The Environment
AKIHIRO TERAMACHI
President and CEO
THK CO., LTD.
Consumers may not know the THK logo, but there is a very good chance the automobiles, computers and mobile phones they use are produced by machines incorporating THK products.
“We provide our parts to as many customers as possible so they can manufacture better products,” says THK’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Akihiro Teramachi.
The T in THK stands for Toughness, the H for High quality, and the K for Know-how. The company was established in 1971 and since then has worked to contribute to the development of an affluent society by proposing totally new initiatives and by being a creative and development-driven company.
THK developed the world’s first Linear-Motion Guide (LM Guide) in 1972. The LM Guide provides the linear rolling motion essential for achieving high precision and high speed in devices including machine tools and industrial robots.
Teramachi is confident that these products can contribute to the energy savings demanded by the age.
“Energy saving is the key concept for the age,” Teramachi says, “and our business fits perfectly with this concept.”
Teramachi points to the shift to eco-friendly electric vehicles as an example of the focus on reducing global dependency on oil and cutting CO2 emissions. This is likely to result in significant changes in automobile mechanisms and production equipment, and greater demand for THK products, which are indispensable in the switch to electric power.
Teramachi wants to see more THK products adopted in areas closer to the consumer, such as household electrical appliances and custom-built kitchens. He also feels they can contribute to the development of home automation.
Looking ahead, Teramachi believes the time will come when humans live alongside robots, and THK is developing products designed to create robots that will help people by making daily life more convenient.
“Energy saving is the key concept for the age, and
our business fits perfectly with this concept.”
The original thinking behind THK’s innovative products is also driving the company forward as it seeks further growth in difficult economic times.
“We’re not going to take the easy route, ‘downsizing’ to cope with challenging economic conditions,” Teramachi says. “If you downsize staff and production lines, you won’t be in a position to take advantage of opportunities when the economy picks up. At THK, employees eliminate waste and irregularities, under the watchwords ‘conserving’ and ‘economizing.’”
Teramachi is overseeing a project designed to strengthen management infrastructure. This project, he says, “will examine every aspect of the company, not only the production side, but also administrative departments. It’s a cross-sectional effort to make overall improvements in THK’s basic profit structure.”
Teramachi views growth in emerging markets as a cornerstone of THK’s global growth strategy.
“Emerging markets help drive global economic growth,” Teramachi says, while noting that it’s necessary to maintain established markets in the industrialized nations.
Asia accounts for 60% of the global population and is connected to another big THK market—Europe. Teramachi has great expectations for Asia given the vibrant interaction of people, goods and information and the dramatic changes taking place in the region.
“Our European and American customers have their eyes on Asia, wondering how they can conduct business there,” Teramachi says. “We’re aggressively expanding in Asia. It’s a major stepping stone to the future.”
An enthusiastic tennis player in his younger years, Teramachi took up golf about 30 years ago.
“Thanks to golf, I’ve been able to form close relationships with clients and suppliers,” he says. “That’s a good thing.”
and joined THK CO.—a company founded by his father—in 1975.
He became a director in 1982, vice president in 1994, and took over
as CEO in 1997.