NGK Spark Plugs changes company name to ‘Niterra’

Following the 122^nd Ordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders on 24 June 2022, NGK Spark Plug announced its decision to change its English language company name to ‘Niterra’. World-renowned as an ignition, sensor and technical ceramics specialist, the Group rebrand reflects the journey which the company is currently on and will come into effect at the beginning of the company’s next fiscal year on 1 April 2023.

Ever since its founding in 1936, the company has been synonymous with spark plugs and today enjoys the position of global leader in this market. However, the internal combustion engine (ICE)-related business comprises just one part of NGK Spark Plug, with the company also having achieved significant success in areas such as sensors and technical ceramics.

With the on-going transformation of the automotive industry, the NGK Spark Plug 2030 Long-Term Management Plan, ‘Nittoku BX’, which was unveiled in 2020, set out the company’s future path, focusing on the successful portfolio transformation towards environmentally sustainable business fields. These are mobility, medical, environment & energy, and communications.

Considering the company’s sustainable business objectives, as well as the forecasted shift away from ICE powertrains, the company said the name ‘NGK Spark Plug’ no longer accurately describes its future direction. Indeed, particularly in Europe and the US, the current name is strongly associated with the ICE business segment, which can create an impression that overlooks the positive contribution that the company makes to the environment – especially with its various ranges of sensors, its technical ceramics business and its many new fields of activities.

The Group’s new English company name – ‘Niterra’ – is a coined word, which combines the Latin words ‘niteo’ meaning ‘shine’ and ‘terra/earth’. It expresses the Group’s desire to be a company that not only contributes to a sustainable society, but also one that makes the earth shine: a goal formulated in the company’s 2040 Vision.

While ‘Niterra’ will become the Group’s overall name, the iconic brands – NGK and NTK – will continue to exist for the company’s respective businesses.