[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 88 (Monday, July 10, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S7283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO SHIGEJI IKENAGA

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I also wish to honor a 
leader in the automotive industry and a friend of West Virginia, 
Shigeji Ikenaga, as well as the team members of Diamond Electric 
located in Eleanor, WV. Together they have contributed to the company's 
global growth and economic prosperity, as well as developing West 
Virginia's automotive industry.
  President Shigeji Ikenaga has worked for Diamond Electric since 1954, 
dedicating an impressive 52 years of service to the automotive 
industry. During his extensive career, Mr. Ikenaga was instrumental in 
bringing Diamond Electric to the United States and tapping our 
workforce to help produce automotive parts. In 1987, Diamond Electric 
established a plant in the Detroit, MI area. Then, in 1992, Diamond 
Electric started manufacturing ignition coils at its headquarters in 
Dundee, MI. Soon thereafter, West Virginia began to benefit from 
operational expansions by Diamond Electric. In April, 1996, just as 
Toyota was beginning its work in West Virginia, ground was broken for 
an ignition coil plant in Eleanor, WV.
  Building upon Diamond Electric's success in North America, Mr. 
Ikenaga expanded to other continents, establishing a manufacturing 
plant in Esztergom, Hungary, and incorporating the company in Suzhou, 
China. These expansions solidified Diamond Electric's stance in the 
global market.
  As is evidenced by the various awards of excellence he and the 
company have received, Mr. Ikenaga's work and the work of his employees 
is exceptional. In 1994, Diamond Electric received the Deming Award, 
which recognizes medium and small companies for their outstanding total 
quality control program. In addition, Mr. Ikenaga was awarded the Medal 
with Blue Ribbon in 1997 and again honored in 2002 when he was awarded 
the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. These 
awards are testament to the high quality and hard work of Diamond 
Electric and its employees.
  The Diamond Electric employees of West Virginia have also made an 
enormous contribution to the company's success. The plant has been 
awarded the Toyota Delivery and Quality Awards each year since 
beginning production in 1998. This allowed Diamond Electric one of 
their greatest achievements to date--becoming the first U.S. supplier 
to build an ignition coil for the Lexus SUV engine.
  Moreover, because of the well-earned success in West Virginia, the 
facility has expanded 3 times since production started in 1997, growing 
from a 50,000-square-foot facility and 3.4 million in capacity to a 
110,000-square-foot facility and 13 million in capacity. Currently, the 
company employs nearly 150 West Virginians.
  As the company has proven numerous times throughout the years, they 
are a leader in the automotive industry thanks to the extraordinary 
efforts of Mr. Ikenaga and the workforce at the Eleanor, WV facility. 
Diamond Electric and its employees are pioneers, expanding to other 
continents and manufacturing new and innovative automotive products.
  Additionally, Mr. Ikenaga's actions have not only illustrated his 
desire for professional growth but also a desire to educate young 
individuals through Diamond Electric's participation in The Dictionary 
Project. I was very proud to learn that Diamond Electric presented 
every third grader in Putnam County this past year a dictionary to help 
them with their studies.
  I take this opportunity to thank Mr. Ikenaga for his confidence in 
West Virginia and our remarkable workforce. I also congratulate Diamond 
Electric's remarkable team members for playing such an important role 
in Putnam County's growing economy. I appreciate your hard work and 
commitment to the automotive industry.

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