THK Expands Manufacturing Operations

THK Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) is taking major steps to meet growing worldwide demand for linear motion equipment by investing over a half-billion dollars in new brick and mortar facilities that will increase floor space for their global manufacturing operations to just under 10.5 million sq ft. In the United States alone, they have increased the number of components shipped by 30 percent over the last two years, with strategic production increases made to date as they focus worldwide to keep up with a demand for linear motion components that reached a ten-year high in 2017.

Orders for linear motion guides that enable machine tools to perform precise positioning operations in aerospace, machine tool, packaging and medical work increased by 31.6 percent in 2017. This figure far surpassed the industry forecast of 8 percent, and late in the year supplies began to tighten as demand for these vital manufacturing components exceeded production capacity. THK took a strategic look at how to work expeditiously to fill existing orders and to positively address the long-term need to expand manufacturing to satisfy customer orders.

Committed to investing in the future, they are expanding production with a capital investment of over a half-billion dollars at manufacturing facilities in Yamagata, Japan, and in Vietnam and adding a 366,000 sq ft facility in India that will increase their production by an additional 30 percent once all expansions are fully in place. To enable increased production while maintaining a high standard of precision and accuracy associated with their products, they are also automating processes at existing facilities, including at their U.S. manufacturing plant in Ohio. To assist in meeting user demand for linear motion equipment, they have further invested in research and development of their LM components, as well as in human resources. The company has grown from around 9,000 employees in 2014 to over 13,000 last year.

www.thk.com