About NGK
Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic
My heart goes out to all those affected by COVID-19. I would also like to express my sincere respect and gratitude to medical professionals and all the other people who are supporting our society.
The current spread of the novel coronavirus has caused an abrupt slowdown in the global economy, having a significant impact on the NGK Group's business performance.
Nevertheless, we must not halt our progress. We strive to ensure the safety of employees and their families and prevent the spread of infection. With this as our top priority, we will take advantage of our unique ceramic technology to provide products that exceed society's expectations and continue growing to create a sustainable future.
President
Policy
Working together to overcome a new challenge while putting respect for human life first
Priority 1 : Respect for human life
Our top priority is the safety of the Group's employees and their families. We also place great importance on the safety of our customers and business partners.
Priority 2 : Cooperation with government and regional policies
In addition to cooperating with the response plans of national and local governments and regions, we will place actions taken on behalf of society as a whole above our business activities.
Priority 3 : Maintenance and continuation of business activities
We will fulfill our social responsibility by maintaining and continuing our business activities and by minimizing the economic losses sustained by the Group.
Organization
We have formed a task force on February 28, 2020 as the pandemic was spreading, and we have put our BCP into action on April 20, 2020 as part of a groupwide effort to implement associated measures.
Main Measures for Work Arrangements, Production Sites, and Welfare Facilities
1.Telework
- Employees of back-office departments were instructed as a rule to work from home following the government's emergency declaration.
- Since the declaration of emergency was lifted, we have adjusted how often employees come in to work at the office based on infection levels.
2.Restrictions on business travel
- In principle, business travel was forbidden in April 2020.
- Starting at the end of May 2020, we placed restrictions on the destinations to which employees could travel based on infection levels.
3.Dispersion of workplaces
- We have set up several satellite offices.
4.Commute options
- We encourage our employees to work flextime or staggered shift.
- We have expanded our parking lot for our employees who can commute to work by their own cars.
5.Production sites
- We have required employees to wear face masks, face shields, and gloves, among other measures.
- Employees are required to take their temperature at the start and end of work each day and to report their physical condition.
- Sharing of protective gear is prohibited.
- Vinyl curtains have been installed.
- Handing off of work between day and night shifts is now being done in writing.
- Switches and control panels are being disinfected.
6.Welfare facilities
- Meal times in the cafeteria are being staggered, and employees are required to practice social distancing. Acrylic sheets have been installed.
- Some facilities have been temporarily closed.
Contributions to Society
Product : Beryllium Copper Products
Our beryllium copper alloys offer high strength and excellent springiness that rival special steel while taking advantage of the favorable properties of copper, allowing them to make a positive contribution as materials for medical devices used in treating COVID-19, which are required to deliver high reliability and compact size.
NGK Ceramics Europe Donates Masks
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread in Belgium, NGK Ceramics Europe supplied 8,000 masks it had stockpiled in response to a request from the regional government in Baudour, where the company is headquartered. The company received a letter of gratitude from the government expressing thanks for helping prevent an early collapse of the healthcare system.
NGK Science Site
Reflecting our desire to help people have fun while they were requested to stay at home, we created special pages featuring experiments and projects that are easy to do at home without the need to purchase any supplies and published them as "Experiments at Home Series" on the NGK Science Site, part of the NGK website.
NGK is doing everything it can to help children whose schools have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic explore science and have fun at home in an effort to support their studies.
The NGK Science Site features content planned and created by NGK with the goal of communicating the fun of science to children.
The website has introduced more than 270 experiments since it was created in 1997, and it has attracted many visitors who enjoy conducting experiments with everyday items.