Company Directory › Robotics › Core Components › THK vs Thomson
THK vs Thomson
THK and Thomson are both core components companies. Their verified profiles differ on headquarters, country, industry focus, founding year, company size and markets served. The table below sets out only those rows; everything else is on each company's own profile. Facts verified 6 November 2026.
Where they differ
| Company | THK | Thomson |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | Downers Grove, Illinois, USA |
| Country | Japan | United States |
| Industry | Robot components and motion modules — LM Guides, ball screws, electric actuators and robot solutions (THK Co., Ltd.) | Components — Drivetrain, Motors & Control; linear motion and ball screws |
| Founded | 1971 | 1940s — Thomson marked its 75th anniversary in 2021, implying incorporation around 1945–46; some third-party databases cite 1940 |
| Company size | Approx. 13,000 employees (consolidated; 13,260 as of December 2019) | — (not publicly disclosed; left blank rather than guessed) |
| Markets served | Global; 37 manufacturing sites and sales operations across Japan, the Americas, Europe, China and the rest of Asia | Global; factory automation, aerospace and defence, medical and general industrial machinery |
How THK and Thomson differ
Linear motion links them, but histories and ownership diverge. THK Co., Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, was established in April 1971 as Toho Seiko Co., Ltd. and commercialised the world's first LM Guide in 1972. It spans LM Guides, ball screws, electric actuators and robot solutions, with 37 manufacturing sites and sales across Japan, the Americas, Europe, China and the rest of Asia, and approximately 13,000 employees consolidated, recorded as 13,260 as of December 2019. Thomson Industries, headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, with a plant in Radford, Virginia, makes linear motion and ball screw products for factory automation, aerospace, defence, medical and general industrial machinery. Its founding is recorded in the 1940s, its 75th anniversary in 2021 implying incorporation around 1945-46, while some databases cite 1940, a discrepancy left unresolved, and its headcount is not publicly disclosed. On listing, THK is on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, code 6481, while Thomson sits inside Regal Rexnord Corporation, NYSE: RRX, via the 2023 Altra Industrial Motion merger, with no standalone funding rounds disclosed. A machine-tool or semiconductor builder standardising on LM Guides reads the THK record, while an industrial buyer sourcing linear motion inside a US group reads the Thomson record.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between THK and Thomson?
THK is based in Tokyo, Japan and Thomson in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA; they also differ on country, industry focus, founding year, company size, markets served. The table above sets out both companies' entries row by row.
Are THK and Thomson in the same country?
No. THK is based in Tokyo, Japan and Thomson in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA.
Can one sourcing request reach both THK and Thomson?
Yes. THK can be reached through thk.com and Thomson through thomsonlinear.com, or post one sourcing request and let both answer if they fit.
Does GlobleMatch rank THK above Thomson, or Thomson above THK?
Neither. There is no pay-to-rank and no paid placement in comparisons; order and content come from verified profile facts only.
Run THK or Thomson? Claim your free profile to keep your facts current.
Full profiles, with every fact and its source: THK and Thomson. Profile facts last verified: THK on 6 November 2026, Thomson on 9 November 2026.