Making the most of their own eco products! The Narashino Division is a model for the world as an energy-saving factory.
The Narashino Division is a Eco-Factory for Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems, a company which follows the basic principle of reconciling productivity with care for the environment.
This solid technology and its energy-saving effects are highly regarded by the company's customers, and the factory itself doubles as a showroom for energy-saving products. The factory is also attracting attention from around the world as an energy-saving model factory, through initiatives such as taking in trainees from outside Japan.
The motors that move the factory plant are the largest consumers of electricity at the Narashino Division. Controlling these motors with inverters developed by the company and replacing motors with more efficient ones achieve major energy-saving effects.
Similarly, inverter-controlled air compressors, which make the compressed air to power the factory equipment, have also been introduced to save energy. Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems makes full use of its energy-saving products, such as by replacing the transformer station transformers with high-efficiency amorphous versions, to save energy in the factory.
Such detailed improvements, including the introduction of monitoring systems that "visualize" the amounts of power use, enable further waste reduction.
Waste corrugated cardboard from inside the factory is processed and reused as shock-absorbent packaging for motor components. The acetone solvent used for cleaning products is recovered, cleaned of contaminants and reused. The consistent efforts of every employee such as displaying garbage sorting charts and collecting PET bottle caps have enabled the Division to raise its waste recycling rate to 99.96 %.
The motors that move the factory plant are the largest consumers of electricity at the Narashino Division. Controlling these motors with inverters developed by the company and replacing motors with more efficient ones achieve major energy-saving effects.
Switching from shipments by trucks to cleaner railway transport to reduce CO2 emissions when transporting products. In 2008, this effort won considerable praise, and Hitachi Motors *1 were chosen as the first motor product to receive "Eco Rail Mark" product approval *2 from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
When we looked around the expansive factory, we found energy in the water flowing in the factory utility water distribution pipes. Building generators onto the pipes created small hydroelectric power stations. Power generation is up to 1.5kW, and that is put to good use as part of the factory's power supply.
The concept of creating power, not just using it, is vitally important. The Narashino Division has solar power systems with a rated power output of 130kW in total with arrays of 168 and 480 solar panels for generating 30kW and 100kW, respectively. We use it within the factory, together with electricity bought from the power utility.