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The
airline industry and the world have changed drastically
since the first Boeing 747 went into service decades
ago. In developing a new long-range jet, the Boeing
Company and an international team of top aerospace
companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
(MHI), are responding to the overwhelming needs
from passengers and airlines around the world. The
Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner is a super-efficient airplane
that uses advanced technology to take commercial
jet performance to unprecedented levels of operating
efficiency, environment friendliness and passenger
amenity.
MHI is collaborating with Rolls-Royce
on joint development of the Trent 1000, one of two
new engines being created for the 7E7 Dreamliner.
The Trent 1000 will achieve remarkably higher combustion
efficiency and also contribute to the environment
by reducing gas emissions by 20%. MHI will be responsible
for the design and manufacture of the combustor
module and other core parts of the engine and share
7% of the program.
The participation in the program gives
MHI an advantage for the growth of its commercial
aero-engine business, as well as a superb opportunity
to strengthen its international competitiveness
of core technology for aero-engines, by joining
in its development from the initial designing stage.
MHI will also play a major role with
its structural components. The company, together
with other Japanese heavy industrial companies and
Japan Aircraft Development Corporation, has signed
on the memorandum of agreement outlining key business
terms to participate in the development and series
production of the 7E7 Dreamliner with Boeing. In
this project, MHI will be responsible for the main
wing box.
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Upon
its launch in Japan, the innovative and refreshingly
styled 5-door Colt compact car from Mitsubishi Motors
swept the public's imagination. Now, the version
produced in Europe and launched there in 2004 is
receiving not only similar acclaim, but prestigious
awards, as well. The latest award for Mitsubishi
Motors' sprightly new compact is "Das Goldene
Lenkrad" (Golden Steering Wheel) by the German
Sunday newspaper "Bild am Sonntag." The
European Colt took the "Best in Class One"
(Small Car) category against formidable competition
from European top sellers. The award bears testimony
to the high critical acclaim accorded Colt in Germany,
a country that is as stringent in its assessment
of automobiles as Japan.
The awards jury cited the quality of
workmanship, versatility, seating comfort, space
offering, operating comfort, cost performance and
excellent road performance as the key factors in
its decision to award Colt the Golden Steering Wheel,
which is seen by many as the equivalent of a German
"Car of the Year" award. With a readership
of 10.7 million, the Bild am Sonntag boasts the
largest circulation for a Sunday newspaper in Europe
and is way ahead of other similar publications in
terms of popularity and influence.
The
series had its European launch in May last year
and recently added 1.1l gasoline and diesel versions
to its lineup. In a move designed to further expand
sales in Europe, the company plans to bring the
3-door Colt CZ3 and the 150 PS turbocharged Colt
CZT performance model to market in early 2005.
Prior to its Golden Steering Wheel accolade,
the European Colt was voted "Car of the Year
in Denmark 2005" by the Danish Automotive Journalists
Club and "Compact Car of the Year 2004"
by the Kampioen magazine published by the Dutch
automobile association, ANWB.
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Mitsubishi
Corporation has joined with an international consortium
for a detailed feasibility study into the construction
of an ammonia/urea manufacturing complex in Brunei.
The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) selected
the consortium from a global field of proponents.
The study,
to be undertaken with international partners, Incitec
Pivot Limited and WestSide Ltd., will cover a range
of issues, including environmental impact, gas supply
and the cost of utilities and infrastructure.
Using natural
gas of Brunei for the raw material, the proposed
plant would be the largest urea manufacturing operation
in Asia and equal to the largest operating in the
world today, with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes of
ammonia and 3,500 tonnes of urea a day. If the project
proves feasible, the consortium partners will construct
the plant over a period of three years and manage
the ongoing business as a joint venture. The estimated
cost is around US$600 million.
Project partner
Incitec Pivot is Australia's only producer of urea
fertilizer, and all of the plant's output would
be exported to overseas markets, centering on Australia.
Mitsubishi
Corporation joined a natural gas liquefaction and
marketing operation of Brunei's LNG project in 1972.
Since then, it has been maintaining favorable partnership
with the government of Brunei. Through this fertilizer
manufacturing/managing project, the company aims
to contribute to the development of the country
and the better relationship between Japan and Brunei,
allowing a steady supply of LNG.
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Exploring
the roots of modern hopped beer is the second topic
of Kirin Brewery's "Five Thousand Years of
Beer" research project launched in 2001.
The study
focused on gruit beer, once the standard throughout
much of Europe. "Gruit" was a mixture
of crushed herbs that gave flavor and aroma to the
beer in the same way that hops does today. Kirin
embarked on an in-depth study to recreate the beer
and experience a taste that has been largely forgotten
since the Middle Ages, with a world-renowned brewing
expert from Germany and a cultural historian from
Toyo University. Under their direction, with scant
historical references and little prior research
on the brewing practices of that age, period-authentic
brewing equipment was devised and used to successfully
brew a medieval gruit beerarecreating the taste
of a millennium ago.
Kirin prepared
its gruit by pulverizing six herbs, these being
sweet gale (Myrica gale), a favorite of medieval
brewers for its bracing scent, ground ivy, betony,
fennel, peppermint and mugwort. Used in place of
hops in a brewing process that is fundamentally
little changed today (except for the inclusion of
oats), the gruit herbs gave the resulting beer a
rich body, complex fragrance and refreshing bitterness
that accompanied an alcohol content of around 8%.
Kirin is holding
an exhibit at the Kirin Beer Park in Kobe through
March 25 to display the wooden vats and tools recreated
for gruit beer brewing, as well as the same malt
and herbs used in the recipe.
Kirin aims
to tie together 5,000 years of beer brewing. The
first story about this effort, entitled "Exploring
the Roots of Beer," appeared in the December/January
edition of the Mitsubishi Monitor and focused
on beers of ancient Egypt. |
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Soon
after NYK Line's recent agreements to supply LNG
ships and shipping services to Nigeria, the company
is back in the news on the other side of the world
for major new business with China. In September,
NYK entered into an agreement with Dalian Port Corporation
to improve container-terminal facilities at the
busy Port of Dalian through cooperative investment,
development and construction of container terminals.
These new projects come on the heels
of success in a joint-venture automobile-terminal
business, Dalian Automobile Terminal Co., Ltd.,
which NYK and Dalian Port Corporation established
in December 2003. As the hub of China's industrial
northeast, Dalian seeks to become the premier seaport
in this part of Asia. And as a means to stable door-to-door
shipping, NYK's terminal and harbor-transport services
are increasingly important to NYK's pursuit of total
logistics activity in China.
In the wake of the Dalian port announcement,
NYK also launched a major new contract with China
Oil, a leading petroleum company in China. This
is the first time a Chinese oil company has concluded
a charter agreement for a large crude-oil tanker,
and the event marks a sea change in China's oil
demand, which is growing over 10% year on year.
Spot contracts, with their fluctuating freight charges,
have been mainstream in the field of crude-oil transport
to China. But as that transport volume rises, the
industry is shifting to long-term contracts such
as the one between China Oil and NYK. And since
expansion in the Chinese market is indispensable
for the success of NYK's business strategy, NYK
takes every opportunity to develop further business
in China. |
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| The Dubai
project follows two similar projects successfully
completed by the team in Singapore. |
Many
of us have all been in this situation: you land
at a major airport with 30 minutes to change planes
for the second leg of your flight and are surprised
to find it is a one-kilometer walk between the
two gates, so now you might miss your flight!
Thanks to Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries (MHI), passengers at Dubai International
Airport will soon find a convenient mini-subway
to whisk them across the airport. The two Mitsubishi
companies have teamed up for construction of an
automated people mover (APM) system, that will
be the first ever built in the Middle East.
The
consortium will supply the entire system, including
the vehicles, signaling system and communication
system, with the option of a four-year operation
and maintenance contract besides. Completion of
the 10-billion yen project is scheduled for 2008.
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On
September 26, 2004, the tenth day of the Athens
Paralympic Games, IT Frontier employee Yuichi Takahashi
won the gold medal in the men's marathon (sight-impaired
category) with a superb time of 2 hours, 44 minutes
and 24 seconds. Takahashi, a health-keeper (in-house
health specialist) at IT Frontier, a Mitsubishi
company that provides information technology services,
also holds the existing world record for a blind
individual of 2 hours, 37 minutes and 43 seconds,
set in a marathon earlier in 2004.
Takahashi
gradually lost his sight due to illness and began
running full marathons in 1996, after the age of
31. Since then, he has progressed steadily, and
now holds Japanese records in the 1,500 m, 5,000
m, 10,000 m and full marathon events.
The race in
Athens quickly shaped up as a contest between Sydney
Paralympic gold medal winner and previous world-record
holder Carlos Ferreira of Portugal, and Takahashi.
Takahashi held the lead until the seventh kilometer,
when he dropped behind Ferreira to shelter himself
from a headwind.
The
crux of the race was a daunting uphill section at
25 kilometers. Noting that Ferreira seemed to be
tiring, the guide runner mentioned the fact to Takahashi.
Without a word, Takahashi increased his pace for
a strong and dramatic finish, as his supporters
from Tokyo gave him rousing cheers.
Takahashi's
next goal is to achieve a time of 2 hours and 30
minutes or better, thereby qualifying to compete
in the Tokyo International Marathon.
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