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Relationships with Local Communities and International Communities

Basic approach to contribution to local communities

Under the credo of “Collaboration” in NTN SPIRIT, the Group has defined “We take care of the natural environment and maintain coexistence with local community” as one of our guidelines. As well as contributing to society through our businesses, we are promoting various activities rooted in each area of the world toward achievement of SDGs.

People and communities connected by “NTN Rotating School”

NTN Rotating School

Aiming at coexistence with local communities, we launched “NTN Rotating School” in 2017 as a place for interaction between employees and local people and development of the next generation. This is a moving school with the concept of providing a place for children who will lead the next generation to enjoy learning the environment and energy saving. So far, school events have been held more than 40 times, with participants over 17,000 in total, contributing to strengthen the bonds with a wide variety of people in each region.
*The number of participants in events organized by the head office

Check here for more details of NTN Rotating School → https://www.ntn.co.jp/en/rotatingschool/index.html

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Kids Day”

In August 2022, we participated in “Kids Day” sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and exhibited “NTN Rotating School.” This event offers an opportunity for children to learn about society widely during summer vacation, through explanation of businesses, workplace visits, etc., with an aim to deepen interaction between parents and children.
This year’s event was very successful, with the venue filled with many children and their parents. In our booth, children and their parents enjoyed experience of assembling bearings, and a musical instrument artisan produced beautiful sounds with a metallophone placed on a round table rotated by bearing, which made children excited and wowed.
As NTN Rotating School, this was the first face-to-face exhibition in a long time, and our program succeeded in deepening interaction between parent and child visitors.

Sight of METI Kids Day

Sight of METI Kids Day

Activities in each region

Japan

NTN MIE CORP. is engaged in conservation activities for a natural habitat of the Pyrus calleryana (Callery pear). The Callery pear belongs to the rose family and has been designated as a national natural treasure. Mt. Tado in Kuwana City is one of its few natural habitats, where beautiful white flowers, like cherry blossoms, bloomed again this year a little before our activities. In April 2023, NTN MIE CORP.’s employees and stakeholders took part in conservation activities, together with government officials of Mie Prefecture and Kuwana City, as well as NPO staffs. On the day, the ground was covered with white Callery pear flowers that bloomed just before. We piled wooden stakes as marks for young trees and cut grass surrounding them. This time, through regular conservation activities in the natural habitat, we successfully connected with the local community and contributed to biodiversity as well.

Scene of our conservation activity in the natural habitat of the Callery pear

Scene of our conservation activity in the natural habitat of the Callery pear

Americas

In May 2023, NTA PRECISION AXLE CORP. cleaned around a regulating pond (circumference of approximately 600m) in front of the company as part of a cleanup activity called “Pond & Stream Sweep Program” sponsored by Carol Stream Village, where the company is located. This activity has become NTA’s annual event and 28 employees participated in it as volunteers this year. In the pond familiar to NTA employees, various creatures live, including mallard ducks, water shrews, and pond skaters, which somewhat looked like watching our cleanup activity. We also received a letter of gratitude from Carol Stream Village for our cleanup activity. This cleanup activity enabled us not only to conserve the landscape and improve the pond environment for creatures living there but also to further strength our connection to the community.

NTA PRECISION AXLE CORP. employees cleaning the pond

NTA PRECISION AXLE CORP. employees cleaning the pond

NTA PRECISION AXLE CORP. employees cleaning the pond

Europe

In the fiscal year 2022, to better support students and employees in learning about bearings, Germany developed and launched "knowledge Platform".
This platform doesn't primarily promote NTN products but rather focus on the knowledge transfer to introduce students and interested employees (e.g. from our customers) to the subject of bearings. The platform covers a wide variety of topics, from very basics to various types of bearings and technical problems in designing and defects. It also includes test exercises at the end of each chapter as well as a glossary and a formulary.
With the young target group in mind texts were written completely new and then checked by the engineering department to make sure they are technically correct. This platform is already being used and the content is rated very high.
The project will be rolled out in other European countries as well, translations into English, French and Italian are already ongoing. A great project in line with “Making the world NAMERAKA”.

Check here for the “Knowledge Platform” website → https://waelzlagerwissen.de/

“Knowledge Platform” website

“Knowledge Platform” website

Asia

In September 2022, NTN BEARING-SINGAPORE (PTE) LTD. cooperated on a cancer patient support event. The company also supported its operation and participated in its charity marathon.
This event was hosted by a cancer patient support group in Singapore, for the purpose of fostering a sense of unity in the local community and raise funds for those suffering from cancer.
For this event’s main feature, the charity marathon, dozens of our employees delivered, from early in the morning, foods and drinks to be provided at water supply points, and helped providing them for runners. Also In the race itself, seven NTN BEARING-SINGAPORE employees took part, which contributed greatly to enliven the event.
This time, voluntary support for the operation and participation in the marathon enabled us to learn about cancers and gave an opportunity for an active involvement in the local community.

Employees at NTN BEARING-SINGAPORE

Employees at NTN BEARING-SINGAPORE

Support for event operation

Support for event operation

Lecture for university students

NTN has lively exchanges with students who will lead the future generation. In November 2022, we gave a lecture to students at Doshisha University, with our carbon neutral strategies as the theme. Students simulated a group discussion where they became our employees and suggested the promotion of carbon neutral, they enjoyed an opportunity to think about issues arising in actual suggestions and future paths in a concrete manner.
Through this lecture, we learnt students’ enthusiasm and interests, and also gained their well-thought opinions helpful to us. We will continue to deepen exchanges with educational institutions and contribute to development of local communities.

Scene of group discussion

Scene of group discussion