Precision Balls Maker Tsubaki Nakashima to Re-list on TSE 1st Section

Tsubaki strengthened its global footprint with support from Carlyle

Tokyo, Japan – Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group (Japan co-representatives: Tamotsu Adachi/Kazuhiro Yamada; headquarters: Washington, D.C.; hereinafter referred to as Carlyle) today announced that its majority-owned company, Tsubaki Nakashima Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Katsuragi, Nara, Japan; CEO, Director and Representative Executive Officer: Tsutomu Takamiya; hereinafter referred to as Tsubaki Nakashima), went public on December 16, 2015, with its shares trading on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

When Tsubaki Nakashima lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Carlyle will sell shareholdings in the company equivalent to around 51% of its shares, of which about 2% will be an over-allotment.

Tsubaki Nakashima is a global manufacturer of high-quality precision balls with leading spherical surface processing technologies. It has manufacturing and sales operations in Japan, the United States, Poland, China, India, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea.

Tsubaki Nakashima was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section prior to becoming a private company.  In May 2007, Tsubaki Nakashima announced it would be taken private from the stock exchange through a management and employee buyout (MEBO) to manage the rapid changes in the business environment and to build a business structure that is able to achieve stable and sustainable improvement in corporate value. Carlyle Japan Partners II became the largest shareholder in March 2011.

Carlyle has been working closely with Tsubaki Nakashima to maximize the company’s business value by strengthening its global management infrastructure and accelerating its expansion into overseas markets, including China, Europe and other Asian markets. Tsubaki Nakashima has succeeded in the development and mass-production of ceramic balls using new materials and achieved strong growth in this business. As a result, Tsubaki Nakashima has largely achieved the initial objective of the MEBO and decided to relist on the stock exchange to pursue the next phase of growth.  After relisting, Carlyle will continue to support the long-term development of Tsubaki Nakashima and Carlyle Japan L.L.C.'s managing director Hiroyuki Otsuka plans to continue to serve as an external director of Tsubaki Nakashima.

Tsutomu Takamiya, CEO, Director and Representative Executive Officer of Tsubaki Nakashima, said, “I would like to express my gratitude to our customers and others, especially our shareholders, for trusting and supporting us since our delisting in 2007.  Carlyle has worked hard to enhance our company’s value, in terms of both our organization and how we do business. We will continue to strive to become ‘a  shining company capable of continuously achieving enterprise value creation', and achieve ‘further profitable growth' under our ‘Global One Tsubaki Nakashima' philosophy. With the relisting of our company, we will have a fresh start and will work hard to carry out our corporate responsibilities as a listed company to meet the expectations of our shareholders.”

Tamotsu Adachi, Managing Director and Co-head of Carlyle Japan L.L.C., said, “Since our investment in March 2011, Carlyle has worked with Tsubaki Nakashima to strengthen its global management infrastructure and achieve its business growth strategies. From its inception, Tsubaki Nakashima has been a company with outstanding technologies, product capabilities, and corporate culture.  By fully leveraging Carlyle’s global platform, I believe the company has been able to establish a global management infrastructure and accelerate growth in overseas markets.  I want to express my appreciation and respect to Tsubaki Nakashima's management team and all of its employees for the relisting and wish the company continued business success.”

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About The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $188 billion of assets under management across 126 funds and 160 fund of fund vehicles as of September 30, 2015. Carlyle's purpose is to invest wisely and create value. Carlyle invests across four segments - Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Market Strategies and Fund of Funds Solutions - in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,700 people in 35 offices across six continents.

About Tsubaki Nakashima Co., Ltd.
Established: June 1, 1936
Representative: CEO, Director and Representative Executive Officer: Tsutomu Takamiya
Headquarters: 19, Shakudo, Katsuragi, Nara, Japan, 639-2162
Capital: 15,884.24 million yen
Businesses: Manufacturing and sale of industrial precision balls used for bearing and other applications. Manufacturing and sale of ball screws, and large scale blowers.
Employees: 1,886 (on a consolidated basis as of October 31, 2015)

Media Contacts: 

Carlyle Group
Public relations agent: Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Japan) K.K.
Naoko Nakayama, Abi Sekimitsu
Tel：03-5793-2388/5791-8725
E-mail：CarlylePress.Tokyo@ogilvy.com

This release is made as a matter of record to commemorate the relisting of Tsubaki Nakashima Co., Ltd. and is not an offer of securities in Japan or elsewhere.  No registration of shares under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 was made in connection with the relisting and no shares may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

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