Gas sensors are now at the heart of our gas alarms and gas detectors. However, when New Cosmos Electric was founded in 1960, the company was actually engaged in a completely different line of business.
The story of how we came to develop gas sensors is a slightly dramatic episode that is still shared within our company today. In this article, we would like to introduce that story.
Founded as a manufacturer of variable resistors
Volume controller
As described in the article below, New Cosmos Electric had experienced two bankruptcies prior to its establishment.
The reason why New Cosmos Electric is “new”
New Cosmos Electric was founded as a manufacturer of variable resistors used to control the volume of televisions and radios, continuing the main business of its predecessors, Fukushima Electric Works and Osaka New Cosmos Electric.
Although we were in a challenging situation, rebuilding after bankruptcy, we were gradually restoring our reputation as a variable resistor manufacturer. Seeking further improvement, we reviewed our materials and developed a new, high‑performance variable resistor in which we had great confidence. We completed the prototypes and product samples, and were about to begin shipment when an unexpected problem occurred.
In random inspections just before shipping, the resistance value, which should have been 1 kΩ, showed an abnormal value of 50 kΩ. Everyone involved was discouraged, saying, “This can no longer be sold,” and “We were so confident in this product…”
The outcome of “creativity” and “tenacity”
Amid this situation, our founder, Kasahara, immediately started investigating the cause. He found that the grease applied to the volume shaft for smooth operation had overflowed and become contaminated, so the excess was wiped off with toluene, an organic solvent, before shipment. The vapor from this toluene was what caused the resistance values to fluctuate.
Kasahara then thought, “If the resistance value increases when toluene vapor (gas) is adsorbed onto the resistor, perhaps we can create a resistor that responds sensitively to gas.”
This insight marked the beginning of research and development into “gas sensors,” which have since become our core technology.
What followed was a series of challenges before we could develop gas sensors that were truly suitable for use in gas alarms and gas detectors. However, we drew on our creativity, refusing to let failure remain only a failure, and on our tenacity, never giving up. This spirit has enabled us to grow into a gas alarm manufacturer with one of the world’s largest research and development facilities for gas sensors.
This mindset is enshrined in our Corporate Philosophy and continues to be carried on by our company and employees today.
Learn more about New Cosmos Electric’s history ➤
Click here for "What is a gas sensors?" ➤