Makita kicked off the 1980s by releasing its pneumatic nailer (the AN5000) and air compressor (AC6001), its first air tools, while expanding to Brazil and Austria. In 1983, it expanded to Singapore and began manufacturing power tools in Canada for the first time.
In 1985, Makita started production of power tools in the U.S. for the first time. As power tools became subject to tariff wars between the U.S. and Japan in the late 80s, Makita established companies in Taiwan and Spain, continuing its international growth. At the end of the ’80s, three Makita power tools designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro — famous for his designs of supercars and other vehicles — were exhibited at the World Design Exposition held in Nagoya, Japan. They included a circular saw, grinder, and drill.
The ’90s were busy for Makita as well — in 1991 it acquired the German chainsaw manufacturer Sachs Dolmar GmbH, changed its name to Makita Corporation, and began manufacturing power tools in the U.K. Makita continued to expand globally throughout the 1990s, establishing companies in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Chile, and Greece. It also established a company in China in 1993 and began producing power tools there in 1995.
Towards the end of the century, in 1997, Makita exhibited its first nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) cordless tool — a rechargeable driver-drill — at the Chicago Hardware Show. The innovative power source is both more powerful and cost-effective than previously used NiCd batteries and doesn’t contain environmentally hazardous cadmium.
