldwide standard for emissions tests under the name MEXA-1 from 1964. Masao Horiba assumed the post of CEO in 1978 , having previously headed the company as President for 25 years.

Activity as an author and lecturer

As a consultant to the Advanced Software Technology and Mechatronics Research Institute of Kyoto, one of the largest incubators for start-ups in Japan, Masao Horiba supported entrepreneurs through venture capital investments. He was also active as a representative of various organizations that are active in the field of economic development in Japan . He has also written books and lectured on business and management topics. In his books, he argued that work should be meaningful and fulfilling, and that employers should encourage employees to be creative and take risks.

Awards

In 1982 Masao Horiba was awarded the Japanese Government Medal of Honor . The award recognizes the particular merits of individuals for the common good. In recognition of his entrepreneurship and outstanding contribution to laboratory instruments, Masao Horiba received the 2006 Pittcon Heritage Award from the Chemical Heritage Foundation . The Masao Horiba Award, launched in 2003 on the occasion of the company's 50th anniversary, is given by HORIBA to young scientists outside the company who are engaged in the research and development of innovative technologies in the field of analysis.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Notice for a Death: Dr. Masao Horiba, Founder and Supreme Counsel of HORIBA, Ltd. - HORIBA. In: www.horiba.com. Retrieved May 11, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Masao Horiba. (No longer available online.) Chemical Heritage Foundation , archived from the original on June 16, 2016 ; accessed on May 11, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chemheritage.org
  3. ^ A b Strategic Role of Contemporary Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs "Library. In: www.kwansei-ac.jp. Accessed May 11, 2016 .
  4. ↑ "Speech In Honoring the Masao Horiba Award Winners". Retrieved May 11, 2016 .
  5. ^ A b c Past Winners of the Pittcon Heritage Award. (No longer available online.) Chemical Heritage Foundation, archived from the original on December 4, 2014 ; accessed on May 11, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chemheritage.org
  6. ^ Masao Horiba (Oral History). Chemical Heritage Foundation, accessed May 11, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Horiba, Masao
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 堀 場 雅夫 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese inventor and businessman
DATE OF BIRTH December 1, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Kyoto , Japan
DATE OF DEATH July 14, 2015