Okuma celebrates 125-year anniversary

Japan-based Okuma Corp., a builder of CNC machine tools, controls, and automation systems with a location in Charlotte, N.C., is marking its 125th year in business.

The company was founded by Eiichi Okuma in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan, with the initial purposes of manufacturing and selling noodle-making machines. Since that time, it has grown into a global enterprise company of nearly 4,000 employees.

The company began producing and selling machine tools in 1904, developing the world’s first CNC for its machines in 1972. It established a U.S. office in 1984, later incorporated as Okuma America Corp.