Japan’s NGK Spark Plug Co. is moving production of spark plugs from a longtime Irvine factory to West Virginia.
The company plans to quit making spark plugs for autos and other vehicles in Irvine by May.
The local facility, which serves as the U.S. headquarters for NGK, is set to continue operating as a West Coast distribution center.
It’s unclear how many Irvine jobs will be impacted. The company is expected to add 40 to 50 workers at a plant near Charleston, W. Va., which now has about 300 employees.
NGK has been in Irvine since 1983. It’s one of several Japanese companies with operations in Irvine and other parts of the county.
The company, based in Nagoya, Japan, is best known for spark plugs and also makes industrial ceramics, electronics and other products. It has yearly sales of $3 billion.
NGK has expanded operations in West Virginia in the past 15 years.
In 1995, it opened an oxygen sensor plant near Charleston. A distribution center followed in 2001 and was expanded in 2006, according to West Virginia media reports.
In 2008, NGK expanded its plant there to include spark plug production.
