NTN Corp., a Japanese maker of bearings for cars and industrial gear, expects sales of the devices used in wind-power generators to exceed its target because the Fukushima meltdown disaster has spurred demand for alternative energy sources.
NTN may reach its revenue target for the specialized bearings six months or a year earlier than previously estimated, Shigeyoshi Takagi, president of the Osaka-based company, said in a recent interview. The company had expected the segment to rise six-fold in the three years ending in March 2014, he said, declining to give specific figures.
Meltdowns caused by damage from the March 11 tsunami at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 plant threw the energy industry into disarray, prompting opposition to providers' plans to restart idle reactors. Tepco and its next-biggest rival, Kansai Electric Power Co., which serves the Osaka area, asked users to cut electricity consumption by 15 percent over the peak summer demand period as they worked to restore capacity.