Diesel Demand Leads to Glow Plug Factory

The rapidly-increasing demand for diesel cars in Europe, and with it the increased demand for glow plugs, has led NGK Spark Plugs to open a new factory on its Komaki site in Japan, dedicated to the production of ceramic and metal glow plugs. The rise in demand has seen a dramatic growth in NGK’s market share – four years ago the company claimed 10 per cent of the UK glow plug market and today the figure is 50 per cent and rising. NGK’s Komaki factory was originally opened in 1962 and the new four-storey building covers some 30,000 square metres. It will manufacture several hundred different types of glow plugs and the annual production capacity is 20 million pieces.