Makita: The Company That Helped Cut the Cord

Take a walk onto any construction site back in the 1970s and you will notice something totally different to one today. Extension leads as far as the eye can see, generators powering heavy equipment and every drill needing a socket nearby.

Cordless tools did exist, but few professionals trusted them. The early renditions often struggled with battery capabilities of runtime or power needed for those demanding jobs. Which, ultimately, made them more of a convenience rather than an actual alternative.

This would soon change.

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Established in Japan back in 1915, Makita originally specialised in the repair and selling of electric motors. Their heritage in this space provided invaluable experience as portable power tools began to evolve and, eventually, surge throughout the second half of the twentieth century.

Rather than chasing trends, Makita spent their time quietly building a reputation for reliable and well-engineered tools. Long before cordless became mainstream, the company was already investing heavily in battery-powered tools that were practical enough for day-to-day usage rather than just a luxury of the work site.

For many manufacturers, the cordless drill was just another product. However, for Makita, it was the foundational opportunity of something far greater.

Each improvement in battery, motor and electronics, wasn’t solely about reducing weight or increasing torque. It was about convincing the world they no longer needed to compromise by removing the cord.

The arrival of the lithium-ion battery technology accelerated that transition dramatically. With longer running times, faster charging and improved durability, cordless drills could finally begin to replace the conventional corded alternatives for many applications.

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With that, back to the article.

One of Makita’s biggest successes wasn't the actual drill itself. Rather, it was the battery sitting underneath it.

As the company began to expand into impact drivers, saws, grinders and dozens of other tools, customers weren’t simply buying individual products anymore. They were starting to invest in an entire ecosystem.

That strategy reshaped purchasing decisions across the vertical and encouraged competitors to develop platforms of their own.

Battery-powered drills have become one of the largest categories within the global power tool market with Makita being in the Top 5 global brands for unit shipments in 2025.

dataportl expects annual shipments to exceed 130 million units by 2030. Driven by continued demand from professional tradespersons and consumers alike, the market has very much entered its mature phase.

Alongside this, the wider power tool market* is forecasted to approach 330 million units annually over the same period. Spanning drills, impact tools, saws and grinders.

The vast majority of drills shipped today are battery powered, approaching 100% over the next 5 years. It is safe to say that the power drill has certainly found its place within the vertical.

China remains the largest market for battery-powered drills, closely followed by North America and Western Europe.

Today, almost every major manufacturer in this space offers a capable cordless drill.

The competition has now shifted towards battery platforms, efficiency, ergonomics and broader product ecosystems.

Makita may not have invented the cordless drill, but few companies have done more to establish it as the professional, engineering-led standard. More than a century after the company was founded, Makita’s influence can still be seen on nearly every construction site around the world. Simply put, wherever a battery has now replaced a cable.

This market forms part one of dataportl’s 200+ device coverage. Displayed on our dashboard and used by teams to track how demand evolves over time, where volume is concentrating by region, and which brands/OEMs are driving scale. Market Data. Made Simple.

*dataportl defines the wider power tool market including both corded and battery-powered drills, impact tools, saws, grinders, sanders, and other portable power tools used across professional and consumer applications.