Niterra EMEA GmbH
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COMPANY PROFILE

Who we are

With more than 80 years of industry experience, Niterra is the world’s leading ignition and sensor specialist, serving Original Equipment, Aftermarket and industrial customers across the globe. The company is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. It has a presence on every continent, with 60 group companies, 35 production plants, five Technical Centres and three Venture Labs worldwide.

NGK SPARK PLUG EMEA worldmap showing the EMEA region

EMEA Region

Niterra’s Aftermarket Automotive Components activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are managed by Niterra EMEA GmbH, located in Ratingen, Germany. The regional headquarters (RHQ) plays an important role within Niterra worldwide, with its EMEA sales alone accounting for 32% of the company’s global turnover. This strong presence is achieved by more than 1,000 employees across six regional companies, plus two production plants in France and South Africa.

With a wide range of ignition and sensor products, Niterra provides its ranges to almost all trading groups and major distributors, as well as to most of their workshop customers around the EMEA region.

 

Technical Centre

Founded in 1991 with an initial investment of around 10 million euros, it covers an area of 2,200 m2 and comprises three high-tech engine testing stands and two chassis dynos. It also includes a climate chamber, with integrated wind speed fan for temperatures from -30°C up to 30°C and allows for complete exhaust gas analysis. It is thus the perfect environment to perform the widest range of test cycles and simulations, including durability tests. Recently, the dynamometer was upgraded and is now capable of simulating downhill as well as road loads.

NGK SPARK PLUG vision car driving in the night

Planning for the future

Niterra’s 2030 Long-Term Management Plan ‘NITTOKU BX’ is an extension of today’s business plan. It aims to pave the way for the transformation of its business portfolio, the development of innovative solutions and new businesses.

‘NITTOKU BX’ sets the milestones for the next ten years. The goal is to establish strong business pillars in the areas ‘Environment & Energy’, ‘Mobility’, ‘Medical’ and ‘Communication’. These business pillars are in turn based on the UN’s 17 ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs). As part of this, the company launched a $100 million Corporate Venture Capital Fund in April 2021 to pursue new opportunities in these areas.

The Niterra vision for 2040, named ‘Beyond ceramics, eXceeding imagination’ (BX), gives the company the direction it needs to reinvent itself and to drastically change beyond the current way. This includes promoting cultural reform and diversity within the company. Employees will be empowered to think outside of the box and take risks, and a greater emphasis will be placed on increasing the number of women and foreign nationals in leading positions.

 

Niterra: A new company name

Considering the sustainable business objectives and the long term shift away from ICE, the name ‘Niterra’ no longer accurately described the company’s future direction. Therefore, a new name has been chosen. Niterra is a coined word combining the Latin words ‘niteo’/‘shine’ and ‘terra/earth’. It expresses the company’s desire to not only contribute to a sustainable society, but also one that makes the earth shine. The well-known brands NGK Ignition Parts and NTK Vehicle Electronics will continue to be used for Niterra’s respective businesses.

Business Areas

The majority of our business activities involve automotive components in the areas of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and IAM (Independent Aftermarket). The two brands NGK & NTK offer a combined portfolio of nine, continually updated product lines, covering more than 60,000 applications. Every range delivers extremely high vehicle coverage. Customer service, product availability and fast distribution are top priorities. But our excellence goes one step further. Niterra provides a wide range of added value - as clever packaging, cataloguing or tailored technical trainings.

Global Innovation Division

Ceramics opened the road to spark plugs – and that was just the start. Today, Venture Labs are using the knowledge and expertise of Niterra to drive a whole world of new possibilities. When it comes to harnessing new opportunities, Niterra is taking very pro-active and creative approaches. Venture Labs is one of them. A forum designed to quickly and creatively cooperate with other established businesses and exciting new start-ups.

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"The Niterra Group from now on aims to “change drastically beyond the current way.” In today’s rapidly changing environment, while commonly sharing the Nittoku Way sense of value, every Niterra employee will strive to solve social challenges with the action guideline 'Change with Will!' in mind and with noble intention."

Shinichi Odo & Takeshi Kawai

Representative Director Chairman of the Board & President and Chief Operating Officer

"By using the combined strength of both brands, we not only supply a broad range of products to our customers; we also provide strong values and bring unparalleled insight and knowledge into the industry."

Damien Germès

Regional President EMEA, President & CEO Niterra EMEA GmbH and Corporate Officer of the Global Headquarter in Japan

Company's name changes to Niterra

Why was the English company name being changed from NGK SPARK PLUG to Niterra?
What does the change of “English” company name mean? Will the new “English” name be adopted by the whole global company?
When will the name change be effective?
What does Niterra stand for?
What will happen to the current NGK and NTK brand names and logos?
What potential effects will the name change have on customers?
What exactly will change in terms of products, product range, packaging etc.?
Who do I need to contact in case of questions?
What is Niterra's vision and mission?
Will the change of name come across with further changes (acquisitions, business extension etc.)?

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Press Releases

The point of contact for press representatives looking for current news and information.

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Newsroom

All about products, current news and information.

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Job Opportunities

Niterra provides exciting job opportunities in all corporate areas.

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Contact

NGK SPARK PLUG is now Niterra!

But don‘t worry: Moving forward doesn‘t mean we‘re leaving our heritage and quality standards behind.
Our new company name ‘Niterra’ expresses the Group’s desire to be a company that not only contributes to a sustainable society, but also one that makes the earth shine.

The iconic brands - NGK and NTK - have built up highly impressive levels of brand loyalty and will therefore continue to exist for the company’s respective ignition and sensor businesses.

Get to know all about our new company name and what our future vision looks like:

A new beginning
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