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November 5, 2018
New Building Completed at Alps Electric Furukawa Plant 2
IoT and AI Technology to Be Deployed with State-of-the-Art Facilities in Pursuit of Stable Quality
Alps Electric Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 6770; President: Toshihiro Kuriyama; Head Office: Tokyo) completed construction of a new plant building at its Furukawa Plant 2 in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on November 1. Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be deployed with state-of-the-art facilities as part of a production management system intended to deliver consistent quality, while also incorporating environmental considerations and ensuring comfortable working conditions for employees. The aim is to achieve sustained growth alongside the company’s various stakeholders.
Alps Electric acquired a section of industrial land in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, in 2016 and has since built a new building for its Furukawa Plant 2 on the site. Construction work came to an end on November 1 with the building’s completion. The facility was designed with a view to establishing a state-of-the-art plant ready to serve continuously for the next 50 years as mother plant for Alps Electric’s electronic components manufacturing operations.
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Production Management System Employing IoT and AI Technology
By deploying IoT and AI technology to achieve greater visualization of production processes, Alps Electric is looking to realize stable quality. Data from production lines, including utilization rates, defect rates and personnel attendance, will be gathered using IoT technology, analyzed and applied to bring about cost and quality improvements, while information will be shared with senior management and among affiliates worldwide as part of efforts to realize globally consistent quality standards. Some production areas will make use of Alps Electric’s very own IoT Smart Modules and Current Sensors to measure temperature distribution and monitor power usage with the goal of stabilizing production conditions. -
Halving of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Energy savings are actively pursued. Measures include utilization of renewable, natural energy sources through solar power generation (maximum output: approx. 1,000kW), ground source heating and cooling, and recycling of waste heat and rainwater, as well as introduction of a stratified air conditioning system that only regulates air in the work zone, up to two meters above the floor. The hope is to halve greenhouse gas emissions compared to the existing Furukawa Plant (Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture). -
A Pleasant, Comfortable Work Environment
The new facility offers a work environment where employees will feel invigorated in their jobs, featuring offices with expansive views over the Osaki plain, an open, spacious company cafeteria that fronts onto gardens, and rest areas designed to conjure up images of Osaki’s abundant nature.
Alps Electric will continue to engage in high-quality, environmentally friendly production activities in order to meet the growing global demand for electronic components resulting from the spread of next-generation automobiles and the Internet of Things.
【Outline of the New Building at Furukawa Plant 2】
| Plant address | 136-1, Kitahara, Furukawatsukanome, Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture 989-6225, Japan |
| Site area | 48,000m2 |
| Building area | 16,354m2 |
| Floor area | 39,111m2 (four stories above ground) |
| Products | Modules for automotive use, camera actuators, switches and more |
| No. of employees | 1,000 |
| Construction started | September 2017 |
| Construction completed | November 2018 |
| Mass production starts | November 2018 (plan) |
About Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
Alps Electric (Tokyo: 6770) is a leading global manufacturer of high-quality electronic components for mobile devices, home electronics, vehicles and industrial equipment. With the philosophy of “Perfecting the Art of Electronics” Alps Electric supplies over 40,000 different components to about 2,000 companies all over the world. For more information, visit http://www.alps.com.