Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Native name
日本電波工業株式会社
Company typePublic (K.K)
TYO: 6779
ISINJP3737800007
IndustryElectronics
FoundedApril 1948; 75 years ago (1948-04)
Headquarters
Sasazuka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-8569
,
Japan
Key people
Toshiaki Takeuchi
(Chairman of the Board, President and CEO)
Products
RevenueIncrease JPY 42.4 billion (FY 2018)
(US$ 386 million)
Decrease JPY -251 million (FY 2018)
(US$ -2.2 million)
Number of employees
3,419 (consolidated, as of September 30, 2018)
WebsiteOfficial website
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3]

Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd. or NDK (日本電波工業株式会社, Nihon Dempa Kogyo Kabushiki-gaisha) is one of the world's largest quartz crystal companies, based in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

Using its synthetic quartz crystals, NDK produces crystal-related products such as crystal devices (e.g. crystal units, crystal oscillators, crystal filters) and ultrasonic transducers for medical use. In recent years, the company has begun to develop frequency synthesizers and low-power wireless modules.

History

Products

Research and product development

Nihon Dempa Kogyo has developed a prototype crystal-based disease detector which diagnoses disease from breath.[8] The system works by detecting trace amounts of odor-causing substances found in a person's breath.[9]

Company locations

NDK has sales offices in Japan, China, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, and United States. NDK has production and engineering facilities in Japan, China, Germany, Malaysia, and the United States.

2009 Explosion

Main article: Belvidere, Illinois § 2009 explosion

NDK's Belvidere, Illinois facility was heavily damaged in 2009 when one of the crystal autoclaves ruptured violently, causing an explosion. The explosion scattered debris over a wide area, with a 7-foot support beam striking and killing Ronald Greenfield of Chesterfield, Indiana, who was refueling at a nearby truck stop. Debris also damaged a nearby automotive supply company, injuring one worker.[10] [11] The rupture was in a crystal-growth autoclave that had undergone stress corrosion cracking and was inadequately inspected; recommendations from a previous incident were ignored. As a result, the autoclave became overstressed and failed completely.[12] After an investigation, OSHA fined NDK $510,000 for a history of ignoring safety recommendations.[13] Demolition of the facility began in March 2015, with no plans to rebuild.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Profile". Nihon Dempa Kogyo. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "About the company". Financial Times. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "Company Profile". Nikkei Asian Review. Nikkei Inc. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  4. ^ ABC 7 (November 14, 2013). "Final report issued on fatal Belvidere explosion; Feds say plant ignored safety warning before 2009 explosion". ABC News. Retrieved July 3, 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Wheeler, Jennifer (November 14, 2013). "Overlooked inspections caused Belvidere's NDK explosion". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Crystal Manufacturer Fined $510,000 for Fatal Explosion". Occupational Health and Safety Administration. June 1, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Stanley, Ben (March 11, 2015). "Vacant 10-story NDK tower in Belvidere, site of 2009 explosion, is coming down". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  8. ^ David Manners (June 15, 2015). "NDK uses quartz to detect disease from breath". Electronics Weekly. Metropolis International. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  9. ^ Masahide Kimura (June 14, 2015). "New disease-sniffing sensors promise quick, simple diagnosis". Nikkei Asian Review. Nikkei Inc. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  10. ^ Stanley, Ben (March 11, 2015). "Vacant 10-story NDK tower in Belvidere, site of 2009 explosion, is coming down". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  11. ^ Rolf K. Eckhoff (June 14, 2016). Explosion Hazards in the Process Industries. Elsevier Science. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-12-803274-9.
  12. ^ "CSB Finds Fatal 2009 NDK Explosion Resulted from Stress Corrosion Cracking of High-Pressure Vessel". U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. November 14, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  13. ^ "Crystal Manufacturer Fined $510,000 for Fatal Explosion". Occupational Safety and Health Administration. June 1, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "NDK Tower Being Demolished". WIFR-LD. Gray Television. March 12, 2015. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2019.

External links

Electronics industry in Japan
Authority control databases
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