When it comes to spark plugs, NGK is the World Leader. Makers of spark plugs for virtually every automotive, motorcycle, marine and small engine application, NGK dominates.

NGK Spark Plugs (USA), Inc. was established in 1966 as a subsidiary of NGK Spark Plug Co, Ltd., of Japan (www.ngkntk.co.jp). Its purpose was to establish and develop a market in the United States for NGK spark plugs and NTK ceramic products.

In 1976, NGK Spark Plugs Mfg. (USA), Inc. was established to assemble spark plugs in the United States with construction of our Irvine, California facility completed in 1981. In 1984, NGK Spark Plugs Mfg. (USA) merged into NGK Spark Plugs (USA), Inc. Ultimately, distribution facilities (1987) and corporate headquarters (1993) were also moved to the Irvine facility. NGK Spark Plug Mfg (USA), Inc. was established in 1994 in West Virginia
to produce oxygen sensors. This state of the art facility is located on a forty-acre campus that includes 113,000 square feet of manufacturing and a 70,000 square foot warehouse. Initial oxygen sensor production began in July of 1995 and the warehouse addition in August of 2001.

In January 2002, NGK combined NGK Spark Plugs (USA), Inc and NGK Spark Plug Mfg. (USA), Inc. into NGK Spark Plugs (USA) Inc., a West Virginia corporation. The corporate headquarters remain in Irvine, California and the sales headquarters in Wixom, Michigan.

Starting with a single product in 1936, NGK's extraordinary growth can be attributed to a philosophy of manufacturing the product where it is going to be used. In fact, a substantial number of NGK Spark Plugs and oxygen sensors sold in the United States are made right here in America. One of the benefits of this approach is the ability to work closely with manufacturers in developing products tailored specifically to their needs. The most tangible manifestations of the success of this philosophy have been the construction of fourteen factories in eight nations throughout the world, as well as NGK Spark Plugs being specified as original equipment by the majority of the world's auto manufacturers.

Through the years, our commitment to excellence evolved into an ambitious research and development program. Ceramics, at the core of superior spark plug technology, spawned the creation of NTK Technical Ceramics(www.ntktech.com). The resulting products, including IC Packages, Piezoelectronics, Ceramic Filters, Fine Ceramics, and Ceramic Cutting Tools set new industry standards.