Company Overview
1. Company Overview
Heiki Marine Shipping Co., Ltd. is an independent marine transportation company headquartered in Kobe. Based on Kobe Port, Himeji Port, and Osaka Port, it offers comprehensive logistics services including coastal and overseas maritime transportation, warehousing, customs clearance and international transportation. Its motto is "safety, speed and reliability", and it regards "practicality" to fulfill transport responsibility to customers at any time periods as an important value.
The company's sales bases include its headquarters, Himeji office, Osaka office, Tokyo office and China office (located in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture), and its logistics bases include Kobe Logistics Center, Hyogo Port Logistics Center, Osaka Logistics Center, and Himeji Warehouse.
The company's affiliates consist of two companies: Nanao Ship Management Co., Ltd., which dispatches crew members and manages vessels, and Kichibi Co., Ltd., which is responsible for coastal cargo handling and on-site contracting businesses in Himeji Port. K.S.LINES S.A. (Panama City, Panama), a consolidated subsidiary formerly engaged in overseas shipping operations, sold its ships and completed liquidation due to a business decision that it would not be able to resume its Far East Russia route in the medium to long term (March 2024).
The number of employees in the company group is on an increasing trend, with 248 employees as of March 31, 2024 (237 as of March 31, 2023, 231 as of March 31, 2022, and 230 as of March 31, 2021).
The company celebrated its 80th anniversary in December 2022 and aims for sustainable development toward becoming a centennial company in the future.
2. History
In 1942, during World War II, an imperial decree called the "War Shipping Control Order" was issued based on the National Mobilization Law, and integrated companies were established in each prefecture to centrally manage vessels in Japan. In Hyogo Prefecture, all 218 inland waterway operators and shipowners were integrated to establish Hei.Ki Kifune-sen Unsou Co., Ltd., the predecessor of the company. The company celebrated its 80th anniversary in December 2022 and aims to continue its sustainable development while valuing its management philosophy and spirit of coexistence and mutual prosperity, toward becoming a centennial company.
As a business, the company started its inland waterway shipping business in 1942, and subsequently started its harbor transport and transportation business in 1949, customs clearance business in 1953, warehouse business in 1970, and overseas shipping business in 1978.
The company was listed on the second section of the Osaka Securities Exchange (OSE) in October 1964, and transferred to the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) due to the integration of the TSE and OSE cash markets in July 2013. In April 2022, it moved to the TSE's new market classification system, the Standard Market.
(Written by FISCO Guest Analyst Yoichiro Shimizu)