NTN Corporation (hereafter, NTN) will newly establish the sales branch in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, of NTN BEARING VIET NAM CO., LTD. We will establish a new sales base in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest commercial city, which will play a central role in the ASEAN region, where further market growth is expected in the future. NTN will work to further expand the aftermarket business through aggressive sales activities and the provision of technical services.

Background and Aim of Ho Chi Minh Branch Establishment
Vietnam has continued to achieve stable economic growth in recent years due to the investment by multinational companies in various industries, including automobiles, and the growth of local companies.

In 2016, NTN established NTN BEARING VIET NAM CO., LTD., a sales company in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, to provide sales and technical services to customers of automotive and industrial machinery manufacturers as well as sales to distributors.

For customers and sales distributors in southern Vietnam, NTN BEARING VIET NAM CO., LTD. in Hanoi or neighboring NTN BEARING-SINGAPORE (PTE) LTD. has been responding through business trips and other means. However, in order to further expand the aftermarket business, we decided to establish a new sales base for customers and sales distributors in Ho Chi Minh City and its suburbs, which are the largest industrial clusters in the country.

Through proactive approaches to customers and sales distributors and the provision of fine-tuned technical services at the Ho Chi Minh Branch, NTN Group will work to expand the aftermarket business in Vietnam and the ASEAN region and improve its brand value.

About NTN's Aftermarket Business
Aiming to improve its earning power, NTN is focusing on expanding the aftermarket business, which are particularly profitable, as it works to transform its business portfolio. We will strengthen our product supply capabilities by enhancing our product lineup through outsourcing of production, the use of external purchases, and expanding our inventory control system called “FIRST” for immediate delivery of popular products. In addition, we will expand our aftermarket business and strengthen our brand value by providing engineering services that do not stop customers' machines, such as leading to the appropriate maintenance plans through the detection of defects and condition monitoring.