Riken Elastomers officials cut the ribbon on its new MC Production Line and accepted an award on Thursday recognizing the staff’s commitment to safety.
Riken Elastomers came to Hopkinsville in 2006 and operates under the Riken Technos Corporation which is based in Japan. At the Hopkinsville facility, workers focus on producing high-quality plastic compounds used in car manufacturing.
Toshi Yamanaka, the president of Riken Americas, welcomed attendees and called the completion of the new production line a foundation for further success.
Kazuaki Tokiwa, the president of Riken Technos, spoke with the assistance of a translator and expressed excitement for the company’s growth. As operations expand in Hopkinsville, he believes there is the potential for even more growth.
Sharon Butts, the associate director of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council, says the new production line will lead to more jobs and also thanked Riken for investing in the community.
After the ribbon was cut, Riken staff were presented an award from the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet for achieving over 1 million hours worked without experiencing any loss of time from injuries or illness. Plant Manager Chris Dripps was proud of the achievement and says there are more safety challenges ahead of them as they hire new staff and start working with new equipment.
In total, the Riken staff has worked over 1,322,000 hours without losing time due to injuries or illness.