NSK Announces Expanded Local Production of High-Precision NSK Linear Guides in Europe

NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Toshihiro Uchiyama) today announced that it has expanded its local production system for high-precision NSK Linear Guides in Europe. NSK aims to increase sales by 500 million yen by the end of 2018 by implementing local production in Europe. The lineup of NSK Linear Guides, which are used in all manner of production equipment, consists of general products suited for a wide variety of conveyance robots, etc., as well as high-precision products designed for machine tools, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, etc. Up until now, NSK has limited its production of high-precision products to two production sites in Japan and South Korea for all global demand. However, for distant locations, such as Europe, this has meant an additional three to six months of lead time due to exporting procedures and sea logistics. In recent years, amid the turbulent world economy, manufacturing segments have been adjusting their investment strategies to become speedier and more flexible. In particular, there has been a push for shorter lead times for machine tool and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In addition, the movement to smarter production equipment representative of “Industry 4.0" has grown stronger. Inherent in this movement is the need to be able to replace parts when failure occurs, not just based on regular maintenance schedules. This movement has likewise resulted in a demand for a short lead time supply system for high-precision linear guide as well. In response to this demand, NSK has strengthened its high-precision products manufacturing and management system, and expanded its local mass production system for the NH and NS series-the main high-precision NSK Linear Guides products-in Europe. Features 1. Increase quality of precision parts by applying manufacturing technology developed in Japan in Europe NSK's high-precision linear guides are compliant to ISO standards but also designed to meet the strict internal standards NSK imposes on itself. High-precision parts provide for assembly accuracy, which in turn makes for higher machine accuracy and also prevents degradation of machining performance due to variance of characteristics. 2. Same lead time for European users as in Japan Compared to the conventional logistics of shipping from Japan, local production in Europe dramatically reduces the lead time. In addition, having a European production hub will also expand the global procurement flexibility for users outside of Europe. Objective The European facility will manufacture products designed for use for all manner of production equipment that requires high-precision products with a short lead time such as machine tools, measurement devices, and semiconductor and LCD manufacturing equipment.