Tsubaki Nakashima Expanding Needle Roller Production in Poland

Tsubaki Nakashima Co. Ltd. (Japan) announced it will invest more than USD $2.5 million to expand needle roller production at its 450,000 square foot plant in Krasnik, Poland. The division, Tsubaki-Hoover Polska, is a subsidiary of Hoover Precision Products, itself a division of Tsubaki Nakashima. Tsubaki-Hoover Polska was established in mid-2003, after Hoover purchased the Polish state-run ball and roller manufacturer, ZET, in a privatization move. • article: Hoover acquires FLT's ZET rolling element division Tsubaki-Hoover's expansion plans parallel the regional growth in manufacturing and demand by its customers, primarily Japanese auto manufacturers setting up and expanding plants. The additional needle roller capacity will go to satisfy demand for automotive transmission and air conditioning applications. Needle roller production is also expected to be expanded in the company's plant in Debrecen, Hungary, for the same reason. Hoover had been producing balls and tapered rolls at its plant in Debrecen and Krasnik, but reportedly eliminated roll production at Debrecen last year due to quality issues. Tapered roll production was cut at Krasnik due to quality and cost issues. Both plants have continued to manufacture needle rollers along with balls.