Columbus NTN Driveshaft employees shared in the celebration of their parent company’s 100th anniversary by bringing their families to the party.
More than 2,500 people gathered April 28 at the company’s Walesboro location to commemorate the anniversary of Japan-based NTN, share fun activities and a chance to tour the NTN Driveshaft plant.
It was the first time in NTN Driveshaft’s 27-year history in Columbus that employees could bring their families into the plant and show them where they work, said Barry Parkhurst, the company’s vice president of administration.
Many of the company’s 1,700 employees took advantage of that opportunity, signing up for tours and a chance to explain their job and how it contributes to the automobile parts manufacturer’s success.
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“This is a huge achievement. Not many companies make it to 100 years,” said Jim Riggs, newly promoted executive vice president of manufacturing in the Americas for the company, and NTN Driveshaft’s president and CEO.
“And while we are pausing to reflect on the first 100 years, our focus is on the next 100,” he said.
That focus will include developing new environmental-friendly products for the next century, pointing to a windmill that is located near the company’s administration building. It was made by another NTN plant, one of 219 locations in 33 countries.
NTN is a global precision equipment manufacturer focusing primarily on bearings for the automotive, and construction, agricultural machinery and machine tool industry, and has developed a global presence, according to the company.
“Our focus on bearings, an ‘eco product’ that reduces energy consumption by reducing friction, lends itself to our goal of developing technologies that make the world function smoothly,” a press release about the anniversary said.
Riggs used the Japanese word for that thought — nameraka — which means “to smooth,” to describe what the company was trying to do.
“We think society can benefit from our company making things that run smoothly,” he said.
A special guest at the anniversary celebration was Jim Schellinger, Indiana Secretary of Commerce, who leads the state’s domestic and international economic development agenda. Representing Gov. Eric Holcomb, Schellinger greeted people at the ceremony in English and Japanese before congratulating the company and its workers for the “truly incredible accomplishment” of being in business for 100 years.
“Indiana is so proud of our economic ties with Japanese companies,” Schellinger said.
The state has more than 280 Japanese-owned companies, employing more than 58,000 Indiana residents at operations all around the state, he said.
NTN owns three other plants in Indiana, along with four in Illinois and one each in Alabama, Canada and Mexico.
Schellinger said the Holcomb administration would be continuing to look for opportunities to support the working relationships between Indiana and Japan, and one of his personal goals is to encourage the state to support a non-stop direct flight from Indiana to Japan.
“Thank you for choosing Indiana as your home,” he said to the NTN Driveshaft administration and employees.
Riggs, Schellinger, Parkhurst and Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop, along with Masahiro Inoue, NTN vice president of engineering and quality, and Jeff Zike, NTN vice president of manufacturing, participated in a tree-planting ceremony.
A weeping cherry tree, native to Japan, was placed on the grounds outside the administration building to mark the anniversary.
Riggs said NTN Driveshaft, known for its community involvement as a Cornerstone Partner for Foundation for Youth, is somewhat of a hidden feature of Columbus and perhaps not as visible as some of the other major industries in the Columbus area.
“We want to be the employer of choice here,” he said of the company decision to open the plant to families for the first time at the anniversary celebration. “We have good employees and Columbus is a vibrant community. We think it’s important to be a good neighbor.”
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In 1918, NTN began research and engineering of its first bearing products in Japan as Nishizono Ironworks, named after founder Jiro Nishizono.
Five years later, in 1923, Nishizono Ironworks teamed with Tomoe Trading Co. to manufacture and sell bearings.
In 1927, Noboru Niwa provided capital to establish NTN Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Today, NTN is a precision equipment manufacturer focusing primarily on bearings and has developed a global presence with 219 locations in 33 countries.
The company is one of the world’s largest producers of premium quality ball and roller bearings, long recognized for the most strigent quality standards in the industry.
More than 80 percent of the products sold in North America are made by one of 11 plants the company operates in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
To learn more, visit ntnamericas.com.
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1963: NTN Bearing Corp. of America is created to oversee the company’s North American operations.
1989: The manufacturer announces plans to build a $97 million facility in Columbus that will employ 250 workers.
1991: The Columbus facility opens.
1990s through 2000s: NTN Driveshaft goes through at least 11 expansions in Columbus, investing about $500 million in its local operations and growing its employee base to about 1,700 workers.
2015: The company announces plans to expand its Indiana operations, this time in Anderson.
2016: NTN Driveshaft celebrates 25 years of operations in Columbus.
2018: The Columbus facility holds a celebration to recognize the 100th anniversary of NTN, its parent company.
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