2006/2/23 Toyo Becomes Japan's First Machine Tool Manufacturer to Reach the 10,000 Mark in Production of Internal Grinding Machines - Ceremony Held to Mark Shipment of 10,000th Machine - Toyo Advanced Technologies Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Kenichi Yamamoto, President), today announced that its production of internal grinding machines, one of the company's main products, had reached the 10,000 mark and that a ceremony had been held to commemorate this event. Toyo is Japan's first machine tool manufacturer to achieve a cumulative production total of 10,000 internal grinding machines. Those attending the ceremony commemorating this brilliant achievement included representatives of Toyo's customers, such as Hisakazu Imaki, President of Mazda Motor Corporation, and Yasunobu Suzuki, President of NTN Corporation, which took delivery of the 10,000th internal grinding machine. The first Japanese machine tool manufacturer to earn such a distinction, Toyo Advanced Technologies began producing and selling internal grinding machines in 1940. In the more than half a century since then, the company has developed and manufactured a variety of internal grinding machine models, finally reaching the 10,000 mark after 66 years. In 1941 Toyo's initial model gained a high reputation as the first domestically produced internal grinding machine suitable for practical use, and with later refinements it was eventually marketed as the T-72. By 1945 a total of 550 of the T-72 had been produced, making Toyo the leading domestic manufacturer of machine tools in Japan. Today the Toyo brand is practically synonymous with internal grinding machines, and the company's products are in high demand in many manufacturing industries, including bearings, automobiles, and electrical household appliances. Toyo internal grinding machines are renowned for their high precision and efficiency. Last year the company's line of horizontal internal grinding machines was supplemented with the addition of new space saving vertical designs, ranging from compact to large-scale models. As Japan's leading manufacturer of internal grinding machines, Toyo offers a wide range of products for a variety of applications. The 10,000th internal grinding machine to roll off the production line was a model T-117N. The T-117 series of internal grinding machines is of the centerless type and was introduced in 1973 as an upgrade to the earlier T-118 series. As refinements have been made more models have appeared, including the T-117A, T-117B, T-117CNC, and finally the T-117N. The total quantity of T-117 internal grinding machines produced exceeds 250. The current T-117N remains a centerless type and features two-axis control and two-shoe magnetic support. Nearly 50 units have already been shipped to customers in the bearing industry. The 10,000th machine was delivered to NTN's Iwata Plant and will be used to machine needle bearings. Toyo Advanced Technologies began manufacturing machine tools in 1929. In those days, as a department of Toyo Kogyo Company Limited (today's Mazda Motor Corporation), it began producing grinding machines for internal corporate use. In the years since then Toyo has manufactured and sold internal grinding machines, honing machines, bore finishers, special purpose machines, super finishing machines, and multi-wire saws. Toyo Advanced Technologies was spun off from Mazda Motor Corporation to become an independent company in 1989. It is presently active in three areas: machine tools (the company's main business segment), automobile components, and surface processing.