China:NSK Opens Tech Center in China(pic)

NSK Ltd. (Japan) recently celebrated the opening of the NSK China Technical Center, its first such facility in China. Located within the grounds of the NSK Kunshan Bearing Plant in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, the Technical Center is a two story building covering 22,000 square feet. The Kunshan plant produces standard size ball bearings and automotive size bearings, primarily for home appliance and automotive applications. wide array of dignitaries and executives attended the center's opening ceremonies. Among them were the Mayor of Kunshan City, representatives of NSK's major distributors in China, customers, and various NSK executives including NSK President Seiichi Asaka. Mr. Asaka stressed the important role the Technical Center will have in the future of NSK China, not only for current product engineering and materials analysis but also to develop solutions and products meeting unique Chinese market requirements. Initially, the Technical Center will focus on materials analyses and bearings for home appliances, but is expected to shortly target specific Chinese market opportunities for automotive and precision machinery applications. Kunshan has become a center for foreign-based manufacturers, boasting operations from 10 of the world's 500 largest corporations. Besides NSK, companies such as Caterpillar, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nestle, Avery, Texaco, Makita, and many others have set up operations in Kunshan.