Dr Nass Q&A
As CEO of NSK Europe, it is Dr Ulrich Nass’ job to steer the company through an era of rapid technological change and supply chain disruption, whilst simultaneously acting as a bridge between Europe and Japan. In this Q&A he shares his perspective on the trends reshaping the industry and his vision for NSK in Europe.
"Transformation is a team effort and success belongs to the whole team." Dr. Ulrich Nass
"What is the biggest challenge you face working for a company like NSK?"
In my role I need to act as a bridge between Western and Japanese culture in a global company which operates under a three-dimensional matrix structure. I consider myself as a translator of Europeans for the Japanese and of Japanese for Europeans.
Also, the attention to detail is on different level at NSK and necessitates a more in-depth decision-making process than at other companies I’ve worked for.
"How is NSK working to mitigate the impact of global supply chain pressure?"
NSK is continuously working on building a resilient supply chain and I’m proud to say that at no point during the last few years have we let a single customer down, despite the various crises which have hit the market. In fact, the opposite is true, we’ve been able to help some customers when they were struggling to source supplies.
As part of our Japanese roots and business culture we have established trusted and long-term relationships with our suppliers. We know we can rely on them, and they know they can rely on us.
Of course, at a company like NSK, we have to balance our global manufacturing capabilities and capacities with a ‘local-for-local manufacturing’ approach where it is competitive. This set up also provides additional security as we’re always able to offer a secondary source of products.
"How are customer expectations changing across the market, and how is NSK adapting to those changes?"
Things differ hugely in terms of both sector and application. In general, however, the trends are towards faster speed to market (in terms of both design and availability), digitalisation of both the sales of engineering processes (which is why we work so hard on our online offering and integrating with services like FVA Workbench), ensuring supply chains are as resilient as possible and increased awareness of carbon neutrality.
"Which emerging markets or applications do you see as most exciting in terms of growth?"
When it comes to geography, Africa is certain to grow, it will be a very exciting market over the next 10 years. Even in Europe, though the continent’s markets aren’t currently getting any bigger, there is significant potential for NSK Europe to leverage our quality and expertise and grow significantly in the next few years.
In terms of applications, there are plenty, but I’m especially excited about the EV market and the changes it is driving when it comes to drive trains and chassis. There’s also eVotls, the medical field and advancing robotics.
"In an era of increased competition, how do you differentiate NSK from other companies?"
NSK is a high-performance, high-quality brand and we offer solutions to our customers which our competitors cannot replicate. Just as important is the trust we maintain between ourselves and our customers and the reliability we offer in terms of the supply chain.
"How do you see advanced technologies reshaping the industry?"
There are two things to consider here, products and processes…
When it comes to products, then a key focus for us is introducing AI and digital twins to our Product Life-Cycle Management. Meanwhile, in terms of processes, AI has a role to play in terms of quality control, predicting demand, inventory profiling and office efficiency.
"Sustainability is now a non-negotiable for major corporations. What steps are NSK taking in this area?"
Sustainability is absolutely a priority for us. Since 2017 we have reduced our CO2 emissions by 92% and we’ve moved all our plants to certified green electricity. We’ve also introduced local initiatives such as rainwater harvesting.
We’re also making progress when it comes to our products, for instance introducing the market’s first bioplastic cage.
"What has been the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned as CEO of NSK Europe?"
To drive transformation, be honest, transparent and listen to employees and customers. Transformation is a team effort and success belongs to the whole team.
"Looking ahead five to ten years, what’s your vision for NSK?"
NSK has a global vision called Change & Go Beyond.
What this specifically means for NSK Europe is that we will transform the business (Change), gain market share in Europe, expand into Africa in a big way and also introduce new products (Go Beyond).
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