By Kaitlyn Brooks Source: Richmond Register Despite the dreary weather on Thursday morning, there was plenty to be happy about as the Asahi Forge Corporation broke ground on their third plant in Richmond. Gathered under a tent across the street from Asahi Bluegrass Forge plant, some of Richmond’s prominent gathered, such as Mayor Robert Blythe, State Rep. Deanna Frazier and presidents from several area corporations, to be apart of the historic event. “It’s very unique for Richmond to get an expansion like this to have three plants from the same corporation,” Richmond Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) Executive Director David Stipe said. Asahi Forge Corporation first broke ground in the Richmond area in 2002 when the corporation asked to lease 18 acres of land from Richmond Auto Parts Technology (RAPT). A year later, the company held a ground-breaking ceremony for Asahi Forge of America (AFA) Corporation. Since their opening, AFA has expanded twice and now boasts 75 associates. “In March 2016, Asahi Forge of America Corporation purchased the land they had leased from RAPT, plus a little more. Today, they now own, according to my records, (19.8) acres in park number two,” said Jimmy Howard, member of the RIDC board and former Richmond city manager. Howard was approached by Kiki Creech, accounting manager for AFA, who said she and another associate would like to meet. During the meeting, Howard said he was pleasantly surprised to learn that AFA was interested in building a second plant in industrial park three. In April of 2011, Asahi Bluegrass Forge (ABF) broke ground for a second time after fair and reasonable negotiations for 22 acres of land, according to Howard. After the opening of ABF in 2012, it has seen one expansion and has 75 associates. Howard thanked Creech for her assistance during the project, as her help was invaluable every step of the way. In 2018, Stipes announced to the RIDC that Asahi was going to purchase land for a third manufacturing plant. “Today is a very important day for the city of Richmond. Ground is about to be broken for a third plant,” Howard said. “Perhaps there is another city in Kentucky that’s had the good fortune of having a company to build three plants in their industrial park but I can’t name that city, I don’t believe they exist. We are very fortunate.” Creech spoke to the audience in attendance at the groundbreaking as well, and noted that the new plant was apart of a three columned business plan, the first being hub production which is already established with ABF and AFA, the second being the groundbreaking location and third that will work on suspension products. “As I mentioned, this is the second business column for Asahi Forge. This means we’re not done yet,” she said. Creech said the corporation plans to hire 80 people and hopes to have $50 million in annual sales by 2023. The total capital investment for this project will be $40 million. The company that has been contracted to build the plant is Denham-Blythe, which also was contracted for the Okonite Company. Asahi hopes to see the completion of the new plant by May 2020. Hiroshi Asahi, president of Asahi Forge Corporation, said he likes Richmond and that it has very kind people, one of the reasons why his company chose to build here again. He also noted that having all of his corporations in one spot made it easier to control operations, especially when looking towards the future of the company. For more information about the Asahi Forge Corporation, visit  https://www.asahiforge.co.jp/en .

Denham-Blythe Company is proud to announce a new safety milestone of one million man-hours without a lost time injury as of November 15, 2018. This accomplishment is a result of Denham-Blythe employees’ continuous commitment to safety and the ongoing education, resources, and awareness that the Denham-Blythe safety team provides to every employee and subcontractor involved with a Denham-Blythe project. Sam Boley, Safety Director at Denham-Blythe, credits the achievement as a team accomplishment, “we reached this milestone because our employees truly value the safety of each other and aren’t afraid to use our safety team as a resource. Denham-Blythe has come a long way in establishing a safety culture that is leading by example in the construction industry.” The Denham-Blythe safety team consists of six full-time safety officers who regularly audit all project sites and manage company-wide safety education. Led by Sam Boley, the Denham-Blythe safety culture is ingrained through a Zero Harm philosophy which teaches employees, subcontractors, and clients to analyze how every action they take will affect themselves, others, and their environment. Using Job Hazard Analysis, they can take necessary steps to remove or mitigate any risks associated with their tasks. Denham-Blythe’s goal of the Zero Harm program is to  promote an environment that encourages clear communication regarding safety. “When safety is negatively policed, employees are discouraged from asking for resources and asking for help,” said Sam Boley. “Because our company’s top priority is keeping every person safe, we have been able to promote a positive culture and maintain open discussions regarding job-site safety.” Denham-Blythe’s continued success of safely building quality projects for more than 40 years is derived from the clear efforts of its safety team’s involvement. By teaching and rewarding safe work practices, Denham-Blythe is contributing to building trust and dependability at all projects and with every client.

On October 1, 2018, Asahi Bluegrass Forge hosted a ceremony to celebrate their newly completed facility expansion and the start-up of their new forging press at the manufacturing plant in Richmond, Kentucky. The ceremony was led by Mark Asahi, Managing Director of Asahi Forge Corporation, and Mack Ishigaki, President of Asahi Bluegrass Forge. Following Shinto religious traditions, Mark and Mack performed a ground purification ritual by sprinkling Japanese sake and salt around the press and expansion area. The ceremony continued with a few words of praise from Mark Asahi regarding this milestone for Asahi Bluegrass Forge and Asahi Corporation and concluded with the firing of the new press. Denham-Blythe’s CEO Bill Quenemoen, President James Davis, Construction and Development Manager Rene DeBerdt, and Project Manager Jordan Lewis were in attendance at the event. Denham-Blythe Company has worked closely with Asahi Forge Corporation for many years, including the construction of the 68,000 SF Asahi Bluegrass Forge plant in 2011. Denham-Blythe designed and built this 38,300 SF expansion to accommodate the installation of ABF’s fifth press. Project highlights include concrete foundation for the new press, an upgraded cooling water system, the extension of an existing crane way, and the installation of a five-ton crane. Outside of the expanded facility, Denham-Blythe relocated an existing scrap material handling building and placed new pavement for outdoor storage and vehicle access. The project was completed without disrupting production in the existing facility. Asahi Forge Corporation is a leading manufacturer of automotive suspension bearing components. The addition of this 3000-ton press will increase ABF’s production to help meet the Automotive industry’s growing demand of this product. Asahi Bluegrass Forge is one of three Asahi Corporation manufacturing facilities that are based in the USA. Asahi Forge America is also located in Richmond, Kentucky. NTA Precision Axle Corporation is located in Carol Stream, Illinois.