1933 Opening Up New Possibilities Through Technology

In the early 1930s, as modern industries developed in Japan, there was a growing need to put technologies introduced from overseas into practical use domestically and develop precision equipment with high levels of reliability. In response to calls from healthcare professionals for a way to precisely control X-ray imaging, OMRON’s founder developed a high-precision timer for X-ray photography in 1933, applying the principles of relays. The challenge of identifying society’s needs and addressing them through technology has been passed down to Aratas.

Supporting the Evolution of Industrial Automation

From the postwar period through Japan’s era of rapid economic growth, factory automation advanced alongside the development of the manufacturing industry. Demand grew for highly reliable control components to operate production equipment efficiently and safely. Relay and switch technologies, the origins of Aratas’s business, supported the control of industrial machinery and production equipment, contributing to the advancement of manufacturing in Japan.

Supporting the Advancement of Electronics

In the 1980s and 1990s, advances in electronics technology rapidly drove the miniaturization and enhanced functionality of home appliances, communications equipment, and office automation equipment. The electrification of various types of work also progressed, driven in part by the growing popularity of power tools. As requirements for performance and quality became increasingly stringent, the electronic components supporting these products were also required to offer greater reliability and durability.
Aratas’s trigger switches for power tools, microswitches, and relays met these market needs and found applications in an expanding range of areas, supporting the advancement of electronic equipment and the electrification of various types of work.

Supporting a Sustainable Future

From the 2000s onward, advances in digital technology have transformed the ways people, things, and information are connected with each other, while societal demands for reducing environmental impact and improving energy efficiency have also grown. As the challenges facing industry and everyday life have changed, products have been required to offer greater performance, smaller form factors, and greater energy efficiency. Building on the technologies and quality it has cultivated, Aratas has expanded into new fields such as sensing, energy management, and mobility, contributing to customer value creation and a more sustainable future.

2026 OMRON’s Electronic Components
Business Becomes Aratas

Aratas’s journey has been one of responding to changes in society and industry, advancing electronic component technologies to meet the needs of each era, and creating new value together with customers. At the heart of these efforts is a commitment to responding to people’s aspirations through technology and continually expanding what is possible. Today, society is undergoing a major transformation, driven by efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and the advancement of digitalization.
Drawing on the technologies and spirit of challenge we have inherited, Aratas will tackle new societal challenges and create a new tomorrow through technologies that support sustainable energy, next-generation mobility, and digitalization.