NTN Corporation

Five years after Nishizono Ironworks began its production of these friction reducing components, the company merged with Tomoe Trading to fabricate and market them under the name "NTN".By 1945, raw materials shortages that resulted from World War II rendered Japanese bearing manufacturers unable to produce at full capacity.Three years later, in 1954, NTN Sales received the Deming Prize for statistical quality control while continuing to diversify its product offering.In 1977 however, NTN Toyo posted a loss of 1 billion JPY due to the increasing value of the Japanese Yen making exports more expensive.By expanding on all of their product lines in this part of the world, NTN Toyo was able to reduce the number of goods exported from Japan.NTN Toyo initially owned 60% of this joint venture, but purchased the remaining 40% of NTN-Bower Corporation two years later to fully acquire the company.Soon after this facility was established, Timken Company claimed that NTN Toyo and other Japanese bearing makers were selling their products below market prices.In 1988, NTN Toyo established its first technical center in Michigan, added a bearing-hub factory in Elgin, and partnered with GKN Transmission and Borg-Warner to produce constant-velocity joints in Australia under the name Unidrive.As a result of globalization, with bearings being further governed by international guidelines, NTN consolidated its foreign operations while trying to expand further into cutting edge markets.To manage the explosion of the company's portfolio, colloquially known as the "Four Base Production and Sales System", NTN reorganized its operations.The following year, the company partnered with FAG Kugelfischer Georg Schafer AG to sell bearings in both North America and Europe.NTN also started its "Management System Transformation Project" with the goal of making its regional and international operations more efficient.The company in China was called Beijing NTN-Seohan Driveshaft, and served as an additional manufacturing facility for their constant-velocity joint platform.These investments included infusions into IFA-Antriebstechnik GmbH, a producer of constant velocity joints in IFA Group as well as SNR Roulements, a sub-tier of Renault (which became part of NTN Corporation in 2008).Soon after, in conjunction with Korea Flange Co., Ltd. KOFCO Group added Seohan-NTN Driveshaft USA Corporation to its United States conglomerate.Most recently, however, NTN partnered with Luoyang LYC to distribute bearings in China, with mass production in the country expected to begin in 2012.[6] The company produced ball, mounted and needle roller bearings used in clutch releases, engines and heavy industrial equipment in addition to constant velocity joints for aerospace, automobile, forklift and manufacturing customers.The company has plans to integrate forging, heat-treatment and turning in order to pre-process automobile hub bearings starting in June 2011.The company owns four strategically placed warehouses and hundreds of distribution outlets for the purpose of offering expedient nationwide service.NTN (China) Investment Corporation was established in Shanghai in 2005 to oversee its current operations and new projects in China to improve productivity relative to capital, equipment, information, materials, personnel, products, technology and other business resources as well as integrating supply chain channels and advancing new projects.[20] NTN Driveshaft in Columbus, Indiana, produces constant velocity joints used in four-wheel, front-wheel and all-wheel drive cars.NTN Noto Corporation was established in Hakui, Ishikawa, to produce and distribute bearings for construction, industrial wind power, mining and steel clientele.[27] Founded in 1916 as SNR Group in Annecy, France, NTN-SNR Roulements develops, produces and markets bearings for airplanes, agriculture, agrifood industry, automotive, construction, electric motor/pump, helicopter, industrial, machine tool, mining, paper, railway, space vehicle, steel, textile, transmission and wind turbine clientele.