| "... all I had to my name was an idea: the Satomobile. Now, I was fortunate enough to meet someone who believed in me and my work ethic. He gave me the money I needed to get my idea off the ground and I built the entire Future Industries empire from that one selfless loan." |
| — Hiroshi Sato to Mako.[1] |
Future Industries is a large business conglomerate founded by Hiroshi Sato and owned by his daughter, Asami Sato. It is one of the five largest companies in Republic City, in addition to Varrick Global Industries, Keum Enterprises, the San Ho Consortium, and its main rival, Cabbage Corp.[5]
Future Industries is best known for specializing in high-end, cutting-edge, and luxury technology.[5] The company is perhaps best known for automobile production, and one of its factories produces over one hundred luxury Satomobiles on a daily basis.
Hiroshi Sato realized that not everyone in Republic City would be able to afford their own Satomobile and so, for those less wealthy, he developed the taxi cab as a way to get around. Aside from being a practical and cheap means of transportation, cabs are also suitable for romantic rides through Avatar Korra Park.[6]
As well as producing cars for the common man, Hiroshi Sato also designed a race car. As the ultimate transportation method for thrill seekers, the sleek design and high-powered engine enable the car to reach top speeds while smoothly maneuvering its way around a racetrack.[7]
Future Industries' good name, however, was tainted due to Hiroshi's ties with the Equalists and war crimes, connections which caused investors to shy and stay away from the company.[8] In an attempt to recover from the financial debt, Asami started commissioning the mecha tank technology her father had invented for Amon and the failed Equalist revolution on a larger scale.[9] Later on, Future Industries was revitalized after they signed a huge contract with the United Republic government to redesign Republic City's infrastructure.[10]
History[]
Foundation[]
Future Industries' logo features the likeness of a gear.
In 138 AG, a wealthy businessman invested in Hiroshi Sato's idea of automobiles for the common man. With that money, the eighteen-year-old Hiroshi was able to build a factory, thus marking the inception of his company, Future Industries. His endeavors in further developing the company were successful, and the industry soon began manufacturing Satomobiles, expanding his factory to a true business empire.
170 AG[]
In 170 AG, after Hiroshi's daughter, Asami Sato, met Mako and took him out on a date, she brought him to the factory to meet her father. Here, the industrialist briefly explained his past life to Mako. When Asami cut him short, stating that he should stop bragging and tell Mako the good news, Hiroshi announced his decision to sponsor his pro-bending team, the Fire Ferrets, so they could compete in the tournament. The only condition was that the team would have to wear the company's emblem on their uniforms, something Mako did not object to whatsoever.[1]
The Metalbending Police Force scoured Future Industries in an attempt to find evidence of Equalist ties.
Following the Equalists' attack on the Pro-bending Arena, Avatar Korra secretly overheard Hiroshi Sato while he was speaking on the telephone and deduced that the businessman had framed Cabbage Corp's conspiracy with the Equalists. She alerted official authorities, and with permission from Hiroshi, the Metalbending Police Force scoured Future Industries in an attempt to find evidence that could verify Korra's claims. Initially, nothing was found, but a warehouse worker later revealed that Hiroshi Sato had manufactured the weapons used to frame Cabbage Corp in a secret underground factory.[11]
171 AG[]
Eventually, Hiroshi was arrested for conspiring with the Equalists, after which Asami became the leader of Future Industries. The company's newest product line was a more domestic model of the biplane. However, due to Hiroshi's previous actions and involvements, no investor wanted to be associated with the company anymore, forcing Asami to go to the Southern Water Tribe, seeking the aid of business tycoon Varrick to put the company back on track.[8] During a brainstorm session, Varrick proposed that Future Industries sell some mecha tanks to the Southerners, thus enabling the company to profit from the brewing Water Tribe Civil War.[9]
In order to take over the company, Varrick stole Future Industries' stock, leaving Asami Sato ruined.
Every shipment bound for the south was intercepted. In order to smoke out the culprits, Mako and Asami set up a sting operation with Varrick and the Triple Threat Triad's help. However, they both double-crossed them, as Varrick had paid the triad to keep the teenagers distracted for a couple of hours, enabling him to steal all of Future Industries' stock from its warehouse. With no other recourse and unaware of Varrick's betrayal, Asami sold the businessman a controlling interest in Future Industries in order to save the company from bankruptcy.[12] However, Varrick's control over the company was short-lived, as full ownership of Future Industries reverted to Asami after the mogul's involvement in the attempted kidnapping of President Raiko came to light.[2]
Two weeks after Harmonic Convergence, Asami provided Team Avatar with a Future Industries airship as a mode of transportation, allowing them to venture across the Earth Kingdom to investigate reports of citizens with newly acquired airbending abilities.[13]
171 - 173 AG[]
After the insurrection of the Red Lotus, Future Industries aimed to help Republic City by modernizing its transportation methods. To preserve the Spirit Wilds, though facilitate everyday life, the company constructed several elevated new roads above and around the spirit vegetation.[14] Future Industries also started construction on Republic City's Central City Station in order to update it with a new rail line system, allowing for faster and more extensive travel between the United Republic and the neighboring Earth Kingdom.[15] Future Industries also constructed the Airbender wingsuit.[16][17]
174 AG[]
By 174 AG, Future Industries finished their work on Central City Station and was publicly praised for all its good work by President Raiko.[15]
Weeks later, after the president was alerted about Kuvira's acquisition of a spirit energy cannon, the CEO of the company, Asami, was tasked to work together with Varrick and invent a weapon that could defend Republic City.[18] Coming up with the idea to manufacture hummingbird mecha suits,[19] several prototypes were built in Asami's office,[4] before production of those flying machines started in one of Future Industries' factories. Learning that Kuvira's attack would occur two weeks later, Varrick oversaw the assembly lines and urged the workers to increase their efforts.
One of Future Industries' factories was destroyed by Kuvira's spirit energy cannon in an attempt to kill Avatar Korra.
Hours before Kuvira's army arrived at the city, which was a week earlier than they had been told, Asami, Bolin, Mako, Suyin, Wei, and Wing met up with Varrick and Zhu Li at the factory and attempted to get at least a few of their hummingbird suits working. After the Air Nation witnessed the destructive power of the spirit energy cannon, many of them retreated to the factory and Korra later brought Baatar Jr. there as well after she and a stealth team of airbenders had kidnapped him from his airship. The factory was later blown up by Kuvira, who had learned that Korra was there and had traced Baatar Jr.'s radio call back to the facility.[20]
During Zhu Li Moon's presidency, Future Industries began to face several problems once again. The city's treasury was stretched thin, as the government was in debt to many of the largest conglomerates, which meant that there ended up being a delay to pay Future Industries for much of the work it did building and rebuilding the city. While Asami wanted to give the government extra time to pay the bill, the company itself began to face dwindling cash reserves. This led to many workers having to be furloughed or laid off, while others were poached by Keum Enterprises, the San Ho Consortium, Dyo Motors, or even Cabbage Corp. While the company still had the best industrial production facilities in the United Republic and the most advanced technology on the market, these new problems meant that the company faced major restructuring unless it received an influx of yuan.[5]
Description[]
Factories and warehouses[]
Future Industries has several factories and warehouses across Republic City.
Future Industries' facilities are located at an industrial sector in southern Republic City near the foot of an inland mountain range.[21] Most warehouses in this area are expansive and spacious, capable of holding a considerable number of materials in storage for prolonged periods of time. They are made from wooden planks and have a large, rectangular door at their facade. Above the doors are a row of tiny windows, and to the sides are staircases and smaller doors which also provide access to the warehouses. The majority of these buildings have a gray, slanted roof.
One of Future Industries factories is prism-shaped and made out of metal.
The roadways on Future Industries' grounds are often red or brown in coloration and are frequently traversed by trucks for transporting supplies and materials to and from the area. All automobiles are made at the manufacturing center, which is vastly different in layout and structure than the company's other facilities. The building is prism-shaped, made of metal, and has four spire-like towers at its corners. Its interior is capacious and extravagant, symbolic of Future Industries' success and prosperity. A tremendous arched entrance allows access to the manufacturing stations.
Yasuko Sato Building[]
The headquarters of Future Industries is located in the Yasuko Sato Building, a multi-storage building situated in downtown Republic City. Yasuko Sato designed the building before her death, with Hiroshi having it built exactly to her specifications.[5] The building is also simply called Future Industries Tower colloquially.[4]
The building holds Asami's office and some of the company's less space-intensive research and development laboratories.[4][5] It is also where most of Future Industries' office workers are employed.[5]
Towering over its neighboring buildings, the structure has a broad base that slims down the higher it goes. It is white with yellow-colored tilted roofs that mark every instance where the tower shrinks in width. On the roof, there is a large, green lightning conductor, which can also be used as a massive EMP device.[4]
Production[]
Future Industries mass-produces Satomobiles.
Satomobiles are manufactured on an assembly line, where the automobiles are placed on a conveyor belt and shifted through various work stations so that more parts may be added for completing the vehicle. The cars are put in close vicinity to each other, which allows the process to continue easily. This revolutionary system is swift and efficient, allowing for rapid Satomobile production and therefore more wealth for the company. There are three rows of conveyor belts in the manufacturing building, and between two of them is a long table where tools, car parts, and other materials are placed during manufacturing. They are stored in boxes and baskets, and some are brought to the assembly line when needed for production.
Known products[]
Future Industries is known for manufacturing various vehicles, for civilian, military and paramilitary usage:
- Airbender wingsuit[16][17]
- Biplanes
- Future Industries airship
- Hummingbird mecha suit
- Mecha tanks
- Police airships
- Satomobiles
Trivia[]
- After 171 AG, Future Industries placed advertisements in numerous magazines and erected billboards around Republic City to recruit female engineers.[22]
- One magazine ad reads: "Ladies, Future Industries wants you! Are you interested in an exciting and rewarding career? Come on down to one of our recruitment offices and schedule an interview. We offer expert and entry-level positions. Don't wait; come and seize your future!"[23]
- Guided tours of the factory lair are available.[21]
- The distinctive four-chimney external design of the Future Industries factory seems to have been inspired by London's historic Battersea Power Station.
- Future Industries resembles the Ford Motor Company in both the industry sector and the time period. Henry Ford pioneered the assembly line mass production technique, allowing the construction of hundreds of cars every hour at incredibly low costs. Ford's founding also took place toward the end of the second Industrial Revolution, paralleled by Future Industries' radically advanced technology. The two companies are also similar because both companies are involved in aircraft development. Future Industries was the first builder of aircraft in the Avatar universe and Ford helped build aircraft parts and engines during the nascent days of air flight.