ECHO is a global brand of portable power equipment manufactured by Kioritz Corporation in Tokyo, Japan. Kioritz Corporation w ... as established in 1947 and with almost 60 years of 2-stroke technology, has been dedicated to the production of portable power equipment. With annual volume reaching over two million units per year, Kioritz Corporation produces more clean burning engine families than any other company. The goal of Kioritz Corporation worldwide is to "Provide products and services that meet the needs of the customer and give total satisfaction through ECHO products." With two overseas plants, one overseas subsidiary, 50 distributors, and more than 8,000 servicing dealers around the world, this goal can only become closer to reality. Originally named the Kyoritsu Noki Company and later the Kioritz Corp., ECHO was to win design awards and a major market position for its agricultural spray equipment. It first explored the U.S. and Canadian markets in the late 60s with licensing agreements and then formally entered the U.S. market in 1972 with a headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. In 2009, Kioritz Corporation and Shindaiwa Corporation merged under one umbrella company, Yamabiko Corporation. The merger was part of the company’s overall plan to gain efficiencies and increase their global competitiveness. Integrating the strengths of both the ECHO and Shindaiwa organizations will allow Yamabiko to serve its customer base with dependable products in the outdoor power equipment, agricultural and industrial markets. The Canadian Division of ECHO began as a service parts and accessory unit and quickly expanded into a small distribution and shipping warehouse based in Brampton, Ontario. ECHO Power Equipment (Canada) was established in 1985 to support a market for ECHO tools that was beginning to spread from coast-to- coast. ECHO’s Canadian operations moved to London, Ontario, in 1989 and began dealer direct sales in Ontario in 1990 and Newfoundland in 1991. Today that marketplace stretches from coast to coast and includes a network of over 1,000 dealers. Three separate expansions of its warehouse facilities now supply the full lineup of ECHO power equipment plus a wide range of specialized commercial and pro gardening tools. read more