Relationships with Local Communities and Global Society  Back Number (2015)

In March 2015, U.S. manufacturing subsidiary New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Inc. (NHBB) made a US$15,000 donation to the Peterborough Fire Department, which protects the area in which the company's plant is located.

In February 2014, waste chemicals caused an explosion at NHBB's Peterborough Plant. The donation was made as a token of appreciation for the great contribution the fire department made in responding to the accident. Afterwards, the fire department chief expressed his gratitude for the donation, noting that the funds would be spent to purchase an important thermal imaging camera which searches for people in buildings.

German subsidiary myonic GmbH is cooperating with the local office of the Stiftung Liebenau foundation to support employment of people with disabilities. Stiftung Liebenau is a non-profit foundation promoting support for people with disabilities and for educational initiatives. The organization has more than 6,000 employees in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, and Italy.

myonic has collaborated with the foundation to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and from May 2014, the company began newly hired one person as a cafeteria trainee.

At the Zhuhai Plant in China, employee volunteers participate in a program to deliver donated goods to the elderly in senior citizen homes and children in welfare facilities. The volunteers visit the facilities to deliver traditional Chinese cakes and other food supplies to the elderly and children, as well as stationery and other needed goods. The volunteers also spend time talking and enjoying recreation with the facility residents to deepen their friendships. In addition, plant employees take part in blood donation drives, tree-planting activities, and a variety of other social contribution activities to support their local community.

The Shanghai Plant provides donations to musical concerts sponsored by a Shanghai business association. The plant also accepts interns from Shanghai Dianji University for social training and takes part in a wide variety of other community activities.

As a company aiming to fulfill its corporate responsibility, NMB-Minebea Thai promotes a wide variety of CSR activities based on ISO 26000 and other international standards related to social responsibility.

In FY2014, the company's plants provided educational seminars to their communities' children about waste separation, held career development projects for local citizen, participated in reforestation efforts to revitalize mangrove forests, and took other initiatives for the development of their communities.

In recognition of these efforts, the company's Bang Pa-In, Lopburi, Ayutthaya and Rojana Plants once again received the CSR-DIW Continuous Award Year 2014 from the Thai Ministry of Industry for their continuous CSR activities.

In September 2014, Minebea's Matsuida Plant welcomed a student from Myogi Junior High School in adjacent Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, as part of the school's work experience program.

A part of the school's occupational education curriculum, the program is designed to help students gain a better understanding of what it's like to work in the real world and work-related responsibilities, while equipping them with better communication skills. The student completed a twoday program in inspection operations at the plant's Rod End/Fastener Business Unit. In a thank-you note, the student described how the work experience drove home the challenge of making things and gave him a newfound appreciation for the fruits of others' labor.

In October 2014, Yonago Plant employees took part in a community beautification initiative to pick up trash along hiking trails and at the peak of Mt. Daisen (1,729 meters) in Tottori Prefecture, where the plant is located.

Altogether, 26 employees and family members participated. On the same day, the volunteers also participated in the "One Tree, One Rock" campaign aimed at restoring the mountain summit by carrying a small rock in their backpacks that they deposited at the mountain's peak.

In October 2013, the Karuizawa Plant signed an agreement with Miyota Town allowing the town to utilize the plant's heliport in times of disasters. In October 2014, the plant expanded the provision of the heliport by signing a new agreement with the local fire department of Miyota Town, Kitasakugun, Nagano Prefecture giving it free access to the plant's heliport for use by medevac helicopters.

As part of its amateur sports promotion, the Karuizawa Plant supports curling through donations to the Asama Highland Sports Club, an incorporated nonprofit organization. The monetary donations assist the club in holding curling competitions and support junior and wheelchair teams.