Factory Designed to Operate in Harmony with the Environment
Environmental Activities at the Akagi Plant
As part
of our initiatives to restructure and inject innovation into production at our plants in Gunma Prefecture, we
constructed the Akagi Plant (Sanden Forest) as a 21st century plant and a new home for the vending machine and
store systems operations of our Kotobuki Plant in Isezaki, the living and environment systems and electronic
devices operations of our Sakai Plant, our parts center, and our distribution center.
True to its name, Sanden Forest is located in the midst of a vast green expanse of nature. In April 2001, this
new production site commenced operations based on the concepts of “creation, challenge, and contribution.”
At the Akagi Plant, we have brought the parts factory, the assembly factory, and the distribution center together
and are working to integrate production functions, carry out uniform production, enhance logistics, and develop
products that deliver constant customer satisfaction.
Plant Overview
| Name: |
Akagi Plant, Sanden Corporation |
| Location: |
7 Nakanosawa, Kusukawa-machi, Maebashi-shi, Gunma, Japan |
| Number of employees: |
Approximately 1,000 |
| Products manufactured: |
Commercial freezers, refrigerated showcases, vending machines, living and environment systems, electronic
parts |
| Total site area: |
641,000m2 |
| Building floor area: |
98,000m2 |
| ISO certification: |
December 1997 (Acquired by the Kotobuki Plant, which became the Akagi Plant in 2003) |
Zero Emissions
[An overview of activities]
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At a number of offices and production plants as well as some affiliates, waste is separated
into 72 categories, periodic patrols are conducted to ensure proper separation, and collaborative efforts
with waste disposal companies are being pursued to promote proper waste disposal and improvements. |
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Weighing scales have been placed at two recycling centers to enable the monitoring of
the volume of waste generated at each department and production line and management programs are being
used to establish waste reduction goals and guide efforts to meet these goals. |
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Sanden’s food waste processor is being used to process kitchen waste from company
cafeterias into compost for use as fertilizer for trees at Sanden Forest. |
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Food waste processor
Recycling center
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Energy Conservation
[An overview of activities]
Introduction of energy saving equipment at the Akagi Plant
•Ventilation and Lighting
We have switched from the use of a central heating and air conditioning system to a system that enables the
temperature regulation of individual spaces as required. In addition, we are working to conserve energy used
in lighting through employee education and such infrastructure-based measures as the use of highly efficient
Hf fluorescent lights and pulse switches, the revision of light fixture placement, and the use of motion
sensors in certain areas.
•Introduction of a Central Monitoring Room
We introduced a system to continuously monitor energy use and calculate the volume of energy used by each
area and department. This information can be viewed on computers in each department, providing management
visibility and facilitating the sharing of measurement data.
•Conserving Energy via Production Equipment
Sanden is working to discover energy waste in pumps, inverters for air compressors, and other production
equipment and make improvements. For instance, we conducted an analysis of unnecessary metal sheet and
press die movement during metal sheet processing with a punch press and saved energy by reducing processing
time through proper die placement.
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Central monitoring room
Water quality monitor sensor
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