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Financial Information:
Annual Report 2003
| Our
Environmental Initiatives |
| Our
Environmental Initiatives |
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Because of the importance of achieving
a sustainable recycle-oriented society, NSK regards addressing
global environmental issues as one of our most important management
initiatives. Please refer to our Environmental Report for a detailed
description of these activities. Highlights of our achievements
follow below:
| Zero
Emissions Achieved at All NSK Plants |
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NSK has been working on a ”Zero Emissions” policy
by promoting the “3R’s” (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle)
as a means of minimizing the amount of landfill wastes. By March
2003, all plants owned by or spun-off from NSK Ltd. have achieved
zero emissions. In addition to recycling steel scraps, grinding
swarf and wasted oil, which we have been advocating since 1993,
we are now recycling used grinding stones. Recycled grinding stones
are used as raw material for new grinding stones or are remade
into fireproof bricks with the cooperation of grinding stone manufacturers.
We are also implementing measures such as the recycling of safety
shoes and work gloves. As a result, we achieved a 94% recycling
rate in fiscal 2002, an improvement of 2% from the previous fiscal
year.
We will step up our efforts to raise the recycling rate
for the entire NSK Group to above 98% by fiscal 2010.
| NSK’s
Definition of Zero Emissions: |
| Zero emissions
are defined as equal to, or less than 1% of
the total of landfill waste volume. This includes
reclamation after intermediate processing
(such as dehydrating, crushing, and compressing)
is completed in order to satisfy the reclamation
standards defined in the Act on Waste Treatment
Methods. By-products including metal scraps,
industrial waste such as waste oil and sludge,
and general office waste such as paper trash
and wood chips are considered targets for
emissions reduction. |
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| Recycling
Ratio and Landfill Waste Volume |
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| Development
of Environmentally-Friendly Products |
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NSK promotes the design and development of environmentally-friendly
products taking into consideration the entire product lifecycle,
from planning and production to disposal.
For example, our biodegradable, EcoMark-certified EXCELLA
GREEN™ NS7 Grease and EXCELLA GREEN™ ENS Grease not
only help lower torque and extend bearing life, but also are made
to minimize environmental pollution and negative impact on the
ecosystem. These clean lubricants have passed strict biodegradability
and acute fish toxicity tests, and are widely used in bearings
for household appliances and automotive electrical accessories.
NSK S1™ Series Precision Ball Screws and Precision
Linear Guides are also environmentally-friendly products. Inserting
resin-made retaining pieces between the steel balls has achieved
lowered noise, lowered torque and smoother operation.
| Basic
Policy for Development of Environmentally–Friendly
Products |
| For the
purpose of supplying products friendly
to the environment, we will continue to
develop products that will have the least
environmental impact throughout their
life cycle from research and development,
through designing, production and use,
until final scrapping. Specifically, we
will manufacture products that meet the
following standards: |
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| 1. Products
will contribute to conserving energy and
to reducing impact on natural resources
when used by our customers.
2. Products will have minimal energy requirements,
and minimal impact on natural resources
in the process of being manufactured.
3. Products will be manufactured using
processes that are free of any harmful
or toxic substances, or at the minimum
the safest substances available will be
used.
4. Products will contribute to the health
and safety of end users by having such
qualities as low noise, low vibration,
and low dust. |
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As a corporate member of the global community,
NSK is engaged in a wide variety of activities that brings us
together with local societies. From donations to regions hit by
natural disasters to sponsorship of local cultural events and
establishment of scholarships to train community members—all
such initiatives embody NSK’s basic philosophy of promoting
corporate activities rooted in local communities.
| Activities
in Fiscal 2002: |
- Donation to German primary schools
affected by the flooding in Central
Europe (NSK Deutschland GMBH)
- Donation to Marie Curie Cancer Care
(Members of the Peterlee Plant, NSK
Bearings Europe Ltd. )
- Co–sponsorship of the Annual
International Glenn Miller Festival
in Clarinda, Iowa, USA. (NSK Corp.)
- Sponsorship of a technological thesis
commendation program for university
students in China
- Donation of 10 welfare vehicles to
local governments (NSK Ltd.)
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| Establishment
of the NSK Management School |
| As
part of our activities to ensure sustainable
growth of our operations, we are focusing
on the development of our human resources.
Based on our conviction that human resources
should be valued to the utmost, NSK reorganized
its management leadership development
program and established the new NSK Management
School (NMS) in fiscal 2003 to train employees
of each division on various perspectives
and make optimum use of human resources.
The NMS offers four courses: a manager
course, a general manager course, an executive
course and a global officer course. The
four courses are intended for employees
of various managerial levels, and focus
on a specific subject over a period of
six months.
The NMS will support NSK from a
“people” standpoint as it
globalizes its businesses and accelerates
spin-offs of its business units by quickly
and continuously developing the global
management skills and careers of the next-generation
of business leaders. |
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NSK has been selected as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability
World Index and the FTSE4Good Global Benchmark Index for 2003.
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| Click to access the FTSE4Good website. |
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