NGK is looking to accelerate its penetration in the Lambda sensor sector as it predicts market growth of 25% year-on-year for the next decade.

The company, which currently sells 10m NTK-branded units per month at an average of around £25 per piece, has added more than 200 new application lines to its Lambda range.

“There are 20m cars out of a 29m car parc fitted with catalytic converters with at least one and sometimes two sensors, and another 2m cars are being added each year,” says NGK deputy managing director Brian Childs. “We see this as the area where most of our turnover growth will come from.”

The company, which estimates a 55% share of the spark plug market in the UK, is also looking to grow its share of the glow plug sector.

Over the past four years, NGK has grown its glow plug penetration from 8% to 35%. It’s looking to hit 55% within the next three to four years. The diesel new car market will grow this year by 5%. “We have the product range to compete, but we need to continue educating and informing the trade about our products,” says Childs.

NGK, this year celebrating its 30th anniversary in the UK, is directing more resources into diesel test equipment at its European Technical Centre near Dusseldorf in Germany to help develop new glow plugs and oxygen sensors for diesel OE applications.

“These investments are a vital part of NGK gearing up to meet the needs of today’s European vehicle manufacturers,” adds Childs.