Corporate History
Founded in 1920, Rinnai & Co. first manufactured and sold pressurized oil stoves. By the late 1920s it had already established itself as a trustworthy manufacturer of gas tabletop stoves, gas ovens, gas heaters, and gas hot-water units.
1920 | The company is incorporated as Rinnai & Co. by founders Hidejiro Naito and Kanekichi Hayashi.
1923 | Deliveries of gas appliances, including tabletop stoves, ranges, gas ovens, and water heaters, to Japanese gas utilities nationwide, as well as exports, begin.
1938 | Manufacturing of aircraft parts takes place with the factory coming under military supervision.
1940 | The company changes its name to "Rinnai Aircraft Parts Manufacturing."
1947 | Production of gas and kerosene appliances resumes at the rebuilt Head Office factory.
1950 | The company is reorganized as a joint stock company and renamed Rinnai Seisakusho.
1954 | The Tokyo Sales Office (now the Kanto Branch) opens.
1956 | The Osaka Sales Office (now the Kansai Branch) opens.
1957 | The Aichi Factory (now the Chubu Branch) opens.
The company forms a technology tie-up with German company Schwank GmbH to manufacture and sell gas infrared burners and to develop heaters and cooking appliances that use them.
1960 | The lnba Factory (later the Asahi Factory) opens.
1961 | The Fukuoka Sales Office (now the Kyushu Branch) opens.
1963 | The Sendai Satelite Office (now the Tohoku Branch) and the Sapporo Satelite Office (now the Hokkaido Sales Office) open.
1964 | The Oguchi Factory opens.
1967 | The Technology Development Center opens.
1968 | The Niigata Satelite Office (now the Niigata Sales Office) opens.
1969 | The Nagoya Sales Office (now the Chubu Branch) opens.
1970 | Rinnai Taiwan Corporation is established.
Business partnership with Yanagisawa Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Investment in Yamauchi Yoko (now RT Engineering Co., Ltd.)
1971 | The name changes to Rinnai Corporation.
RB Controls Co., Ltd., and Rinnai Australia Pty. Ltd. are established.
1972 | The company receives the Ota Award from the Japan Gas Association for its gas high-speed convection oven.
1973 | Rinnai (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is established.
1974 | Rinnai Korea Corporation and Rinnai America Corporation are established.
1975 | Rinnai New Zealand Ltd. and Equipamentos NGK-Rinnai Ltda. are established.
1976 | Rinnai Industries (UK), Ltd. is established.
1979 | The company is listed on the Second Section of the Nagoya Stock Exchange.
Rinnai Precision Co., Ltd. is established and the Seto Factory opens.
1981 | Japan Ceramics Co., Ltd. is established.
Business partnership with lsomura Kiki (now Rinnai Technica Co., Ltd.)
1982 | The company is listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
1983 | The Hiroshima Satelite Office (now the Chugoku Sales Office) opens.
The company is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nagoya Stock Exchange.
1984 | The Takamatsu Satelite Office (now the Shikoku Sales Office) opens.
1985 | The company receives the Ota Prize from Japan Gas Association for development of a water boiler equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent incomplete combustion.
1986 | The company receives the Excellent Technology Prize from the Japan Gas Association as well as the first Chunichi Industrial Technology Award for the development of an ultracompact water heater.
1988 | P.T. Rinnai Indonesia is established.
The Hong Kong Representative Office opens.
1990 | The Tsukuba Research Center (now Tsukuba Training Center) opens.
Rinnai (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Noto Tech Co., Ltd. are established.
1991 | Rinnai Singapore Pte. Ltd. is established.
1993 | Shanghai Rinnai Co., Ltd. is established.
1994 | The new Headquarters building is completed.
1995 | The company receives ISO 9001 certification for all domestic factories.
1996 | Rinnai Holdings (Pacific) Pte Ltd. is established in Singapore.
The company receives Testing Facility Acceptance from International Approval Services (IAS).
1998 | Rinnai Hong Kong Ltd. and Rinnai Vietnam Co., Ltd. are established.
1999 | Business partnership with Gastar Co., Ltd.
RG Co., Ltd. is established.
2000 | The company receives the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's Energy Conservation Award for its highly efficient condensing gas water heaters.
2001 | The company receives the Technology Prize from the Japan Gas Association for its highly efficient condensing gas water heaters.
2003 | The company receives ISO 14001 certification for all domestic factories.
The company receives the Energy Conservation Grand Prize (Chairman's Prize) from the Energy Conservation Center for its glass-top stoves with inner flame burners.
2004 | Guangzhou Rinnai Gas and Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. is established.
2005 | The company receives the Technology Prize from the Japan Gas Association for its Eco-Jozu condensing dual water heater/space heaters.
2006 | RBS Thermo Technology Co., Ltd. is established.
The company receives the Technology Prize from the Japan Gas Association for its bathroom heater/dryer with mist sauna function.
2008 | Rinnai Italia S.r.l. is established, and the Integrated Logistics Center opens.
Rinnai gas tankless water heater receives the Super Nova Star Award (an energy-saving award) from the Alliance to Save Energy in the United States.
2009 | Rinnai Canada Holdings Ltd. is established.
2010 | The Production and Technology Development Center opens.
2011 | The West Japan Customer Center opens.
2013 | The Akatsuki Factory opens.
The Rinnai Parts Center opens following business integration.
2014 | The company receives the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Energy Conservation Award for ECO ONE, a hybrid water heater with heating system.
The company's hybrid water heater with heating system for Hokkaido receives the Kitaguni Energy Conservation and New Energy Grand Prize.
2015 | Brivis Climate Systems Pty Ltd in Australia is acquired.
The Dubai Representative Office opens.
2016 | Gastar Co., Ltd. becomes a consolidated subsidiary.
2018 | The East Japan Logistics Center opens.
2019 | Our brand promise is established, and the Rinnai logo is updated.
2021 | Industrias MASS in Mexico is acquired.
The company receives the Energy Conservation Center, Japan Chairman's Award for a cold climate type hybrid water heater with cooling and heating system.
2022 | The company receives the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Commissioner's Award for ECO ONE X5, a hybrid water heater with heating system.
2024 | Smart Energy Group in Australia is acquired.