A new era has begun in the Japanese crane industry this month with the accession of Koichi Tadano as president and chief operating officer of leading manufacturer Tadano.
He follows his four uncles who have each taken a turn as president of the company founded by Koichi’s grandfather.
Tadano Ltd was founded on 24 August 1948 by Masuo Tadano in Takamatsu, Japan. In 1963 Masuo handed over presidency of the company to eldest son Hiroshi. Hiroshi’s brothers Yasuo and Hisashi took their turns as president before youngest brother Sakae Tadano took the helm in June 1997.
Now 67, Sakae Tadano has retired from day to day operational control of the company and has moved up to become chairman of the advisory board, as previous presidents have done before him.
Koichi Tadano is the son of Hiroshi Tadano and the first grandchild of the founder to rise to the head of the company. He graduated in economics from the Hitotsubashi University in 1977 and began his career with the trading company Marubeni. He joined the family business in 1988 and was appointed managing director in 2002.
