MHI Consolidates 5 In-house R&D Facilities

 

The reorganization initiative calls for the creation of a new Research & Development Center consolidating the five currently existing Research & Development Centers. According to MHI, the move is targeted at shifting to a cross-organizational system based on companywide business units, timed to coincide with the company's transition from its earlier structure of business segments to its current systems of business domains and strategic business units (SBU).

 

By consolidating its research and development operations, MHI anticipates new synergies in technologies and skills, enhanced development of human resources and greater efficiency in work performance and facility utilization, the company said.

 

Yoji Kawamoto, currently Deputy Head of the Technology & Innovation Headquarters (Executive Officer), will concurrently serve as General Manager of the new Research & Development Center to be located in Kobe. Under the General Manager, three Deputy Heads will be responsible for product development support. At its launch, the new Research & Development Center will have a workforce numbering approximately 1,440. Research duties will be performed by 10 newly establishing departments reorganized according to field of technology: the Materials Research Department, Manufacturing Technology Research Department, Chemical Research Department, Strength Research Department, Vibration Research Department, Machinery Research Department, Fluid Dynamics Research Department, Combustion Research Department, Heat Transfer Research Department and Electricity & Applied Physics Research Department. The new Research & Development Center's administrative duties (accounting, safety management, personnel, facilities management, etc.) will be performed by the Administration Department already in operation since October 2014.

 

The new Research & Development Center will also control R&D activities to be conducted at other places. At each of the three principal domain bases - in Nagoya, Takasago (Hyogo Pref.) and Nagasaki - will be located the various Laboratories under each research department's oversight. This arrangement is being taken to eliminate personnel and facilities waste or redundancy and to put in place a system enabling more timely and efficient response with respect to product development, new technology development, urgent support of important projects, etc. Meanwhile four other locations - Hiroshima, Mihara (Hiroshima Pref.), Sagamihara (Kanagawa Pref.) and Yokohama - will become home to technology support structures including Laboratories and Teams, to provide greater support to product business operations.