KYOCERA to Double Shipments of Ceramic Kitchen Knives

Company Targets Two Million Units Per Year by March 31, 2014

In recent years, demand for the company's ceramic knives has rapidly grown. The trend of consumers demanding higher quality kitchen products, an increase in kitchen products being purchased as gifts, and the 2006 introduction of Kyocera's Color Series have all contributed to the increased popularity and sales.Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6359005&lang=enBut the machines could miss something far more deadly: explosive material taped to someone's abdomen or hidden inside a cavity. Researchers and security experts question the technology's ability to detect chemical explosives that are odorless, far smaller than previous incarnations, and easily molded to fool machines and security screeners into thinking they are part of the human body.Based partly on early successes, federal officials are planning to continue an unprecedented roll-out of the technology over the next year. By New Year's Day, about 500 machines will be in use across the country. By the end of next year, 1,000 X-ray machines will be operational, accounting for roughly half of the nation's 2,000 lanes of security checkpoints.Kyocera knives and kitchen utensils are made using the company's fine ceramics, resulting in lightweight blades that stay sharp for long periods, never corrode, and can even be bleached for thorough cleaning. These unique characteristics have contributed to the growing popularity of Kyocera's ceramic knives since their introduction in 1984.Kyocera's retail distribution network has also steadily increased to about 8,000 stores worldwide. U.S retailers such as Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table and Amazon.com offer Kyocera's knives, along with Harrods in the U.K., El Corte Ingl�s in Spain and Galeries Lafayette in France.The "good catches," federal officials say, have largely gone unnoticed amid the criticism that erupted over the ghostly X-rays and "enhanced" pat-downs. The Transportation Security Administration, which intensified airport screening last month, points to several successes: small amounts of marijuana wrapped in baggies, other drugs stitched inside underwear, ceramic knives concealed in shirt pockets.Government testing, which has been mostly classified because of security concerns, has also raised concerns about the effectiveness of the full-body scanners.Kyocera will continue to develop products that meet its customers' various needs so more people worldwide can enjoy the ease-of-use, convenience and quality of ceramic knives.After more than a quarter of a century of sales, total shipments of Kyocera's ceramic knives exceeded 6 million units in December of 2009, and are currently sold in more than 35 nations.Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6365642&lang=en

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6365642&lang=en