Mukogawa Sharyo

Mukogawa Sharyo Kogyo (anglicized Mukogawa Syaryo) was a Japanese locomotive builder noted for its strong ties to the Hanshin Electric Railway. It is a predecessor company of Hanshin Sharyo Maintenance (HSM), the company currently responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of Hanshin trains.
The history of the company can be traced back to 1940, when a company known as Hanshin Sharyō Kōgyō was founded for the purpose of repairing and performing maintenance on the various locomotives of the Hanshin Electric Railway. The company was renamed to Settsu Kōgyō in 1946, in a joint partnership with the Kawanishi Aircraft Company. However, due to poor management, business gradually worsened; two fires that broke out at the company's plant sealed its fate, and the company was abandoned and liquidated in 1956 due to the great damage caused by one of the fires.
As Settsu Kōgyō helped Hanshin save money as they didn't have to outsource repair works to other companies, it was decided that a new company be started up to take control of that aspect. Mukogawa Sharyo Kogyo was thus founded in 1957 to take over the operations of what was once Settsu Kōgyō. In addition to providing maintenance work for locomotives, Mukogawa Sharyo also manufactured their own, with many of Hanshin's locomotives being manufactured in their own shops. By 1998 however the company was failing to record profits, and with revenue decreases the company was nearing bankruptcy. With company management regarding there being no prospects to recoup losses, it was decided that Mukogawa Sharyo be dissolved, with a new company, Hanshin Sharyo Maintenance, be set up in its place in 2001. After completing 9300 series set 9505, the company was dissolved on 30 September 2002.
Hanshin Sharyo Maintenance still exists today, but is no longer involved in the manufacture of rolling stock apart from manufacturing some equipment on the sole 5550 series set.
==Products==
*Locomotive maintenance
*Heavy and light rail rolling stock
Category:Companies