Minebea the Japanese bearings maker has announced their plans to increase production output over the next five years. With an expected cost of over 10 billion yen, Minebea plans to step up production of their aircraft parts in response to the rapid growing demands for smaller planes in existing domestic and Thai facilities.
The company foresees its aircraft parts sale growing an estimated 50% from 47 billion yen in the fiscal year of 2015 to 70 billion yen in the fiscal year of 2020. Over 4 billion yen will be invested in refurbishing their Fujisawa plant in Kanagawa Prefecture and the space there that manufactures fasteners for the industrial machinery will be converted into space for aircraft parts along with 27 processing machines being added.
Landing gear parts production will also take place there for the first time ever. In Thailand at the Lop Buri plant, Minebea has taken steps to being operations to mass produce bears for wing flaps among other things. With demand growing in Asian countries, Minebea has increase output at their Thai facilities.
Minebea plans to invest over 6 billion yen to increase processing machinery by 60 units. Up until now Minebea has been producing bearings and outsourcing the assembly into parts but will now bring assembly in-house to control the costs and reap economies of scale.