Yonex facts for kids
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Native name
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ヨネックス株式会社
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Romanized name
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Yonekkusu Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Public | |
| Traded as | TYO: 7906 |
| Industry | Sports equipment |
| Founded | 1946 (incorporated in 1958) |
| Founder | Minoru Yoneyama |
| Headquarters |
Bunkyō-ku, Tokyo
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Ben Yoneyama, Chairman Alyssa Yoneyama, President |
| Products | Rackets, tennis balls, shuttlecocks, golf clubs, athletic shoes, apparel, bags, accessories |
| Revenue | ¥74.48 billion (2022) |
| ¥5.78 billion (2022) | |
| Subsidiaries |
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Yonex Co., Ltd. is a famous Japanese company. It makes sports equipment and clothing. You might have seen their gear in sports like tennis, badminton, and golf. They also make items for running.
Yonex creates many different products. These include rackets for badminton and tennis. They also make shuttlecocks, tennis balls, and bags for sports gear. For golf, they produce golf clubs and golf bags. Besides equipment, Yonex also makes athletic shoes and clothing. This includes T-shirts, jackets, skirts, shorts, hoodies, leggings, and hats.
Contents
How Yonex Started
The company began in 1946. It was founded by a person named Minoru Yoneyama. At first, Yonex made wooden floats for fishing nets. But then, plastic floats were invented. This new technology meant wooden floats were no longer needed.
This experience taught Minoru Yoneyama an important lesson. He decided that his company would always keep up with new technology. He wanted to make sure Yonex would never be left behind again.
Making Sports Gear
In 1957, Yonex started making badminton rackets. They made them for other brands at first. By 1961, Yonex introduced its very own racket. It was the first one with the "Yoneyama" brand name. Just two years later, they created a company to sell their products all over the world.
In 1969, Yonex began making badminton rackets from aluminum. They soon realized this same technology could be used for tennis rackets. So, in 1971, they introduced their first tennis racket. The company then started trying out graphite for racket shafts. They found that graphite was also great for golf clubs.
Famous Rackets and Players
In 1982, Yonex launched new, larger tennis rackets. These were part of their REX-series. Famous tennis player Martina Navratilova used the R-7 racket from this series. She had great success with it. A year later, Yonex developed a new series called Rexking. Martina Navratilova later used the white RQ 180 racket for many years.
Yonex saw that more and more people wanted their products. So, in July 1983, they opened Yonex Corporation in California, USA. This was a big step for the company. In 1992, Yonex introduced a new badminton racket. It was called the "Isometric 500." This racket had a more "square" head shape. This design gave players a much bigger area to hit the shuttlecock. It also created a larger "sweet spot," making it easier to hit good shots. Other companies soon started making similar "square-head" designs.
Yonex Around the World
Yonex became a public company in 1994. This means its shares can be bought and sold on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Yonex sees itself as a world leader in equipment for golf, tennis, and badminton.
Yonex provides clothing for many national badminton teams. These include teams from Malaysia, Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales. Since 2007, Yonex has also worked with the Orange County Badminton Club (OCBC). Together, they host the yearly U.S. Open Grand Prix Badminton Championships.
Yonex is a very important company in the world of badminton. They sponsor the All England Open Badminton Championships. They are also a partner of the Badminton World Federation. This group organizes the World Championships. Many professional badminton players use Yonex rackets. In fact, over 80% of competitive players choose their rackets. Yonex is also a big name in tennis and golf. They sponsor many professional athletes in all three sports.
See also
In Spanish: Yonex para niños
