18 September 2012

Mitsubishi Electric receives Green Designation from Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture

Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp has been designated as a ‘Green Asia Special Global Strategy Synthesis Area’ company in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture.

Kitakyushu and Fukuoka cities in Fukuoka Prefecture have been designated as Green Asia Special Global Strategy Synthesis Areas by the Japanese government on the basis of the Cabinet Office’s ‘Special Zone Measure’ policy. Leveraging industries, technologies, human resources, networks and others resources accumulated in the region, projects are being carried out in line with the following four initiatives:

• exporting urban environmental infrastructure packages in Asia;
• developing environmentally conscious products along with their production facilities;
• establishing a resource recycling system; and
• realizing a borderless business environment in Asia.

A designated company receives special tax incentives for facility construction and capital spending that meet certain criteria.

Under this designation, Mitsubishi Electric’s Power Device Works in Fukuoka city, which is a base for the development and manufacture of power devices, will accelerate development of new technologies and products including silicon carbide (SiC) power devices.

Mitsubishi Electric develops and manufactures low-loss power devices. The new designation reflects the firm’s development of environmentally conscious, highly functional and cost-effective products and production facilities, which is a main goal of the Green Asia Special Global Strategy Synthesis Area project.

The firm plans to strengthen its power device technologies and capabilities, and accelerate product development at its Power Device Works by building a new facility where related design and development divisions will be consolidated, while also making further investments. The new six-storey building will cover 1800m2, with total floor space of 10,500m2. Completion is scheduled for February 2014, for use from that March. Total investment is about JPY2.5bn.

In addition to facilitating closer interaction between the divisions, the consolidation will free up space at the Works for new product sample evaluation, creating further operational efficiency. Efforts will focus particularly on accelerating the development of new technologies and power device products, for which demand is growing and becoming more diversified.

High-energy-performance power devices are used in products ranging from air conditioners, refrigerators and other consumer appliances to equipment for industry and railroads. The growing proliferation of hybrid and electric vehicles, solar- and wind-power generation and similar developments are expected to raise the global demand for power devices further.

Tags: Mitsubishi Electric SiC power modules

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