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Home ＞ Corporate Voices ＞ Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation - Kanuma Plant
| Company Name | Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation - Kanuma Plant |
|---|---|
| Address | 〒322-0014 1-1 Satsuki District, Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| TEL | 0289-76-0101 |
| Website | http://www.tlt.co.jp/tlt/index_e.htm ※Click to open a separate window |
As a global company, Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation contributes for development of wealthy quality of life and culture by creating advanced lightning and illuminating environments. We visited Kanuma plant and interviewed with Keiji Hatakeyama, Plant Manager of Lighting Division Kanuma Plant, and Hiroshi Wada, Group Manager of Administration Department.
【Kanuma Plant】
Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (here in after Toshiba L & T) was developed in 1989 by a spin-off of the lighting business division of Toshiba Corporation, and later merged with Toshiba Denzai Co., Ltd. and Toki Denki Co., Ltd. The company succeeded one of the original business of Toshiba, the technology and history of lighting manufacturing.
Our corporate objective is to provide lighting environments satisfied by customers with a slogan of "Making comfort by lightning of the future",
as a comprehensive manufacturer of illuminations who provides both manufacturing and marketing function together in the products of lighting source of illuminations, equipment, system equipment for control, and large-sized video equipment.
This Kanuma plant was established in 1972. Before that time, light bulbs and fluorescent lamps were manufactured by several domestic plants of Toshiba Corporation. With aiming to a comprehensive lighting factory, this plant was started with one production line in here in Kanuma.
Later in March last year, Kanuma plant consolidated the production lines of such as Kitakyushu, Yokosuka, and Himeji plant where used to make "Incandescent bulbs" which had been discontinued its production by the consideration of global warming.
Currently, all our production of fluorescent lamps are made only in Kanuma plant. From April 2013, a production of LED bulbs also has been started by consolida. Toshiba L & T has has other plant in Yokosuka where head office and research and development center accompanied, and Nagai plant where special bulbs for traffic signals are manufactured. This plant is biggest in the company both in site area and production volume.
It is beneficial for us that we do not need to worry about the supply of industrial water. In order to wash glass tubes, a main component of fluorescent lamps, a vast amount of water is required. A plenty under ground water is fulfilled without complicated preprocessing in here. This is attractive, because there are some locations where cumbersome processing are required to get a good quality of water.
Further, natural environments are excellent. Snow falls does not affect on our operations, and typhoons never hit the area directly. Only our concern is thunders in summer, we have an emergency back-up power source to manage them. (we hope our production does not stop by power failures, but we shall be prepared for momentary power failures could happens 2 or 3 times per year.)
Living environments also had been improved drastically compared with the time when the plant was developed. Roads are well-arranged with having a large scaled super market. In closely located to Utsunomiya and Nikko, we feel that we have both areas for living and sight seeing. It is very convenient to go to Tokyo without spending long hours.
For logistics, the Kanuma interchange on the Tohoku Expressway is conveniently located in a short distance. To deliver our products to warehouses in all over Japan, and to receive parts materials from many vendors, the expressway is indispensable. A location within 3 minutes from the interchange is a big advantage for us.
【LED Bulbs （Normal bulb type 7.2W）】
All Toshiba brand's ordinary type fluorescent lamps are produced only in this plant in Japan. Various LED lighting equipment, including downlight for household and facilities, lighting for high-sealing, highway light, end emergency light, etc., are integrally manufactured from parts to assembly. The annex plant located in Utsunomiya Nishi Cyukaku Industrial Park manufactures LED lighting for studio or stage, and lighting control system.
LED lighting is very important when the future of global environment and saving energy are concerned.
For example, LED bulbs could extend the life expectancy 40 times as compared with incandescent light bulbs. Theoretically, it does not require replacement for 10 years.
Also the incandescent light bulbs changes the most of electricity to heat in poor exchange efficiency of light, and hence consuming much more electricity with generating heat. In comparison, LED's electricity consumption is only about one sixth (1/6) of the incandescent lights without almost no heat. LED does not affected by cold which is a weakness of the fluorescent lamps.
Having almost no-ultraviolet rays, LED does not damage artworks, etc. A number of customers who had replaced incandescent light to LED light bulbs are increasing in Japan. Even among the list of World Cultural Heritages, the Nikko shrine and the Chusonji Konjikido in Japan, and in overseas, the Ruble art museum in France are equipped with our LED light bulbs for lighting on art works.
In the house holds globally still more incandescent light bulbs are used, but global environment consideration in lighting is a trend, we would like to actively promote LED lighting.
While LED are replacing ordinary lighting, manufacturers who do not have a technical know-how of lighting could enter this market, and it has been happening nowadays.
For fluorescent lamps, only five companies could manufacture with the know-how of processing characteristics and facilities in Japan. But herein after, for LED, many companies from a different field may possibly enter in the market, and products price also very much impredicative. We feel lighting industry is facing a turning point.
Even under such circumstances, Toshiba L & T have a pride that we are the company who can integrally provide continuously not only lighting products of quality with safety itself, but also total illumination environments of lights.
【Day of Lighting, ・LED Handcraft Class】
We are accepting plant tours for elementary schools in Kanuma throughout the year. In Kanuma industrial park, there are not so many companies who produces popular products for our livings, we receive many positive requests from schools.
At a bending process of making a straight fluorescent lamp into a round ring shaped, everybody are looking on it astonishingly, this may be the most popular point in our plant tour.
October 21 is "The day of lights" named after Edison's invention of the incandescent light bulb. Around that date, we conduct "The day of lights, LED handicraft class" every year. Our plant engineers visit local schools and instruct them to make a handicraft using a kit of blinking LED lights parts.
The Kit includes parts for making 6 colored lighting toy, and this class is well accepted by students and teachers. It was started as an events, but in recently, it became an official class for two hours.
We cosponsor Satsuki Marathon held in May and sponsored by Kanuma City. In addition to put our company advertisement in brochures and bibs, many our employees, not only from Kanuma plant but also from the head office of Toshiba L & T and Toshiba group companies, are participating.
【Plant Tour】
Taking the global environment in the first priority, while sustaining current environment by succeeding to the next generation of people, it is our company's roll to provide CO2 reduced and energy efficient products to every people.
With developing business not only in Tochigi but in overall Japan, we would like to promote our local made LED light bulbs, especially in Tochigi, and would like to develop environment activities of energy savings and CO2 reductions to other prefectures.
By a trend of electricity savings, LED lighting is becoming popular gradually, we would like to let every body know that LED light bulbs are manufactured in Tochigi. And if you already using LED lighting, we appreciate very much for your continuous support. And if you are not using yet, we would like to recommend it.
