Tokyo, Japan, February 1, 2010 – NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO: Norio Otsuka) today announced plans to consolidate all ball screw production in Japan in a single center of excellence at its subsidiary, NSK Kyushu Co., Ltd. Under the plan, to be completed around the end of 2010, ball screw production will be transferred from the Maebashi Precision Machinery & Parts Plant of NSK Precision Co., Ltd. to NSK Kyushu, located in Ukiha, Fukuoka Prefecture.
As NSK is the world's leading producer of ball screws, this is a core product segment for NSK's Precision Machinery & Parts business. By focusing all Japan production in a single center of excellence, the company aims to enhance profitability as it pursues further growth of the business.
With its highly skilled and cohesive team, the Maebashi plant (located in Gunma Pref., 100 kilometers north of Tokyo) will continue to serve as a key R&D facility for NSK Precision. Once plans are finalized, a new product mandate for the plant will be announced. As NSK remains committed to the future of the Maebashi plant and its team, there are no plans to close the facility.
| Name | NSK Kyushu Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Location | Ukiha-machi, Ukiha City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Management | Shuichi Kobayashi, Representative Director & President |
| Employees | 400 (approximately) |
| Operations | Production of precision ball screws (for machine tools, semiconductor production equipment and industrial robots) |
- Milestones
- 1995: Subsidiary established for manufacture of automotive components
2001: Ball screw production began
2005: Production focused exclusively on small ball screws
| Name | Maebashi Precision Machinery & Parts Plant, NSK Precision Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Location | Toriba-machi, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Management | Kazuo Ide, Representative Director & President of NSK Precision |
| Employees | 500 (approximately) |
| Operations | Production and R&D for precision machinery parts, including ball screws |
- Milestones
- 1960: Established as wholly-owned NSK subsidiary (originally named Kita Nippon Seiko)
2002: NSK Precision Co., Ltd. spun off from NSK as a design, development and manufacturing company for precision machinery and parts.