Toshiba Materials’ Major Investment in Second Production Facility Will Boost Silicon Nitride Ball Production
Toshiba Materials Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Takao Shirai) today announced a major investment in a new production facility that will significantly boost production capacity for silicon nitride balls. The facility will be constructed at the company’s Oita Operations in northern Kyushu, Japan, and the 7-billion yen project (approx. US$50 million) is expected to come online in January 2026.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230725410365/en/
Toshiba Materials: Image of silicon nitride balls (Graphic: Business Wire)
Continued advances in automobile electrification require performance improvements and solutions that go beyond higher voltage batteries and shorter charging times. One measure to improve performance is to integrate motors, inverters and decelerators. Although this increases the risk of electrolytic corrosion[1] in motor bearings[2], it is a problem that can be overcome with hybrid bearings with ceramic balls with steel inner and outer races. The added advantages of excellent strength, superior wear resistance and insulation properties are increasingly positioning ceramic balls as the solution of choice.
Toshiba Materials is proactively investing in increased production of silicon nitride balls for electric vehicles. In July 2022.[3] the company announced a production expansion at its headquarters site in Yokohama that boosted production by 50%. When the new Oita facility reaches full capacity, production capabilities will be 2.5 times that of the 2022 level.
Toshiba Materials will continue stable supply of high quality products, and will contribute to increased use of environmentally friendly electric vehicles.
Notes
[1] Electrolytic corrosion: damage to a bearing caused by a current flowing through it.
[2] Bearing: A part that allows a shaft to rotate smoothly in a machine. Formed with an inner race, balls, and outer race.
[3] Toshiba Material’s press release, July 19, 2022
https://www.toshiba-tmat.co.jp/pdf/en/news/new20220719.pdf
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230725410365/en/
Contact information
Media Inquiries:
K.Tanaka, S.Mihashi
Corporate Communications & Market Intelligence Group
Strategic Planning Div.
Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
Tel: +81-44-548-2122
Mail: tdsc-publicrelations@ml.toshiba.co.jp
Website: https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Hanshow and the University of Cambridge Launch Joint Research on Augmented Intelligent Hybrid Wireless Technology25.12.2025 13:34:00 EET | Press release
Hanshow, a global leader in electronic shelf labels (ESL) and digital store solutions, has entered into a multi-year research collaboration with the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions. The partnership will focus on joint research and innovation in next-generation intelligent hybrid wireless technologies, marking an important milestone in Hanshow’s continued investment in core technologies and long-term innovation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251225988816/en/ This collaboration leverages the University of Cambridge’s deep expertise in fundamental wireless technology research, alongside Hanshow’s extensive industry experience, to further strengthen multi-protocol integration capabilities and expand scalable applications across diverse retail scenarios. Guided by shared principles of innovation, collaboration, openness, and knowledge sharing, the two parties aim
Social Development Bank Highlights Strategic Partnerships and Global Initiatives at DeveGo 202524.12.2025 18:27:00 EET | Press release
The Social Development Bank (SDB) hosted the second edition of the Entrepreneurship and Modern Business Practices Forum, “DeveGo 2025”, from 21 to 23 December in Riyadh. Held under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Chairman of SDB’s Board of Directors, the forum brings together government leaders, global experts, investors, and entrepreneurs to shape the future of entrepreneurship and modern business practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251224036724/en/ From right to left: Ahmed Al Rajhi, Saudi's Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, H.E. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and Sultan Al Hamidi, CEO of Social Development (Photo: AETOSWire) Opening the forum, Minister Al Rajhi delivered a keynote speech on the growing vibrancy of Saudi Arabia’s entrepreneurial movem
Making Science Unveils ‘AWAKE’: The AI Venture Studio Industrialising Startup Creation and AI-First Innovative Solutions23.12.2025 21:51:00 EET | Press release
Making Science, the global digital acceleration consultancy, today announced the launch of AWAKE Venture Studio. This "AI-first" model represents a new era in systematic innovation, designed to identify, prototype, and scale both internal proprietary solutions and independent AI-native startups with global reach. The launch of AWAKE is motivated by the significant efficiency gains of orders of magnitude that Making Science has already achieved through the internal integration of AI. By applying these methods, the firm has achieved a 2x acceleration in tech feature development reducing time in the deployment of AI Agents. This model has already proven its commercial and innovative power through the acceleration of startups like ad-machina, which has multiplied its value by 10 since joining the Making Science ecosystem. These proven benchmarks serve as the technical foundation for AWAKE’s two interconnected engines, which formalise this efficiency into a repeatable manufacturing process
FDA Clears First Extended Depth of Focus Contact Lens for Presbyopia23.12.2025 19:07:00 EET | Press release
The Cataltheia Group and its U.S. subsidiary, Bruno Vision Care LLC, a leader in eye health innovation, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the first and only Daily Disposable Soft (Hydrophilic) Contact Lens for Presbyopia utilizing patented Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) optical design technology, enabling commercial distribution in the United States. Deseyne® delivers smooth, continuous focus across near, intermediate, and distance vision, providing clear, natural vision without compromise. This performance is enabled by Cataltheia’s patented hyper-refractive central zone, engineered to precisely redirect light in a controlled manner. The result is a clear clinical advantage over the only other available contact lens option for presbyopia, multifocal lenses, which rely on multiple optical zones and often require prolonged visual and cognitive adaptation. “We are proud to offer the first contact lens solution for the world’s aging population th
Aramco Awards SLB Long-Term Contract to Support Kingdom’s Unconventional Gas Production Growth23.12.2025 15:58:00 EET | Press release
Global technology company SLB (NYSE: SLB) has been awarded a five-year contract by Aramco to provide stimulation services for its unconventional gas fields. This award is part of a broader multi-billion contract, supporting one of the largest unconventional gas development programs globally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251223074948/en/ The contract encompasses advanced stimulation, well intervention, frac automation, and digital solutions, which are important to unlocking the potential of Saudi Arabia’s unconventional gas resources. The contract encompasses advanced stimulation, well intervention, frac automation, and digital solutions, which are important to unlocking the potential of Saudi Arabia’s unconventional gas resources — a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s strategy to diversify its energy portfolio and support the global energy transition. “This agreement is an important step forward in Aramco’s effor
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom