NSK Korea inaugurates Chonan plant

NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Toshihiro Uchiyama) inaugurated the newly built Chonan plant (Chonan City, Korea) on October 20, 2017. The average car has anywhere from 20 to 140 needle bearings. Due to this relatively high number of bearings per vehicle, the growing Chinese auto market, and automatic transmissions with more gear stages than conventional units, global demand for high-precision needle bearings is expected to continue to see strong growth. The newly built Chonan plant expands manufacturing capacity through state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facilities capable of meeting increasing demand in the market. Excerpt of Mr. Uchiyama's speech at the inauguration ceremony “The Chonan plant was built with the goal of creating an environmentally friendly and clean plant. The employees each independently contributed to the project to create highly reliable manufacturing facilities that meet the needs of our customers, and that can serve as a model for NSK operations worldwide.” Chonan plant features A) High Productivity Command room to monitor and computer control all manufacturing equipment State-of-the-art automated facilities and equipment B) High security Entrances feature fingerprint controlled locks C) Environmentally friendly Solar power and wind power used to power facilities High productivity reduces overall impact on environment D) Welcoming and safe environment for employees Eliminated grinding oil splatter, and realized quiet machine operation Facilities use natural light extensively, creating a pleasant indoor atmosphere NSK Korea Co., Ltd. NSK has been expanding globally since the 1960s, and currently operates 64 plants, with 70% of those being outside Japan. After entering Korea through a joint venture in 1987 (now NSK Korea Co., Ltd.), NSK established Korea Precision Co. Ltd. in Changwon City, ultimately making the company a wholly owned subsidiary in 2003. September 2017 marked its 30th anniversary. NSK contributed to the development of Korean industry through locally produced high precision bearings for electronics, and currently operates two plants, two sales branches, and a technology center in the country. NSK will continue to provide high quality products to customers in Korea and around the world.