12/11/2022 0 Comments Riccar diamond 815 manual pdfIn 1985, a Japanese department store company called Daiei bought out Riccar. Riccar carried on and even sold computerized models for a while but never again achieved the great success of the 1950s and 60s. Many sewing machine companies struggled because of this. Unfortunately, by the 1980s, demand for sewing machines worldwide began to drop off significantly. It’s even possible that Riccar made some of the mysterious “Dressmaker” models sold in America during this time! These machines look exactly like Riccar models but were sold under an American brand such as Kenmore. It seems likely that Riccar also sold some “badged” sewing machines under American brand names, as did many other Japanese sewing machine makers. The company developed the Riccar America Company in 1964, the Riccar France SA in 1967, the Riccar Europa in 1969, and Riccar UK in 1978. Like many Japanese sewing machine manufacturers at the time, Riccar sought to expand into international sales following its success at home. These included the Japanese government’s “Good Design Mark” in 1957, the Ohkochi Memorial Technological prize in 1963, and the prize of the Minister of International Trade and Industry in 1965. Riccar won multiple awards for its sewing machine designs. In 1976, the company sold the first electronic sewing machine built in Japan as well! In 1970, Riccar built Japan’s first free-arm sewing machine. No other company had tried this in Japan, and the unique payment method saw a huge success! Riccar proceeded to open multiple stores and even a new headquarter building by 1960. On top of this, around 1950, Riccar launched a highly successful subscription and installment payment plan for its sewing machines. Japan’s post-war industry focused on domestic items like sewing machines, and Riccar developed several innovative designs in the mid 20th century that helped it stand out even in the midst of this sewing machine boom. In 1949 its name changed officially to Riccar Sewing Machine Co. After the war, the factory moved to Tachikawa, Tokyo, in 1948. The company had a slow start partially due to the eruption of WWII shortly after its founding. In Japanese, “Shokusan Kogyo” translates roughly to “encouraging new industry.” This phrase highlights the huge drive for industrial development in Japan at the time. In 1939, a Japanese sewing machine manufacturing plant called Nippon Shokusan Kogyo opened up.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |