MHI Announces "Best Innovation 2015" Awards

Best New Product Award

◆ M701F5 gas turbine / Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS)
The latest F-Series gas turbine, M701F5, achieved substantial improvement in performance by applying technologies developed for the latest 1,600 ˚C TIT (turbine inlet temperature) J-Series gas turbines in the turbine front stages. The M701F5 offers the highest efficiency of any 500MW (megawatt) class gas turbine, plus low emissions and outstanding reliability.

◆ H-IIA launch vehicle upgrade: long coasting of 2nd stage / MHI Integrated Defense & Space Systems domain (Space Systems Division)
The H-IIA launch vehicle's 2nd stage was upgraded to enable a 3rd engine burn using less liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen after coasting for approximately 5 hours. This has resulted in H-IIA being able to carry satellites into orbits closer to geostationary earth orbit, meaning H-IIA can now accommodate roughly 50% of the world's commercial satellite launch market. In November 2015, the H-IIA with the upgraded 2nd stage successfully launched a commercial satellite for the first time in Japan.

◆ Endless Strip Production (Arvedi ESP) / Primetals Technologies, Ltd. (Casting and Endless Strip Production Business Segment)
Arvedi ESP achieved ultra-thin and high-quality hot strip production in a combined, continuous, and uninterrupted steel casting and rolling process. It also realized significant reductions in production cost, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions compared to conventional production processes. The Arvedi ESP technology is the first and only endless thin slab casting and rolling process industrially operating today on the market.

Best New Business Process Award
◆ Standardization of medium-scale thermal power generating system / Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS)
The company standardized specifications of all core equipment for medium-scale power generation facilities where those facility types had conventionally been designed individually. The standardization achieved greater quality in design and lead time, which enabled timely responses to customer needs.

◆Establishment of industrial cluster in the commercial aircraft engine business / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engine, Ltd. (MHIAEL)
MHIAEL took the lead in establishing an industrial cluster in the commercial aircraft engine business by bringing together its business partners, who had previously handled specific manufacturing processes of aero engine parts at their plants separately, to work in a more streamlined and unified way. Using public subsidies, the company integrated production workflows between the partner companies, enabling them to complete entire processes within the cluster and achieve enhanced productivity at lower cost.

◆ Construction and operation of incineration facility for waste from decontamination work in Fukushima Prefecture / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd.; and MHI's Energy & Environment domain (Nuclear Energy Systems Division) and Global Business Planning & Operations Headquarters (Group Business Promotion Division)
In a joint venture with Kajima Corporation, the two departments won an order  for an incineration plant for waste from decontamination work by integrating two technologies: waste incineration (Machinery, Equipment & Infrastructure), and radiation management (Energy & Environment). Effective construction management reduced lead time by two-thirds.

◆ Achievement of win-win cash flow through introduction of supplier financing / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Mahajak Air Conditioners Co., Ltd. (MACO)
An Internet-based supplier financing system introduced at MACO (Thailand) became a a win-win solution for suppliers and the company in terms of cash flow; it provided suppliers early cashing while significantly improving cash flow at the company.

◆ QCD (quality, cost, delivery) improvement through development of plant commissioning support system / MHI ICT Solution Headquarters and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS)
This plant support system enabled safe and secure commissioning without relying on a highly experienced, skilled workforce. Introduced in several countries such as Japan and India, this inventive system  contributed significantly to on-time delivery and quality control.
Special Award for Best New Technology

◆ New cloud-based GTCC monitoring technology (Cloud Monitoring Service) and establishment of new framework for expanding servicing sales / Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS)
MHPS developed a new GTCC monitoring framework by sharing operating data (conventionally used only for maintaining operating rates) between the company and its customers through cloud technology. The system provides operation status confirmation and alarm response while better handling new proposals for improvements. The new framework is now undergoing trial operation in Thailand, and will be subsequently introduced in other plants.

◆ Development of mission system equipment for ASTRO-H satellite / MHI Integrated Defense & Space Systems domain (Space Systems Division and Missile Systems Division)
The divisions developed new equipment for the X-ray astronomy satellite ASTRO-H observing system. The equipment enabled observation of a broad energy band, from soft X-rays to gamma rays, as well as imaging observation of hard X-rays and resulted in the world's leading observation capability. Especially for gamma ray detection, the divisions developed the world's first semiconductor Compton camera, which enabled a remarkable 90% reduction in weight and size.

◆ Turbine / compressor all-stage 3D fluid analysis technology / MHI Technology & Innovation Headquarters; and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS)
The company improved conventional 3D CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis technology, which until now had been applied only partially, to compute all the stages of a turbine or a compressor with high-accuracy. This extended use has made it possible to predict performance characteristics, including partial load and stability estimates, which allows the technology to be applied to the design of the actual machine going forward.

◆ Fuel cell hybrid power generation system / MHI Technology & Innovation Headquarters; and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS)
MHPS achieved the first practical use of a hybrid power generation system combining a gas turbine and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which realized supremely high efficiency in power generation. A 250 kW class system has been in demonstrative operation at Kyushu University since May 2015. The new system also won a "Good Design Award."

◆ Direct injection molding technology for long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics / MHI Technology & Innovation Headquarters; and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Plastic Technology Co., Ltd.
This technology enabled optimal control of the shear stress field during the screw kneading process by introducing a prediction technology for dispersion and fracture behavior of reinforcement fiber in melted plastic. It also enabled direct, high-quality injection molding of long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics with single-spindle screws, and has moreover reduced material costs by 25%.

Special Award for Best Company Image Enhancement

◆ First flight of MRJ / MHI Commercial Aviation & Transportation Systems domain (MRJ Division); and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, et al.
The MRJ, Japan's first passenger jet, successfully achieved its first flight, an event that garnered large-scale media attention. In Japan, press reported the event with special editions, front-page newspaper coverage and top news item on TV, while the news was also reported widely by major media worldwide. The MRJ's maiden flight was reported as an achievement of significance not only for the aircraft industry but also as a landmark in Japan's aviation history.

◆ Continuous success of HTV5 mission / MHI Integrated Defense & Space Systems domain (Space Systems Division)
The "KOUNOTORI" H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), a transporter of cargo to space stations, successfully delivered supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), an event that was widely reported in the media. Despite a series of unsuccessful missions by overseas supply ships, this was the fifth consecutive successful transfer by the "KOUNOTORI" to date, and it demonstrated MHI's consistent progress in quality and risk management together with the superior quality of the vehicle itself.

Special Award for Best Safety Practices

◆ Companywide technical training with live specialist commentary / Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) (HSE Management Division and Works)
These roundtable training sessions on crane and hoisting skill conducted at all MHPS Works  adopted live commentary by a specialist and significantly enhanced the knowledge and skills of  workplace staff, while simultaneously  reducing accidents and injuries related to crane and hoisting operation.

Special Award for Best Quality Practices

◆ 787 main wing quality improvement activities toward stable, high-rate production / MHI Commercial Aviation & Transportation Systems domain (Commercial Airplanes Division and Quality Division)
This initiative was a collaborative effort of three divisions: design, manufacturing, and quality assurance, combined as one team, to achieve stable, high-rate production of Boeing 787 main wings. They established a swift decision-making process and worked with customers on quality improvement activities, which resulted in significant improvement in customer satisfaction toward MHI's production quality.