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NTN Corporation (Japan) has brought its groundbreaking Mie facility online. Unique within NTN, Mie Corporation (Japan) is organized as a separate business. Its purpose is to meet the strengthening challenge of Chinese bearing manufacturers head-on, in Japan with a Japanese manufacturing facility.
Specifically, NTN Mie is charged with the responsibility for developing and commercializing leading-edge bearing manufacturing methods, processes, machine technologies, and operating practices.
In its establishment statement, NTN said Mie's, "aim is to quickly build a bearing production factory that matches the Chinese on lead time and costs and makes it a model for domestic production."
The location for this new business was no accident. Mie Prefecture is not only where NTN had its first production, in 1918 at the Nishiozono Iron Works, but is also home to many of NTN's most important vendors. Its proximity to the key Kuwana Works (built 1939) and the Kuwana Engineering Center allows NTN Mie, to take advantage of, "a wide range of engineering assistance from its affiliates and suppliers in the Kuwana region."
As a greenfield factory, Mie is 36,000 square meters (387,500 square feet), and will eventually employ over 300 people by the end of 2007.
eBearing has learned NTN is budgeting more than ¥3 billion ($27.5 million) for Mie's startup phase -- through February 2005 -- plant and equipment expenditures. No estimates were available for what NTN expects to invest by the time it is fully operational in 2007.
The plant was virtually complete by early October and has gradually begun to ramp up manufacturing.
Sales targets for Mie are approximately ¥ 15 billion ($138 million) by the time the plant is fully operational by end of 2007.
Beyond being fully competitive with Chinese producers, NTN said Mie has five key business goals:
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| TAM2510 IKO | 25 | 33 | 10 |
| TAM243220 IKO | 24 | 32 | 20 |