• (1) What is the origin of company name “NICHIDAI ”?

  The name “NICHIDAI ” is a combination word of “Nichi” and “dai,” where “Nichi” is an abbreviation of “Nippon” and “dai” is the Japanese pronunciation of “die.” This name comes from a wish to make the company Japan’s top die manufacturer.

• (2) What was the trigger for foundation of the Company?

  In 1959, the Founder, Yoshiaki Tanaka started manufacturing and selling wire drawing dies of irregular shape with special techniques to process super hard alloy. In 1967, this personal shop was organized into a limited company.

• (3) What companies are included in your Group? Where are your branches and factories located?

  Please see “Domestic network / International network” of Company Profile.

• (4) What’s your principles of management?

  The NICHIDAI Group has set principles of management of aiming to be an enterprise that can contribute to the society by creating new values by acting to realize 3S “Customer Satisfaction (CS), Investor Satisfaction (IS), and Employee Satisfaction (ES)” to the maximum extent and improving the aspects in a sustainable manner. For details, please see “Principles of Management” of Corporate Profile.

2. Business lineup

• (1) What does “forging” mean?

  It is a technique to form by applying a force to a metal by a press. It is a processing method "to forge iron".

• (2) What does “die” mean?

  A die is a metal form to shape products using the material’s deforming nature or liquidity. This is widely used among industries such as automobile and home electric appliances industries as a tool for mass production.

• (3) Can you explain Net-Shape in simple terms?

  “Warm forging” and “cold forging” are comprehensively called “precision forging.” In general, precision-forged parts are completed by cutting subtle portions that cannot be shaped well only by forging. “Net-Shape” completes products only with forging, not lathing. For details, please refer to “Precision Forging Dies” of Product information / Entrusted development.

• (4) What are the characteristics and advantages of the Precision Dies Business?

  Advantages of our company are “total engineering power,” “technological development abilities” and “customer dispersion.”

  1. Total engineering power: Different from die manufacturers specialized in dies, our Company has been engaged in processes from designing and development of dies since its foundation. Moreover, we are meeting customers’ diversified needs from research and development, construction of production lines to subcontracted mass production of parts.
  2. Technological development abilities: In various fields, our company not only carries out in-house development for precision forging of parts, but also is in charge of customer-entrusted and -joint development projects for precision forging of new products. We are enhancing equipment for CAE analysis, experiments and prototyping with nearly 30 design and development staff members.
  3. Customer dispersion: Although our major customers are auto-related industries, we do not concentrate on specific auto makers but are trading with a wide range of customers.

• (5) Which part of an automobile are your products used for?

  Dies we are manufacturing are used for important security parts such as gears that are incorporated into “engines,” “transmissions” and “driving mechanisms,” and that require both strength and precision. These parts are supplied not only to Japanese auto companies but also to overseas car manufacturers.

• (6) What is the competing product for precision forging die?

  One of the competing products for precision forging die is cutting machine. The majority of products currently processed using precision forging dies used to be manufactured by cutting process. Processing with precision forging dies enabled the cost reduction and streamlining of production as well as the changeover of processing method. Some parts are still manufactured with both of cutting process and precision forging and those processing methods are competing with each other for technological innovation.

• (7) What is scroll?

  It is a necessary part for scroll compressors for car air conditioners, and is also installed in EV vehicles.

• (8) What is turbocharger?

  Turbocharger is a system that uses energy of exhausts extracted from the engine to rotate the windmill-shaped propeller (turbine) and thereby rotate the windmill (compressor) on the same axis, compress air, and forcibly supply the air into the engine to obtain high output.

• (9) What does “VG” of VG turbocharger mean?

  “VG” is abbreviation of “Variable Geometry.” The feature in VG turbo charger for diesel engine is to be able to open and close vanes matching engine turn. Therefore, the combustor efficiency can be raised compared with the turbo charger of a fixed type that cannot control the opening and closing level.

• (10) What are the characteristics and advantages of the Company’s filter business?

  Our filter business has accumulated more than 40 years of experience mainly developing its diffusion bonding technology for stainless steel materials. We have a total of 10 sintering furnaces at 2 locations in Japan and Thailand (THAI SINTERED MESH CO., LTD. - TSM) to ensure the world’s largest production capacity for sintered wire mesh filters. Our filters are used in a wide variety of industries including food, petrochemical, and pharmaceuticals as well as for domestically produced rockets. Recently, with their applications being expanded, they are also adopted in ballast water treatment equipment for ship and vessel. Please see the website of NICHIDAI FILTER CORPORATION for details.

• (11) What is diffusion bonding technology?

  A phenomenon called atom diffusion occurs between each contact in the metallic structure. At that time, a crystal is formed across each contact by keeping the structure under its melting point for a certain time of period. Diffusion bonding technology uses those phenomena to integrate stainless steel materials.

3. Financial results and financial conditions

• (1) When do you announce your year-end financial results?

  We announce our year-end financial results at the end of March each year. Materials for financial results announcement (earnings briefing, etc.) are placed on this website (linked to financial results materials) on the day of announcement. Please see IR Calendar for financial results announcement schedule.

• (2) I need to know more about your business performance.

  Please see the pages of “IR Library.”

• (3) What are the external factors that may affect your performance?

  Dies, our core product, are mainly used for mass production of auto parts. Therefore, our performance depends on units of automobiles to be produced, and development of auto parts. Since we operate business overseas, foreign exchange fluctuations may also affect our performance.

• (4) Which area does NICHIDAI want to focus on in future?

  Considering the change in our business environment, we have been implementing our management strategy to achieve the following three goals since the beginning of fiscal year 2018:
  1: “Challenge to adding resilience to existing business”
  2: “Challenge to the next generation ”
  3: “Challenge to a great place to work”
  Specifically, we are working on development activities in view of “response to overseas expansion” and “launch of new businesses” focused on Asia as well as plans such as the improvement of workplace environment in consideration of “enhancement of comfortable working environment”.

• (5) What is your basic policy of capital policy?

  Our basic policy is to maintain a sufficient level of shareholders' equity necessary to swiftly and reliably seize business opportunities with the aim of sustainably increasing corporate value.
  In addition, returning profits to shareholders is an important issue for the Company, and we aim to continuously and stably pay dividends while ensuring necessary internal reserves and comprehensively considering business performance and financial condition.

4. Share and dividend

• (1) What is your securities code?

  Our securities code is 6467.

• (2) What is the number of shareholders and who are major shareholders of your company?

  Please see the page of Stock information.

• (3) When is the date of right allotment for shareholders to receive dividends?

  Date of right allotment for year-end dividend is March 31. Date of right allotment for interim dividend is September 30.

• (4) What kind of dividend policy does the company have?

  The Company also considers returning its profit to its shareholders and investors as our important business policy and is working toward constantly paying them stock dividends securing internal reserves required to ensure our future business development and stronger management culture.

• (5) Are you planning to introduce any shareholder special benefit system?

  At present, we have no plan to introduce any shareholder special benefit system.

5. IR activities

• (1) What are your IR activity plans?

  For our IR activities, please see IR Calendar.

• (2) How can I get Shareholders News and other IR information?

  You can download securities report, Shareholders News and many other IR media from IR Library.

• (3) What is your basic policy of disclosing IR information

  To build a long-term relationship of trust with our shareholders and investors, we are engaged in IR activities, with disclosure policy set as our basic policy, to disclose information in a fair, timely and appropriate manner, and in compliance with relevant laws and regulations.