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Not long before the start of World War I, Sumitomo’s copper-rolling works got an unexpected visit from Imperial Navy officials. They wanted a new kind of pipe to connect a warship’s high-output propulsion boiler to its propulsion system—this component now held the key to boosting warship speed. But given the level of the relevant technologies in Japan at that time, boring the holes to make such pipe was a challenging task. To meet the challenge, Sumitomo hired two engineers who had learned the requisite methods in England, and in 1912, the company began successfully manufacturing seamless pipe.
Then during WWI, military representatives once again visited Sumitomo’s copper-rolling works, this time carrying a fragment of metal. After painstaking analysis, Sumitomo researchers found that the fragment was made of duralumin, an aluminum alloy that contains copper and minute quantities of magnesium and manganese. The fragment, it turned out, was from the frame of a Zeppelin airship that had been shot down on the outskirts of London. A military officer then stationed in England sent the fragment back to Japan for analysis. It took three years for the company to begin producing industrial duralumin of its own. Later, it began producing an improved version of the alloy it dubbed “extra super duralumin,” which would soon contribute to enhanced aircraft performance. During WWII, the Japanese military surprised the world with the high performance of its Zero fighters; extra super duralumin was used in their wings, enhancing maneuverability.
Technologies that link directly to modern consumer products also arose through such processes. In 1901, Sumitomo entered the cast-steel business. Japan’s steel industry was still in its infancy, but Sumitomo launched the business based on the view that it was an essential component of the country’s industrial base. But early on, the new division received numerous complaints about its anchors and anvils, which were mainstay products that accounted for roughly a third of sales. It thus started out with a succession of difficulties, both technical and managerial. At the same time, however, the company’s mine rail-trucks gained a good reputation in the market for being light, sturdy, and durable. Sumitomo refined its railway technologies, and before long, they started displacing imports. The business then grew along with the extension of Japan’s rail network.
In 1935, Sumitomo’s rolled-copper and cast-steel operating companies merged to form Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Metals), from which Sumitomo Light Metal would later emerge. |
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Copper pipe
Sumitomo Light Metal’s copper pipe features outstanding thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and workability, and is used in numerous applications including household air conditioners, high-rise buildings, and industrial heat exchangers. |
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