Mektec and Ibaraki Robots Partner for Community Contribution Custom Basketballs Donated to Ushiku Junior High Schools

NOK Corporation is pleased to announce that its Group company Mektec Corporation (Headquarters: Shibadaimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, Chief Executive Officer: Taro Ito, hereinafter referred to as “Mektec”) has signed a partnership agreement in September 2024 with the Ibaraki Robots (Ibaraki Robots Sports Entertainment; Head office: Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture; President: Atsuyuki Kawasaki), a professional basketball team in Japan’s B1 League. To commemorate the partnership, Mektec collaborated with Ibaraki Robots to donate basketballs to all junior high schools in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture. This initiative was part of the team's community contribution efforts, and a donation ceremony was held at Ushiku Chateau on Monday, November 18.
The ceremony was attended by Ushiku City Mayor Kazutoshi Numata and three junior high school students representing their school. During the event, Ibaraki Robots President Atsuyuki Kawasaki and Mektec CEO Taro Ito presented 60 custom basketballs featuring the logos of the Ibaraki Robots and Mektec to the students.

The NOK Group is committed to Essential Core Manufacturing — The manufacture of pivotal products that shape society. We prioritize fostering bonds with local communities, aiming to grow alongside them as a responsible corporate citizen that they can trust, and be proud of. One of the ways we accomplish this is by focusing on nurturing and supporting the next generation, the future leaders of society. Mektec has production and sales bases in Japan, Asia, Europe, and the United States, actively contributing to local communities worldwide.

Since establishing its production base in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1971, Mektec has maintained its only Japanese manufacturing site in Ushiku City. Over the past 50 years, it has prioritized community engagement in Ibaraki through various corporate activities. This commitment aligns closely with the mission of the Ibaraki Robots, a professional basketball team based in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture whose mission is to create dreams, pride, and vitality through sports, entertainment, and media while pioneering regional development models through diverse, sports-centered initiatives. Inspired by this shared vision, Mektec entered into a bronze sponsorship agreement with the Ibaraki Robots for the 2024-25 season. Original basketballs were donated to all six junior high schools in Ushiku City as part of the team's “M-HOPE: Hope for Everyone” *1 initiative.
*1 M-HOPE - Hope for Everyone is a social contribution project of the Ibaraki Robots. This initiative strives to create hope by working together with businesses and the local community. 

Custom basketballs featuring the logos of the Ibaraki Robots and Mektec presented to school representatives

At the donation ceremony, Mektec CEO Taro Ito delivered a speech, expressing his enthusiasm for initiatives that support the next generation. 
Ibaraki Robots President Atsuyuki Kawasaki then took the stage and highlighted the team's community outreach efforts aimed at schools and children. He also shared his thoughts on the basketball donation project, jointly undertaken with Mektec. 
Ushiku Mayor Kazutoshi Numata presented a letter of gratitude to Mektec expressing his appreciation for its contributions. He also shared his hopes for basketball to drive community development and promote sports engagement.
Three members of the boys' basketball team from Ushiku Minami Junior High School in Ushiku City participated in the donation ceremony as representatives of their school. They received basketballs featuring the logos of the Ibaraki Robots and Mektec. Team captain Issei Yokoshima expressed his gratitude on behalf of the team and shared, “I plan to pass this ball around to all the team members and attempt some three-pointers.”

Overview of Basketball Donation Ceremony

• Date: November 18, 2024 (Monday)
• Venue: Ushiku Chateau Main Building, 2nd floor (3-20-1 Chuo, Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture)
• Participants: Taro Ito, Representative Director and CEO, Mektec, Atsuyuki Kawasaki, President, Ibaraki Robots Sports Entertainment, Ushiku Mayor Kazutoshi Numata, 3 Ushiku City Junior High School Students
• Donated items: Basketballs with Ibaraki Robots and Mektec logos. 10 for each school. 60 basketballs in total (five size-6 balls and five size-7 balls for each school). A panel featuring Ibaraki Robots mascot Roboske (one for each school, six in total)
• Recipients: All six municipal junior high schools and integrated compulsory education schools covering elementary and junior high levels (Ushiku 1st Jr High School, Ushiku 3rd Jr High School, Shimone Jr High School, Ushiku Minami Jr High School, Hitachinoushiku Jr High School, and Okuno Compulsory Education School)

Addresses at the Donation Ceremony

Sports is a wonderful activity that provides you with the opportunity to deepen bonds with friends and helps cultivate the spirit to take on challenges. We hope you enjoy playing basketball to the fullest during your junior high school years and grow a deeper connection to Ibaraki Prefecture and Ushiku City through your support of the Ibaraki Robots.
Through our corporate efforts, we hope to continue earning the trust of the local community. Together with the people of Ushiku City and the Ibaraki Robots, we strive to create a dynamic and appealing city filled with vitality.

It is vital for adults in the community to create an environment where everyone can forge forward through sports, building resilience and strength for the future.
We are delighted to collaborate with Mektec, a company deeply rooted in Ushiku City, and the people of Ushiku City to foster community connections and pass the ball to the next generation.

Mektec’s Community Contribution Efforts

Mektec actively engages in community contribution activities across its production and sales bases in Japan, Asia, Europe, and the United States. At the Ushiku Plant, Mektec’s manufacturing hub in Japan, the company collaborates with local governments on initiatives such as volunteer flower planting and community cleanup efforts. In addition, Mektec participates in a variety of projects aimed at addressing local challenges, such as visits and donations to orphanages and nursing homes in China, mangrove planting and other conservation efforts in Thailand and Indonesia, and activities to assist individuals with disabilities in Taiwan.

• Volunteer flower planting and cleanup activities in Ushiku City
• Support activities in China, including visits to orphanages and nursing homes, along with donations of daily necessities
• Conservation activities such as mangrove planting in Thailand and Indonesia
• Activities to assist individuals with disabilities in Taiwan

 About Mektec Corporation

Mektec Corporation, founded in 1969 as a subsidiary of NOK Corporation, specializes in manufacturing flexible printed circuits (FPC). With manufacturing and sales bases worldwide, the company develops products and technologies that enable electronic devices such as mobile phones and HDDs to become smaller, lighter, and thinner. These products are supplied under the MEKTEC brand name. In 2024, Mektec celebrates its 55th anniversary. On July 1, the company unified its globally recognized brand and corporate name, officially becoming Mektec Corporation.

About NOK Group

The NOK Group is dedicated to "Essential Core Manufacturing — The manufacture of pivotal products that shape society." Through this approach the Group demonstrates its commitment to providing greater safety and comfort, the cornerstones of a prosperous society. The NOK Group consists of 93 companies located in 15 countries and regions with approximately 38,000 employees. Product development is built upon a robust base of foundational research, resulting in large-scale, stable and high-quality production. Moving forward, the Group will continue to provide technologies and products for all industrial areas including automobiles and other mobility sectors, electronic products — centered on PCS and smartphones- office automation equipment, medical and healthcare devices, industrial robots, and satellites.