OYO's History

In 1951, Atsuo Fukada, an assistant at Hokkaido University, collected an enormous amount of ammonite in order to investigate the stratigraphy of the upper Cretaceous layer, which extends into the flooded area of the planned dam site. Fukada's geologic maps and geologic sections caught the eyes of the people involved in dam construction. They were found to be very useful for determining the location and design of dam sites and quarry sites (the mountain from which the materials necessary to construct the dam were collected). This led to the establishment of the Fukada Geological Research Institute, which is the predecessor of OYO Corporation, to create the interface between the geological field and the civil engineering field. In 1957, the OYO Geological Survey Office was established under the banner of "Creating Geological Engineering." The company had a capital of 5 million yen, 68 shareholders, and 21 employees. The company's name, "OYO," can deal with geotechnics as a whole and is proud of the fact that it is the first class in the field of "geology application."

As Japan entered a period of high economic growth, large-scale infrastructure such as the Meishin Expressway, the Tomei Expressway, and the Tokaido Shinkansen were built one after another. At the same time, demand for geological surveys increased rapidly, and the OYO Corporation business grew dramatically. Through a combination of detailed geological surveys, geophysical exploration, and borehole drilling, we have developed a new standard for geological surveys in the construction business by creating the interface between civil engineering and geology. We made the necessary instruments for the survey, and it was developed into the manufacturing and sales business of measuring instruments. Meanwhile, the Niigata Earthquake occurred in 1964, and we dispatched a disaster investigation team voluntarily for the first time because we thought that, as Japan is a country with many natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms, and floods, we should aim to use our research technologies for mitigating the damage caused by those disasters. This led us to dispatch the investigation team in response to large-scale earthquake disasters in Japan and overseas and continue to study the mechanisms of disasters and the actual damage conditions. In 1965, we exhibited measuring instruments at the Japan Industrial Exhibition held in Beijing and Shanghai. We took the first step as a manufacturer, and at the same time, we entered overseas markets for the first time.

Environmental business as "a creation of the interface between civil engineering and chemistry," rivers and energy fields business had shifted into high gear.
1979, the 25th anniversary of its founding. We have grown into a company with 700 employees and more than ¥10 billion in sales.
Starting with the establishment of the first overseas subsidiary in Houston, Texas, in 1980, we established branches in the UK and Singapore. Our overseas business activities had shifted into high gear.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the business environment deteriorated due to the economic recession following the second oil crisis and the restraint of public investment. As a result, in fiscal 1983, sales and operating income declined for the first time since the establishment of the Company.
Beyond the geological survey industry, where the market had begun to shrink, the company had shifted its business direction to a comprehensive consultant, including design and construction management in the construction field, maintenance, and management of infrastructure facilities, environmental fields such as industrial waste and groundwater pollution countermeasures, disaster prevention, and regional development. On May 20, 1985, we changed our name to "OYO Corporation" in order to clarify our corporate vision for the 21st century.
Starting with the acquisition of Geospace Inc. in the US in 1986, we acquired Kinemetrics Inc. in the US (1991) and Geometrics Inc. (1997). Overseas mergers and acquisitions have become more active.
In 1992, the "Core-Labo Experiment Center" was established as a comprehensive testing and research center for rock, soil, and water. OYO was listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on June 1, 1995.

In 1997, the 40th anniversary of founding. Established the OYO Bionomical Engineering Institute in Miharu-cho, Fukushima Prefecture with the aim of "integration of civil engineering and ecology".
In 2009, the long-term management vision "OYO 2020" was formulated, in which the vision that the Group should aim for and the basic policy for achieving the vision were specified, as construction-investment-type public works was shrinking, and the social situation was changing rapidly.
We aimed to expand our business by eliminating our past success experience (i.e. a conventional business during our high growth period) and by changing our business style.
In 2014, the third medium-term management plan "OYO Step14" was formulated. In the plan, we challenged for replacing the shrinking old-style businesses with new-style businesses.
In 2018, the fourth medium-term management plan "OYO Jump18" was announced. In the plan, we are aiming to accelerate the challenges we have tackled so far, and to expand our business and further strengthen our management foundation in order to achieve sustainable growth for the Group.
In 2021, we formulated the new Medium-Term Business Plan "OYO ADVANCE 2023" that will promote the growth of a profitable business while taking over the results of activities in the previous Long-Term Management Vision "OYO 2020" and the previous Medium-Term Business Plan "OYO Jump 18".