Founded in 1884 by Furukawa Ichibei as a copper-smelting and wire manufacturing facility, today Furukawa Electric is one of the  largest industrial conglomerates in Japan. The 125-year-old company specializes in five principal businesses: light metals (aluminum sheets and plates, and extruded products); metals (copper strips and pipes, plating, and electrolytic copper foils); energy and industrial products (wires, power cables, plastic electrical products); electronics and automotive systems (automotive components, batteries, and electronics parts); and telecommunications (fiber optics and network equipment).