Dec 6, 2012
Opening Ceremony for Ai-Ring
Akebono Brake Industry conducted an opening ceremony for its test course, Ai-Ring, on November 29th.
After being damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster of March 2011, Akebono's proving ground (test course) has undergone repair work enabling the site to be reopened this fall as "Ai-Ring" (pronounced "ai-rink"). The total area of the site is approximately 760,000m2 with a lap length of 3,016m, making it the largest test course among Japanese auto parts manufacturers. Various brake tests are carried out at the facility, including high-speed tests. The "Ai" in the new facility name evokes "A" for "Akebono" as well as "I" for "Iwaki" and "Innovation", while "Ring" stands for the circuit itself and for the unity of the Akebono group.
The opening ceremony was held in Japanese traditional style with attendance of about 50 guests including Mr. Fumio Murata, Vice-governor of Fukushima Prefecture, Mr. Takao Watanabe, Mayor of Iwaki City, and Vice president of NIPPO, the construction company involved in the project. After the stately ceremony, Ai-Ring was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting. The guests were shown around the track in a micro-bus, and shown a georama to commemorate the earthquake disaster.
