one of the instruments that horiba produced and repaired was an electric-pulse oscillator, used in brain surgery. when an oscillator stopped working in the middle of an operation, masao horiba was called upon to make emergency repairs. he got the instrument working so the surgeons could finish the operation, and then took the instrument home to examine it in more detail. examination of the components showed that an electrolytic capacitor had failed. when it proved difficult to buy low-cost reliable replacements, horiba started producing electrolytic capacitors. by integrating quality control into the production process, he was able to produce high-quality products. he partnered with an investor but their plans to build a capacitor plant fell through when the korean war caused japanese metal prices to rise.