Bearings plant launched

JAKARTA (JP): PT NSK Bearing Manufacturing Indonesia, a manufacturer of ball bearings, announced it will soon open its first high-precision bearing manufacturing plant in Cibitung, Bekasi, West Java.

NSK Indonesia is a subsidiary of Japan's NSK Ltd., which also owns manufacturing plants in the United States, Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and European countries.

The company's director, Kunio Takahashi, said in a statement that the plant in Indonesia will produce small and medium-sized ball bearings, which are components for video tape recorders, computer hard disc drives, office automation devices and small motors.

Bearings contribute 64 percent to NSK Ltd.'s total sales, with automotive components contributing 30 percent and precision machine parts 6 percent.

According to the statement, NSK Indonesia began local production last May but will be officially launched next Tuesday.

The plant will involve four different stages of the manufacturing process: lathing, heat treatment, grinding and assembling. (pwn)