Press Release

NSK product Wins the Grand Award at the 3rd MONODZUKURI* Innovative Component Awards

Tokyo, Japan, March 3, 2006 - NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Seiichi Asaka) is pleased to announce that NSK's hydroforming Steering Column was selected as the Grand Award winner of 2005 at the 3rd MONODZUKURI Innovative Component Awards. These awards are organized by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. (Nikkan), a Japanese newspaper publisher, and sponsored by both the Ministry of Economy, Trade and the Industry and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Hydroforming Steering Column
Summary:
Grand Award winner NSK Ltd.
Winning entry Hydroforming Steering Column
Reason NSK's hydroforming steering column not only offers higher-precision forming and increased rigidity, but also demonstrates the advantages of the hydroforming process, such as being able to reduce the number of components.

Overview of the Awards

Name
MONODZUKURI Innovative Component Awards
(Organized by Nikkan and sponsored by both the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
Purpose
The MONODZUKURI Innovative Components Awards, which were established in 2003, are intended to promote “MONODZUKURI” in Japan by highlighting components, which form the basis of a manufacturer's competitive edge, and even to contribute to the development of industry and society as a whole. After preliminary examinations by Nikkan, the winners are selected based on the views of outside specialists that act as advisors to the review committee.

*:MONODZUKURI literally means ”goods production.“ However, MONODZUKURI is not simply about manufacturing products. It is the art and the joy of making things as perfectly and efficiently as possible while respecting nature in terms of both the materials used and the environment. This concept is at the core of our notion of value creation, and should be positively applied to industries beyond manufacturing to enhance the competitiveness of Japanese industry as a whole.