Disco Corporation

In 1937, Mitsuo Sekiya founded a company called Dai-Ichi Seitosho in Kure City, Hiroshima, an area known for its grinding industry. Initially, it was an industrial abrasive wheel manufacturer. The company's trajectory shifted when it began developing ultra-thin precision cutting wheels. A key innovation was the "Microncut" in 1968, a thin resinoid wheel containing diamond powder, designed for the sharp, precise cuts needed in semiconductor manufacturing. A pivotal moment came when the company realized that no existing machines could properly utilize their advanced, ultra-thin wheels. This led to a strategic decision in 1975 to develop their own equipment, resulting in the DAD-2h cutting machine, which gained immediate favor from semiconductor companies. To reflect its new identity as a maker of both precision tools and the machinery to use them, the company changed its name to Disco Corporation in 1977. This integrated approach, providing both the blades and the saws, propelled Disco to become a dominant force in its niche. The company holds a significant market share in the equipment used for dicing, grinding, and polishing silicon wafers, which are essential steps in creating the chips that power electronics. In December 1999, Disco went public on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, cementing its status as a major player in the semiconductor industry.