Monotaro

MonotaRO Co., Ltd., is a Japanese e-commerce company of industrial supply products based in Hyogo, Japan. The company was named to Forbes Asia "Best Under A Billion" list in 2013.

Overview
MonotaRO sells Maintenance, repair, and operations products through internet and catalogs, targeting small and mid-sized manufacturing companies. MonotaRO sells various product categories such as personal protective equipment, hand tools, fasteners, and lab supplies. It has more than 1 million customers in Japan.

The company name MonotaRO is an acronym for Maintenance, Repair & Operations. It also means to have sufficient number of products in Japanese. It is also a play on the name of the Japanese hero Momotaro.

Global expansion
In 2013, MonotaRO began web-based sales in Singapore. In 2014 web-based sales expanded to Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia. Now they ship to following countries. (countries names are arranged alphabetically)

• Bangladesh

• Bhutan

• Brunei Darussalam

• Cambodia

• Cook Islands

• East Timor

• Fiji

• Indonesia

• Kiribati

• Lao People's Democratic Republic

• Malaysia

• Maldives

• Marshall Islands

• Micronesia, Federated States of

• Mongolia

• Nauru

• Nepal

• Pakistan

• Palau

• Papua New Guinea

• Philippines

• Samoa

• Singapore

• Solomon Islands

• Sri Lanka

• Taiwan

• Thailand

• Tonga

• Tuvalu

• Vanuatu

• Vietnam

• India

History

 * 2000 - Sumitomo and W. W. Grainger, Inc. founded a company as joint venture in Japan
 * 2001 - Website launch, which began and nationwide sales
 * 2004 - Start selling private label (MonotaRO, Otokomae-MonotaRO, and Osaka-Spirit)
 * 2006 - Launch IHC MonotaRO, targeting private use customers
 * 2006 - Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
 * 2009 - W. W. Grainger, Inc. acquired a majority ownership of the company
 * 2013 - Started service in Singapore
 * 2014 - Started service in Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia