NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd. was founded in 1936 in Nagoya, Japan. NGK stands for Nippon (Japan in English) Gaishi (insulator in English) Kaisha (company in English). They are a world leading supplier and innovator of spark plugs and their products can be found as original equipment in many cars and today. Originally, NGK began as a Spark Plug Division for NGK Insulators, Ltd. but separated into its own separate company in 1936. They began to manufacture spark plugs for automobiles in Japan, and eventually established a subsidiary in the U.S. in 1966 called NGK Spark Plugs (USA).
In the early 1930s, much of NGK’s first products derived from NGK Insulators, which helped them develop a non-corrosive ceramic spark plug. It was a large contributor to vehicles in WWII which helped the company expand into a new division known as NTK in 1949. They specialized in technical ceramics and ceramic cutting tools, and today they continue to provide these products along with other items such as IC packaging and ceramic filters.
In 1958, NGK introduced copper-cored spark plugs and would continue to innovate and improve the spark plug to make engines more efficient. NGK now offers a nickel-alloy central and ground electrode, a V-grooved spark plug known as the “V-Power,” a “G-Power” plug with a platinum alloy center electrode, a “Laser Platinum” plug with a platinum center and ground electrode, an “Iridium IX” plug with an iridium center electrode and nickel-alloy ground electrode, and a “Laser Iridium” plug with a center iridium and platinum ground electrode. Whew, that’s a lot of spark plugs! NGK also sells glow plugs, oxygen sensors, and more, but they are generally known for their high-quality and reliable spark plugs as they are the largest OEM spark plug manufacturer in the world.
Need NGK Parts?
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