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Mitsubishi
Cable Industries is strengthening its ties with the
Chinese market. In August 2006, the company began producing
seal products, mainly rubber and resin items, at Dalian Ryosei
Automotive Components Co., Ltd. in Liaoning Province, China.
The new operation reflects its strategy to expand and reinforce
its automotive component business, and supply high-quality
seal products to the Japanese, Chinese and world markets.
Mitsubishi Cable Industries has manufactured seal products
for a long time in Japan at Minoshima Works, Wakayama Prefecture.
However, the second site will provide additional capacity
for future growth, enhance efficiency by specializing production
into two plants and facilitate recovery programs against disasters. |
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| The new
facility will greatly expand Mitsubishi Cable Industries’
production capacity |
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| “O-ring”,
one of Mitsubishi Cable Industries’s standard
seal products |
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Dalian Ryosei
Automotive Components Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary
since May 2004, has manufactured automotive and electrical
components since January 2005. It has become a key production
site for parts, especially for the automotive industry.
In May 2006, a second production facility expanded its
capacity and enabled seal product manufacturing. Importantly,
production has been streamlined extensively; it now
flows from pressing to packaging in only one hour.
Although the new facility will manufacture standard
Mitsubishi Cable Industries’ products at the beginning,
it will later diversify into customized products, such
as resin seals and composite seals. The company is aiming
for ¥3 billion in sales in fiscal 2008. |
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The
development of thermal shielding and insulation materials
for roofs, walls and road surfaces has been a priority for
Dai Nippon Toryo because of the increasing
importance of combating the “heat island” effect.
The effect occurs when heat buildup in buildings and structures
in cities raises local temperatures and the energy required
for air-conditioning. The company has launched a new water-based
silicone-resin coating, named Eco-Cool Aqua Si, as an alternative
coating for new tiles installed on house roofs, as well as
on roofs and walls of commercial buildings, condominiums and
other facilities.
The product’s thermal shielding effect is excellent,
thanks to the high reflectivity and heat radiating |
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Thermal camera footage shows how areas painted
with Eco-Cool (blue) are far cooler than other areas |
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performance
of the material. Ceramic ingredients maintain the thermal
shielding effect by preventing soiling, and durability
is assured by the silicon component. It also contains
a biochemical agent to prevent the growth of mold and
algae.
Dai Nippon Toryo already sells the Eco-Cool Mild series
of thermal shielding and insulation coatings based on
a low-solubility resin. With the launch of this new
product, it will be able to make an even greater contribution
to the prevention of global warming by using an even
more eco-friendly solvent, water. |
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A fridge
is a fridge is a fridge, right? Wrong. While some are very
humble, others sport a raft of advanced product development
finesses.
Mitsubishi Electric’s four latest refrigerators,
launched early this year, fall within this latest category.
Of the two new “W-Class” six-door refrigerators,
one has the largest storage capacity in the Japanese home
refrigerator market, an impressive 545 liters. To those not
needing quite that much, two new center-opening, five-door
units might fit the bill.
All new models feature a pioneering shelf adjustment system,
which allows shelves to be raised or lowered to any height.
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| The “W-Class”
refrigerator combines style and functionality in its
futuristic design |
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The
new models also feature new blue LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes)
in the vegetable compartments, in addition to the orange and
violet LEDs used in earlier models. The LEDs improve the freshness
of the vegetables by stimulating photosynthesis and also raise
their vitamin C levels by some 15%, compared with 10% in earlier
products.
Importantly, the designs harmonize with the interior style
of modern, open-plan Japanese apartments. Also, the environment-conscious
can feel at ease: Mitsubishi Electric has its own, comprehensive
recycling program for used refrigerators.
Over the last decade, demand for large refrigerators (401
liters or higher) has risen sharply. A key reason for this
is a trend toward bulk shopping as a result of social changes,
including an increase in the percentage of married women returning
to the work force. |
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Circuit
boards these days are essential to the manufacture of almost
every electronic device, from mobile telephones and personal
computers to TVs, washing machines and toasters. Each board
begins with a layer of copper that has been applied with electroplating—a
process in which a copper source, called an anode, is dissolved
in an acid solution and transferred electrically to the surface
of the boards. Demand for circuit boards is increasing in
Japan and Southeast Asia by over 10% annually, which is creating
growing demand for copper anodes.
To meet this surging demand, Mitsubishi Materials’s
Copper Business Division is doubling its production capacity
for copper anodes from the present level of 20,000 tons per
year to 40,000 tons. The project, requiring an investment
of approximately ¥300 million, will be completed in the
spring of 2007. |
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| Coming
soon to a circuit board near you; ball anodes of extremely
pure copper |
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Mitsubishi Materials
has captured a large share of the domestic and world markets
through integrated technology spanning all levels of production,
from raw materials to processed products. It produces copper
anodes using high-quality oxygen-free copper, a material the
company developed itself. These anodes are extremely pure
and have excellent characteristics, including easy dissolving
for efficient plating and minimal sludge buildup. |
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Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries (MHI) has launched two new series
of room air conditioners.
These models comply with Japan’s RoHS regulations, which
limit levels of specific chemical substances used in the products.
The models of the high-end SI Series optimize air quality
while providing clean air and comfort in all seasons with
enhanced ventilation and humidity control functions for today’s
extremely airtight housing environments, including bringing
fresh air to the room without the need to open windows.
MHI’s proprietary technologies bring
a substantial improvement in energy efficiency. Also new or
enhanced are the unique “powerful jet airflow system,”
which supplies large volumes of air for rapid cooling and
heating, and self-cleaning systems that maintain hygienic
conditions inside the air conditioners. |
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ZI Series is the standard series, which MHI will market globally.
The size of interior units has been reduced by 17%, and models
are available to meet a wide range of needs, from the 2.2-kW
type for 10 m2 rooms to the
5.0-kW type for 25 m2 rooms.
Like the SI Series, ZI Series models feature MHI’s “Bio
Clear” system, which curbs the proliferation of mites,
mold, bacteria and other organisms through a combination of
proprietary temperature and humidity control technology and
special “Bio Clear” filters based on the action
of enzymes and urea. |
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| MHI’s
new air conditioners, the SI Series and the ZI Series |
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Mitsubishi
Plastics Exhibits Products at International Electronics Trade
Show
Mitsubishi Plastics exhibited a number of products
at the 8th International Electronic Components Trade Show
(ELE TRADE 2007), held at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center
from January 17 to 19, 2007.
One of the products on display was IBUKI®, a special film
for use in high-density multilayered printed circuit boards.
Based on high-performance super-engineering plastic and exclusive
Mitsubishi Plastic technology, IBUKI® offers excellent
dimensional stability, suitability for high-frequency applications
as well as superior build-up processing performance. Other
electronic materials on show included a highly elastic release
film for cushion molds made using proprietary plastic processing
technology. |
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Mitsubishi
Chemical Opens New Sales Subsidiary in China
Mitsubishi Chemical has established a new sales subsidiary
in Shanghai to sell its products and procure raw materials
in China. There are also plans for the subsidiary, which commenced
operations in January this year, to be involved in other areas,
including licensing of resource and energy conservation technology.
Since 1972, Mitsubishi Chemical’s subsidiary in Hong
Kong, Mitsubishi Chemical Hong Kong Ltd., has acted as a sales
representative for Group companies.
However, Chinese markets have developed rapidly in recent
years, and China has eased restrictions on domestic sales
by foreign companies. For this reason, the Group required
a new sales base for its products. |
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Mitsubishi
Research Institute’s Trial Web Forum for Shippers
Under contract to Japan’s Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry, the Mitsubishi Research Institute has
set up a portal website to support energy conservation and
global warming countermeasures by shippers and related companies.
Ninushi.com (ninushi means “shipper”
in Japanese) was created in response to Japan’s revised
Energy Conservation Law. It shares official information about
relevant systems and industry organizations, links to services
from third parties and a member forum for opinions and questions.
The trial phase ran from December 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007,
after which the trial results are being applied to the design
of a permanent site. |
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