The world-shaking jolt of the '70s oil shock posed a serious threat to the Japanese economy. Chances were miserably small for a company like Nidec—a newborn, minuscule-scale manufacturer with no impressive historical track record—even to secure minimum orders necessary to barely survive. In apparent desperate straits, what solved the problem was a decision to venture into the U.S. market. With this as a turning point, Nidec rapidly extended its global reach beyond the U.S. into Asia and Europe establishing a foothold in the world stage just three years after its founding. Nidec continuously expanded its product lineup from small precision AC motors to brushless DC motors and cooling fans. In 1979, it became the first company worldwide to put spindle motors into practical use in 8-inch-diameter hard disk drives. With the opening of a high-volume factory in Mineyama, Kyoto, Nidec had laid the groundwork for the growth to come.