MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC I PROFILE

The shift to automation has been a key component of globalisation, particularly in emerging markets, over recent years. That is according to Export Marketing Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Europe - Factory Automation Division Marco Filippis.

“We have seen an increase in new competitors,” he stated. “But we are recognised in the market for the proven quality of our products and solutions, as well as our variety, which gives us huge scalability. We provide the customer a full integration between the component parts of the machine, along with the possibility to supply different systems under a single platform.”

Mitsubishi Electric started in 1870, when Yataro Iwasaki founded a shipping company in Osaka with three leased steamships. In the years that followed, the company expanded rapidly to become the multinational behemoth that is today.

In 1921, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation was formed as a spin-off division for the production of electrical equipment for ships. Today, Mitsubishi Electric has factories, R&D centres and sales organisations in over 120 countries and is now turning over $36 billion in sales a year (as of 31st March 2022), across all divisions.

Products like industrial and collaborative robots, drives and motion, visualisation systems, edge computing software and an extensive line-up of program controllers are just several of the wide range of solutions provided by the company.

Complete integration

A tightly focused automation concept is a significant cornerstone to operations at Mitsubishi Electric, as it encompasses the wide portfolio of products and solutions it is known for.

“Our concept is complete integration. That closes the gap between different industrial layers,” Mr Filippis explained. “So, we talk about matrix integration. That means integration from the shop floor layer, thanks to the multi-view-automation platform, called IQ-R, which is able to control the entire machine. We also have vertical integration connecting the OT and IT levels to revolutionary systems in edge computing. With this approach, we can tackle the challenges and requirements of several different markets.”

In order to keep abreast of developments in the industry, in 2019 Mitsubishi Electric acquired ICONICS. The Massachusettsbased company develops and offers competitive software products for various business sectors, such as manufacturing, industrial and building automation. The acquisition meant ICONICS was able to share its advanced technology and i ndustry-leading knowledge in the development of industrial software.

As Mr Filippis noted: “Increasingly today, more IoT-based solutions are required to stay competitive. With the strategic acquisition of ICONICS, Mitsubishi Electric improved the software capabilities and processes of building automation across all sectors, improving data collection and analysis.”

Society 5.0

The introduction of MAISART technology (Mitsubishi Electric's AI creates the Stateof-the-ART in technology) is another way

Mitsubishi Electric has kept ahead of the game. The AI software is designed to be compact, so it can be installed on almost any machine to improve performance. Under what the company is calling ‘society 5.0’, devices empowered with this nextgeneration technology gain the power to think on their own.

It is no surprise that Mr Filippis identified the adoption of this software in 2017 as a key moment in the company’s development. “With the introduction of MAISART, he said, “we established a normative approach for the standardisation of artificial intelligence algorithms. MAISART is tied to all the factory automation and embodies state-of-the-art artificial intelligence for Mitsubishi Electric. The purpose is to optimise processes and create market value for the customer who wants a competitive boost in the industry.”

MAISART technology uses Deep Learning, allowing the technology to make judgments on its own and Reinforcement Learning where it can come to conclusions through trial and error. It can analyse big volumes of data at high speed. MAISART also applies Knowledge Processing, which assists swift decision making based on an understanding of the complexities of human behaviour.

Ahead of the game

For Mitsubishi Electric, it goes without saying that maintaining excellence extends to environmental concerns. The company seeks to create economic and social value through its long-term sustainability policy. For example, Mitsubishi Electric Group is aiming to achieve Net Zero in greenhouse gas emission throughout the entire value chain by 2050.

It has also begun the first home appliance recycling business in the industry. “Currently, we recycle approximately 80% of our mixed plastic. And we procure high-grade recycled plastic at the level of quality equal to virgin materials,” Mr Filippis said.

Mitsubishi Electric’s sustainability policy is evidence of its dedication to remaining at the cutting-edge of an ever-evolving industry. The ethos has contributed to the company’s development of lithium-ion batteries for use in electric vehicles.

Lithium-ion battery manufacturing is a demanding environment, with pressure to increase yield and reduce waste, while at the same time driving up the speed of production. With rapid market growth on a global scale, manufacturers need to explore new avenues to gain a competitive advantage.

“I think it is important for a company like ours to be able to anticipate trends, to develop business models and solutions in advance,” Mr Filippis reflected. “We introduced the e-F@ctory concept to our factories in 2003, building the foundation for industry 4.0 in 2012. We anticipated that trend.”

Mitsubishi Electric e-F@ctory concept extracts hidden benefits from existing resources, through integrated automation, to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and increase overall productivity. A global network of e-F@ctory Alliance partners includes manufacturing of industrial components as well as specialised system integrators and software providers. These partner companies collaborate at an individual level to offer flexible, optimised solutions for various customer requirements.

People value

Despite being a company existing at the cutting-edge of technology and investing so heavily into Artificial Intelligence, Mr Filippis emphasised that the most essential component to keep the company running smoothly is its people. “The real added value of Mitsubishi Electric is the passion and professionalism of the people,” he said. “Our team and approach are guided by our corporate values which are Japanese-inspired and quite respectful.

That is why we have a human-centric approach to stakeholders and partners.

“We are all coming from different markets, different cultures. To generate business, it’s important to have long-lasting relationships, based on credibility and a common sense of belonging.

“That’s why Mitsubishi Electric considers its partners to be members of the organisation, sharing with them not only successes but failures. I think it is very important to have this kind of loyal relationship.”

Of course, the demand for automation on a global scale remains high. Mitsubishi Electric has recently unveiled several medium-term business strategies which are set to take it to March 2026. The intention is to expand its manufacturing on an even greater international scale. As Mr Filippis put it: “The company is growing the factory automation system business with the application of intelligent manufacturing solutions. To reflect this, we have just adopted a new slogan: ‘Automating the world.’”