June 22, 2009
Development Bank of Japan drives for making Kansai Sillicon Valley of battery manufacturing
| Development Bank of Japan made a report public on June 15, regarding the prospective picture of Japanese battery industry gathers in Kansai district, and told it develops into a large industrial zone like Sillicon Valley, if a vertical and unified manufacturing scheme is established widely collaborated with auto industry in Tokai district. Japanese battery manufactures occupies more than half of industry share of the output of lithium ion battery that are prospected to be installed in electric vehicles of the next generation. Among them approximately 80% is produced by the factories in Kansai area and it is called ‘The battery plant of the world’. When it comes to the market share of solar battery and panel, 20% goes to Japanese manufactures and 70% of its domestic output is from Kansai. The report says it is the issue for globally predominated battery industry in Kansai district to form a coalition with auto industry in Tokai area. A hybrid car of Toyota Motor Corp. uses parts of solar battery produced by Kyocera in Shiga prefecture assembled in Mie prefecture and installed them in their factory in Aichi prefecture. It is an example of an ideal of cross-area collaboration regardless of the distance from Kansai to Tokai, making it possible to smooth the operation for manufacturing new type of a hybrid vehicle, generating electricity by solar panels on the roof and rotating its ventilation fans. Toyota Motor Corp., the global giant in auto industry and their main manufacturing plants are placed in Aichi prefecture of Tokai area, announced recently they have already received orders of 180,000 units for their newly introduced hybrid vehicle PRIUS, that number is 18 times far more than their monthly sales target. This is their all time best monthly sales record for a single model. Its high fuel-efficiency and reasonable price (starting from JPY 2,050,000-) are reasons for the popularity and the government program, cutting taxation for purchase of environmentally friendly automobiles, boosts the demand. Their manufacturing factories resume their overtime operation and run at full capacity from April so as to meet the amazingly large order. |
