THK GEARS UP FOR POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY
THK stays ahead of competitors as global demand recovers post the pandemic.
THK Co., Ltd.—which pioneered the development 50 years ago of the world’s first Linear Motion (LM) Guide that has become an integral part of today’s industrial machinery—is looking to benefit from electronicsrelated demand, advances in automation and robotics, along with the boom in the automotive industry amid the growing switch to electric vehicles.
“Our performance is extremely strong, driven by rising semiconductor demand, and following a tough time under Covid19,” says Akihiro Teramachi, CEO and President of Tokyo-based THK. “We are forecasting significant growth in both revenue and profits.”
Digital Transformation
To boost productivity and efficiency, Teramachi aims to tap digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and robotics in THK’s manufacturing processes over the next three years.
“Robots work 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and you don’t need to take the impact of Covid-19 into your calculations,” Teramachi says.
Following the release of Omni THK, a communication platform designed to support customer purchasing processes, the company launched OMNIedge—an IoT predictive service—in January 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic started to wreak havoc in the global economy. The platform allows sensors installed on THK components embedded in the clients’ performance monitoring equipment to collect and analyze data, enabling it to predict faults and minimize malfunctions automatically, without human intervention.
Big Data
Many THK products are already in operation across a variety of industries. By attaching sensors to such products, the data generated is becoming increasingly dense, facilitating more accurate analysis.
“This is big data,” Teramachi says. “We have established a diagnostic threshold on the safety side enabling us to send out early warnings. The more data we collect, the more analysis we can execute, leading to shorter lead times.”
The recovery in the economy is boosting THK’s sales for the new platform, with the automotive industry emerging as an important client for OMNIedge.
“We have picked up business from a large number of automotive-related makers,” Teramachi says. “In addition, operations at many of these companies are becoming increasingly global, and we are now being asked to install our products in factories in each country where they operate.”
Golden Anniversary
Having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, Teramachi believes the company has survived the last five decades because its ability to innovate and produce industryleading products helped it maintain its top market share.
Maintaining a dominant market share is important for Teramachi because it helps THK stay abreast of the clients’ wants and needs. The information the company gathers from clients enables it to develop and propose follow-on products.
“Of course, sales and profits are important for us, but our primary objective is market share,” he says. “Our focus on market share is one of our strengths, and we will continue with this approach. Over the next 50 years, we will transform our corporate structure to become a manufacturing and innovative services company, based on OMNIedge and Omni THK, and will pursue further growth.”
“Our focus on market share is one of our strengths, and we will continue with this approach.”