NGK SPARK PLUG ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN GERMAN COLD PLASMA JET THERAPY COMPANY NEOPLAS MED

As set out in NGK SPARK PLUG’s 2030 Long-Term Management Plan ‘NITTOKU BX’, the company is currently transforming its business portfolio to increase its activities in non-internal combustion engine-related areas. This has resulted in the focus on creating new businesses in the fields of ‘Smart Health’, ‘Smart Mobility’ and ‘Utility’.

The NGK SPARK PLUG Group has had a decades-long involvement in the medical sector, where it has placed a particular emphasis on the areas: early disease detection, respiratory care and wound care. “With our investment, we want to accompany the collaboration with neoplas med in the field of state-of-the-art wound healing technologies to improve the quality of life of patients worldwide," says Dirk Schapeler, President of Business Creation at NGK SPARK PLUG.

Initially, the company is acquiring a minority stake in the German enterprise as part of a capital increase but considers itself a strategic investor, with potential for further involvement. “Our goal is to accompany the worldwide use and further development of this ground-breaking technology in the long term,” he continues.

The partnership between the two companies will enable symbiotic development in wound care, with neoplas med bringing its cutting-edge expertise in cold plasma jet therapy to the table with their key product, ‘the kIN PEN’ – the first plasma jet to bear the CE mark as a medical device. Cold physical plasma is an ionised gas produced by electrical energy. It is applied to wounds with a jet beam and ensures that cells are stimulated to grow and quickly close wounds. Through the disruptive cold plasma jet process, the innovative company is achieving the latest advances in healing.

Currently, around 50 million people worldwide are suffering from chronic, non-healing wounds. Cold plasma jet technology allows patients to significantly improve their quality of life, while at the same time alleviating the burden on health care systems that rely on traditional treatment methods.

The new collaboration focuses on developing international markets such as the United States and Japan, expanding the fields of application into areas such as dental and ophthalmology, as well as the further development and digitalisation of the existing technology to increase efficiency. Based on their plasma and medical technology expertise, both companies see an additional advantage in the exchange of know-how.

“This strategic partnership with German neoplas med offers a snapshot of the transformation currently occurring at our company,” says Damien Germès, President & CEO of NGK SPARK PLUG EUROPE GmbH, Regional President EMEA and Corporate Officer of the Global Headquarters in Japan. “Next to ‘Smart Mobility’ and ‘Utility’, ‘Smart Health’ is another one of the areas we are investing in as we continue on our mission to become an environmentally sustainable company that brings new value to the world.”