Oerlikon Builds New Surface Solutions Center In Japan To Serve Major Japanese Car Manufacturers

Oerlikon announced recently that it is building a new surface solutions center in Nagoya, Japan, dedicated to providing the latest technologies and services to the Japanese automotive industry. The investment will allow Oerlikon to meet the requirements of a recently won contract with one of the largest Japanese automotive manufacturers. The center is scheduled to open at the beginning of 2018.

Nagoya is one of the four largest industrial centers in Japan and a key manufacturing area for cars. It is home to the production facilities of large automobile companies such as Toyota Motor Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors. Oerlikon is investing a sum in the low double digit millions of Swiss francs in the construction of the new center, and plans to double its workforce in Nagoya over the long term. The new site will offer both Oerlikon Balzers coating technologies and Oerlikon Metco friction system coating technologies, making this facility a one-stop solution provider of surface technologies for the automotive industry.

Dr. Roland Fischer, CEO of the Oerlikon Group, commented: “The new coatings center in Nagoya is an important step for us in strengthening our foothold in the Japanese automotive market. We will be able to offer our customers a comprehensive set of automotive surface technologies. Our coating solutions help to optimize the performance of interacting surfaces in relative motion, thereby extending the lifespan of manufacturing tools, motor parts and components, which in turn increases the efficiency and performance of these products for customers.”

Oerlikon’s thin-film and thermal spray coatings and friction system technologies are used in many applications in the automotive industry. Engineered surfaces of components and engine parts in cars lead to improvements in engine performance, while the surface-treated tools and molds used in automotive manufacturing are much more durable and efficient.