HEBRON — While many automotive-related companies are laying off employees and outsourcing abroad, a Hebron facility is doing the opposite.
THK Manufacturing of America’s $2 million expansion will house the company’s new line of automotive castings, originally produced in Japan, said David Garbark, THK’s facilities and environmental engineer.

He said the 12,000-square-foot expansion, which is expected to be completed in June, also brings the possibility of up to 20 new hires.
Garbark acknowledged the company’s recent actions, especially choosing to bring production to the United States, was atypical.

“Our on-time delivery is a priority,” he said. “Parts are going to be ready in a few days versus months.”
Garbark said the castings also are cheaper to produce at the 471 N. High St. facility than in Japan.
The Hebron facility, which began production in 1998, is the company’s only site where the castings used in automobiles, trucks, SUVs, tractors and golf carts are produced, he said.
“We’re going to start off with a total of two machines, and then go up to six die-cast machines,” Garbark said.

He said future expansion is a possibility, especially because the site has plenty of open land.
In the past seven years, the facility has increased from 100 employees to more than 350, Garbark said.
“We’re growing like a weed,” he said. “We’re constantly adding people.”
The facility received a 100 percent, 12-year tax abatement on real property taxes, said Andie Myers, community development coordinator for Hebron. She said the facility is within the village’s community investment area.

Schaumburg, IL – (February 16, 2007) THK Manufacturing of America, Inc. (TMA), (Hebron, Ohio) has earned prestigious Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) member status. THK’s U.S. manufacturing facility also celebrates its 10th anniversary of manufacturing high quality THK products in the U.S.

THK, through its manufacturing of actuators and related products, met the AMT’s requirement of producing a product line consisting of power driven manufacturing machinery used in the process of transforming man-made materials into discrete durable goods. Additional eligibility conditions included selling and producing these products within the United States for a minimum of one year. THK was also required to demonstrate that the foreign content in these qualifying products does not exceed 35 percent of the qualifying product’s total U.S revenue.

THK Manufacturing of America, Inc., the company’s first production facility in the United States, manufactures both conventional and Caged Ball(TM) Linear Motion Guides (LM Systems) and actuators, as well as Link Balls.

THK Linear Motion Guides are precise positioning components with re-circulating ball linear motion guide technology that uses a block and precision ground rail design. THK LM Systems offer many application-specific benefits, including: increased speed and accuracy of motion, high rigidity, decreased noise levels, long-term maintenance-free operation, and reduced sources of contamination. A wide variety of industries are currently taking advantage of the benefits of THK’s LM Systems, including: machine tool, semiconductor, medical, packaging, automotive and robotics.

THK’s Link Balls consist of a high-accuracy, high-quality steel ball with a welded shank assembled to a die cast socket holder. They are used in suspension, steering and transmission control assemblies for automobiles and other forms of transportation.

The Ohio based plant offers a variety of LM Guide types and sizes. Currently, 50% of the company’s product line for North America is manufactured in the Hebron plant. That number is soon expected to climb to 80%.

Signifying their commitment to quality, THK Manufacturing of America, Inc. has received both QS9000 certification and Ford Q1. This environmentally friendly facility is even equipped with a centralized machine coolant recycling system.

Technico Inc supplies distribution, sales, engineering, cut to length, modifications and warehousing services for THK products. THK also has nine regional sales offices in North America located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Mexico, New Jersey, San Francisco, and Toronto to further their commitment to customer service. Each has application engineers and experienced customer service representatives to meet customers’ needs.

September 5, 2006 – – To meet a wide range of application requirements, THK has developed new accuracy standards. The accuracy grades created by THK in 1973 have been adopted as the Global Standard. After 30 years, THK’s manufacturing capability has improved the accuracy standards of LM Guides. In addition to revising specifications, THK has added two new accuracy standards (Ct7 and Ct5) to accommodate a wider range of application requirements. THK accuracy grades range from sub-micron to normal.

The accuracy of an LM Guide is specified in terms of running parallelism, dimensional tolerance of height and width and the height and width difference between a pair of LM guides (when 2 or more LM blocks are used on one rail or when 2 or more rails are mounted on the same plane). Running parallelism indicates the tolerance for parallelism between the LM block and the LM rail reference surfaces when the LM block travels the whole length of the LM rail secured on the reference surface using bolts.

THK’s new accuracy standards apply to a variety of caged ball and caged roller LM guides, as well as standard LM guides, from the THK line.

THK manufacturers the widest range of linear motion products including conventional LM guides, ball screws, mechanical actuators and ball splines and more. All THK products have been designed and manufactured to meet the strictest requirements. THK’s experienced Global Engineering Team can provide customized linear motion solutions with our standard linear motion products as well as our mechatronics products for your most demanding applications.

Schaumburg, IL – (June 12, 2006) Mr. Junichi Kuwabara, President of THK America, Inc., is proud to announce that on June 2, 2006 THK America, Inc., a subsidiary company of THK Co., Ltd. Japan, will celebrate twenty-five years of successful business operations and dynamic growth in North America. Mr. Kuwabara expresses his deep appreciation to all of THK’s valued customers and business associates who have made this achievement and growth possible. THK’s uncompromising commitment to reaching a higher standard provides our customers’ confidence in the reliability and quality offered in THK’s linear motion solutions.

THK, the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of Linear Motion products, has advanced American operations from its three man beginning in 1981 to over five hundred people in the Illinois Sales and Service Headquarters and the Columbus Ohio manufacturing center.

THK’s vast technical expertise is offered to customers throughout North America through direct sales, engineering, and customer support offices in every major industrial market throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, along with its valued distribution partners.

The anniversary date will be marked by a private company celebration. The senior management staff of THK America, Japan, and Europe will be present to recognize the achievements and outline the aggressive “Ten Nijuichi” program that will further excel the organization to more than three times its present size by 2010.

THK manufacturers the widest range of linear motion products including conventional LM guides, ball screws, mechanical actuators and ball splines. All THK products have been designed and manufactured to meet the strictest requirements.

Schaumburg, IL – (November 7, 2005) THK America, Inc., the global leader in mechanical motion solutions announces a new generation of complete motion control packages by forming a strategic alliance with Yaskawa Electric, the world’s largest producer of variable speed drives, servo controls and robotics.

This new complete motion control package is the perfect fusion of THK’s new high performance, low-cost VLA series of linear actuators with Yaskawa’s Legend Servo Amp & Controller and Sigma II servomotors. This integrated, out-of-the-box motion control solution provides uncompromising performance and value for the North American factory automation marketplace. William Terry, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, THK stated, “This alliance represents the best in mechanical products coupled with the best in electrical motion products with a  “plug ‘n work” architecture.

THK’s new VLA Actuators have fewer components and a lower overall cost. By using a THK LM Guide for its base component, long-term cost savings are realized. VLA’s incorporation of patented Caged Technology, a QZ Lubricator, and electro-mechanical components ensure long life, as well as smooth and quiet operation. VLAs are available in slide and cylinder types replacing pneumatic cylinders in many applications.

The easy-to-use software setup “Legend Wizard” prompts the user for answers via text-based questions that will quickly and efficiently generate the program code. The user now can accomplish the intended motion in just minutes versus hours or days compared to other offerings. Customers can solve their industrial linear motion needs with a “best in class” complete package from the two leaders in motion control, THK and Yaskawa.