Japanese manufacturer Nippon Tungsten to open first North American facility in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON – Japan-based manufacturer Nippon Tungsten has selected West Virginia for its first facility in North America and its first wholly owned subsidiary outside of Japan.

    Nippon Tungsten plans to occupy an existing 10,000-square-foot building located in Cabell County. The company will create a high-tech specialized machine shop that will resharpen blades manufactured by Nippon Tungsten’s equipment in Japan. The facility will service the company’s customers located throughout North America.

    “West Virginia is proud that Nippon Tungsten chose to open its first North American facility in our state,” said Gov. Joe Manchin. “International investment is an important part of West Virginia’s growing economy. We continue to attract such companies due to our strategic market location, skilled workforce and positive business climate.”

    “Before deciding where to open our first facility in the U.S., we evaluated various locations,” said Shozo Yoshida, president of Nippon Tungsten. “West Virginia offered advantages such as proximity to customers and an existing building that met our needs. When we also considered the assistance from state and local government and the positive experience of other Japanese companies in this state, we found West Virginia to be the best choice.”

    Nippon Tungsten will invest $2.4 million in the facility, which is expected to create six jobs initially. It is scheduled to be in operation by May 2010.

    For Nippon Tungsten’s customers, blade sharpness is imperative to cut materials with speed and precision. One of the firm’s largest North American customers, Proctor and Gamble, relies on the blades to cut products such as sanitary napkins and diapers.

    The blades are sharpened in an intricate three-stage process. In the final stage, the blades are filed by a skilled technician equipped with microscope-enhanced vision.

    Nippon Tungsten refines and fabricates tungsten and other metals to manufacture fine ceramic and refractory products. Nippon Tungsten products and technologies include die cutters, ceramic substrate, electrical contact and alloy metal components. The company is headquartered in Fukuoka City on Kyushu Island, Japan. The firm has offices and factories throughout Japan, China and Thailand.