NHK Spring to expand HDD suspension production capacity
Semiconductors & electronics
NHK Spring will invest approximately ¥5 billion to add HDD suspension production lines at multiple domestic and overseas production sites, in response to rising demand for AI-related and data-center applications. The company states this investment is incremental to, and separate from, the approximately ¥35 billion Thailand suspension-plant investment it announced on 2026-07-16; operations are scheduled to start sequentially from 2027.
Ricoh will construct a new four-story building at its existing Atsugi site in Kanagawa to consolidate manufacturing functions and expand inkjet-head production and supply capacity. The facility will introduce automated lines, robots, AI and digital manufacturing technologies, with production capacity ultimately expandable to more than twice the current level.
Murata Electronics (Thailand), a production subsidiary of Murata Manufacturing, will invest approximately ¥6.2 billion to build a new production building on its existing site in Thailand. Construction is scheduled to start in September 2026 and the building is expected to be completed in November 2027, including production equipment to meet rising demand for EMI noise-removal filters.
Tamagawa Electronics, a subsidiary of Tamagawa Holdings, plans to build a second factory near its headquarters in Ayase, Kanagawa, to expand production capacity for telecommunications and electronic equipment serving social infrastructure demand. JFE Conform has been selected as the planned construction contractor, with handover scheduled for December 2027.
Kioxia Corporation plans to construct K3, a new manufacturing building at its Kitakami Plant in Iwate, Japan. The project expands the company's domestic 3D flash-memory manufacturing capacity; the disclosure does not state an investment amount, capacity, contractor, or schedule.
Sekisui Chemical opened a design center in Shanghai in July 2026, operated by Sekisui Interlayer (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., to support automotive manufacturers with CMF design, simulations, sample production and prototype evaluation. The center combines the group's laminated-glass interlayer technology with Chinese mobility design trends and is intended to support development from concept through mass-production studies.