- Business
- Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6480) manufactures and sells precision mechanical components under the IKO brand, primarily needle roller bearings, linear motion rolling guides, and mechatronics products including precision positioning tables; its core offerings encompass radial and combined type needle roller bearings, thrust bearings, cam followers, crossed roller bearings, spherical bushings, C-Lube maintenance-free linear ways such as Linear Way L, MLV, MV, E, H, F, U series, Linear Roller Way Super X and X series, crossed roller ways, linear ball splines, linear bushings, stroke rotary bushings, roller ways, flat roller cages, and modular systems like Nano Linear NT series and Linear Motor Table LT series. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company operates globally with production facilities in Japan including Gifu and Kamakura factories, manufacturing subsidiaries in China and Vietnam, and sales networks across the Americas via IKO International Inc., Europe through Nippon Thompson Europe B.V., Asia including Thailand and South Korea, and other regions serving industries such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment, machine tools, transportation equipment including EVs and motorcycles, industrial robots, medical devices, and precision machinery. In recent developments, Nippon Thompson announced construction of a new plant in Vietnam's Quang Ninh Province in March 2024 to boost production capacity starting in 2026, launched new products including Nano Linear NT series NT100V and NT30V in July and June 2025, Parallel Drive Stage PD series and high-thrust Linear Motor Table LT170H2 in February 2025, renewed its mechatronics website in October 2024, signed the United Nations Global Compact in August 2023, became the first in Japan's bearing industry to adopt virtual power purchase agreements for renewable energy in May 2023, and revised its Medium-Term Business Plan 2026 in May 2025 to emphasize focused enhancement in strength areas and global business restructuring while targeting net sales over 100 billion yen, operating profit above 15 billion yen, ROE of 10% or higher, and market capitalization exceeding 100 billion yen by 2030.