NGK SPARK PLUG to change company name to ‘Niterra’

Ever since its founding in 1936, the company has been synonymous with spark plugs and today enjoys the position of global leader in this market. However, the internal combustion engine (ICE)-related business comprises just one part of NGK SPARK PLUG, with the company also having achieved significant success in areas such as sensors and technical ceramics.

With the on-going transformation of the automotive industry, the NGK SPARK PLUG 2030 Long-Term Management Plan, ‘NITTOKU BX’, which was unveiled in 2020, set out the company’s future path, focusing on the successful portfolio transformation towards environmentally sustainable business fields. These are Mobility, Medical, Environment & Energy and Communications.

Considering the company’s sustainable business objectives, as well as the forecasted shift away from ICE powertrains, the name ‘NGK SPARK PLUG’ no longer accurately describes the company’s future direction as a whole. Indeed, particularly in Europe and the US, the current name is strongly associated with the ICE business segment, which can create an impression that overlooks the positive contribution that the company makes to the environment – especially with its various ranges of sensors, its technical ceramics business and its many new fields of activities.

The Group’s new English company name – ‘Niterra’ – is a coined word, which combines the Latin words ‘niteo’ meaning ‘shine’ and ‘terra/earth’. It 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: a goal formulated in the company’s 2040 Vision.

While ‘Niterra’ will become the Group’s overall name, the iconic brands – NGK and NTK – will continue to exist for the company’s respective businesses.

“‘Niterra’ is a key milestone in the transformation which we are undergoing,” says Damien Germès, President & CEO of NGK SPARK PLUG EUROPE GmbH, Regional President EMEA and Corporate Officer of the Global Headquarters in Japan. “In the coming generations, it will be necessary to think even more about sustainability and what is good for the earth. With our new name, we have taken one more step on our journey to become a company that not only is successful, but also provides new value to the world.”