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04
'23
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Mitsubishi Electric to Add Second Production Building in Owariasahi, Aichi
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced on June 20, 2023, that it will invest an additional 42.5 billion yen, or approximately 275 million euros, to construct a second production building for the manufacture of factory automation (FA) control-system products at Owariasahi City, Aichi Prefecture part of its Nagoya Works campus.
[Source: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Japan]
Image Caption: Illustration of new production buildings at Owariasahi (Owariasahi City, Aichi Prefecture)
The initial investment, announced on March 28, 2022, was for a single production building due to start operations in April 2025. This plan is now being expanded to add a second production building with a planned start of operations slated for April 2027. Overall, this increases the total cumulative investment to 55.5 billion yen, or approximately 360 million euros.
The two production buildings will be closely integrated to streamline their operations. As next-generation factories, both 5G communications and AI will be utilised, as well as advanced supply chain management (SCM) and engineering chain management (ECM) based on Mitsubishi Electric's "e-F@ctory"* concept. The expected benefits include accelerated productivity and quality-improvement cycles, shortened delivery times, and high-quality, high-efficiency production.
In addition to realising a highly automated production process, resistance to demand fluctuations will be strengthened by improving logistic efficiency through the use of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and synchronised production by utilising digital twins, to ensure customers can receive a stable supply of products.
Furthermore, through various CO2 reduction initiatives at the new facilities, Mitsubishi Electric will continue to contribute to the realisation of a carbon neutral society.
New factory Main Specifications
First production building
Second production building
Location
5-1-1 Inaba-cho, Owariasahi City, Aichi
Building area
11,200 m2 (floor area: 33,600 m2)
6,000 m2 (floor area: 30,000 m2)
Structure
Reinforced concrete (earthquake resistant) with 3 floors above ground
Reinforced concrete (earthquake resistant) with 5 floors above ground
Items to be produced
FA control-system products
Start of operations
Sequential startup from April 2025
Sequential startup from April 2027
Total cost
55.5 billion yen, including 42.5 billion yen for second building
Environmental initiatives
e-F@ctory energy-monitoring system, LED lighting, photovoltaic systems, and biotopes
The global demand for FA control-system products is expected to grow over the medium to long term due to increasing capital investment in the manufacturing sector, particularly in fields related to decarbonisation, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and lithium-ion batteries, and digital-related fields such as semiconductors and electronic components. * FA integrated solution that combines FA and IT technologies to reduce the total cost of development, production, and maintenance.
