Tohken Thermo of Tokyo, Japan, is finalizing land purchases in Hashimoto and will begin designing a heat-treatment facility with the aid of Okumura Engineering Corporation. Construction of the $28.5 million facility, which will concentrate on the heat treatment of automobile parts and construction machinery, is scheduled to begin during the third quarter of next year. Once it is complete and operational in 2014, Tohken Thermo plans to close its four existing production facilities in Osaka Prefecture.

Production scale has not been disclosed, but the plant will be housed on a 22,446-square-meter plot. Tohken Thermo plans to introduce advanced technologies and new types of heat-treatment equipment at the facility. Upon completion, the company will relocate its headquarters to Hashimoto to stay on top of production and sales. Tohken Thermo was founded in 1927 and was one of the first Japanese companies to specialize in the heat treatment of metals.