Aida Engineering grows on the back of China car boom

Yokei Aida opened his ironworks in 1917 just as the first mass-produced automobiles took to the road. Now, nearly a century later, that small operation has become a leading metal press manufacturer, known as Aida Engineering, that caters to the world's largest carmakers.

"We are the second-largest press manufacturer in the world. About 70 percent of our business comes from the automotive industry because our presses are efficient and suited to mass production," explained the company's president, Kimikazu Aida, a third-generation descendent of the founder.

The company says it is proud of its reputation for developing efficient metal forming machines - from automated and custom-built systems to general-purpose presses.