NSSMC Receives Highest-Ranked “Best Partner Award” from Panasonic for A Second Consecutive Year
Nov. 02, 2012
Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
NSSMC Receives Highest-Ranked “Best Partner Award” from Panasonic
for A Second Consecutive
Year
Today, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC) received from Panasonic Corporation
the Best Partner Award, the highest of its kind, at the Panasonic Excellent Partners Meeting. NSSMC also
received the Gold Award and the two Encouragement Award for ECO-VC (Value Creation) Initiatives on the same
occasion. At the ceremony, Hiroshi Tomono, President & COO of NSSMC, made a presentation on behalf of all
award-receiving companies.
The Best Partner Award is the highest-ranking award given to the only one
company out of all companies receiving awards. The ECO-VC awards are given to suppliers of Panasonic Group
companies that make particularly significant contributions to reducing CO2 emissions and making their products
more competitive. There were 866 such contributions from suppliers this year. NSSMC has been given the Best
Partner Award for two consecutive years and the ECO-VC awards for four consecutive years.
1． Award Themes
(1) “Best Partner Award” received by NSSMC
We were highly evaluated for
enhancing product competitiveness by developing superior materials and products based on our technologies and
taking ECO-VC initiatives for many products, through our long-term partnership and our customer-oriented
activities.
(2) “ECO-VC Gold Award” received by NSSMC and Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd.
■ Development
of aluminum under-frame for large-size LCD TV units
We have developed a low-cost aluminum alloy
under-frame, which is a key component of the LCD TV unit, with the aim of making it possible to produce
thinner large-size LCD TV units, saving energy, and reducing component costs. We were highly regarded because
NSSMC’s long-accumulated Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) technologies and Sumitomo Light Metal’s aluminum
sheet manufacturing technologies had been combined and contributed to commercializing the slim-design “Smart
VIERA.” This achievement resulted in 40% reduction in CO2 emission.
(3) ECO-VC Encouragement Awards received by NSSMC
■ Specification change of HS (Hyper Space)
proof-strength ATACK (Anti-Tense, Anti-Compress K) Frame
Our unique buckling-restrained technology that has
been used in high-rise buildings was first applied to housing as the HS proof-strength ATACK Frame. This time,
we have upgraded this ATACK Frame with the aim of reducing both weight and cut. The buckling restrained brace
works to sandwich and restrain the core steel with other steel material or concrete and to prevent buckling
and make it more stable to be formed. We have combined this brace with the HS method, that PanaHome
Corporation of the Panasonic Group has developed to achieve superior seismic resistant performance and
flexible use in housing applications, and have contributed to its revision of its specifications by using our
original model analysis technology. This spec change has led to 116 ton (3%) annual reduction in CO2
emission.
■ Weight reduction and resource savings by thinner clad materials for the inner cooking bowl of the induction
heating (IH) rice cooker
We have worked on making bonding of thin wide coils more stable by using clad
materials, which are indispensable for the inner cooking bowl of the IH rice cooker. We have in particular
used numerical analysis to optimize the bonding pressure distribution when rolling the materials. We have thus
established the mass production technology that enables to fully use manufacturing capacity for this product.
In addition, we have established the technology to control thickness of copper, which is suitable for thin
sheet materials, and reduced the thickness of the copper bowl layer from 2.0 mm to 1.45 mm, succeeding in the
average 30% material weight reduction. This has also contributed to 34% in CO2 emission for manufacturing
inner bowl materials.
2．Future development
We will continue to pursue the immense potentials of steel and analyze materials up
to the atom level by applying our simulation technology. That is how we plan to develop new optimal materials
and respond to customers’ requests. We will also use our global network and help customers expand
globally.
3．Award accomplishments
| |
FY2009 |
FY2010 |
FY2011 |
FY2012 |
| Best Partner Award |
1 |
1 |
||
| ECO-VC Gold Award |
4 |
1 |
1 |
|
| ECO-VC Silver Award |
1 |
|
1 |
|
| ECO-VC Bronze Award |
1 |
|||
| ECO-VC Encouragement Award* |
－ |
2 |
||
Dr. Hiroshi Tomono (President & COO of NSSMC) received from Mr. Kazuhiro Tsuga ( President of Panasonic Corporation) the Best Partner Award.
For inquiries:
Public Relations Center, General Administration Division TEL: +81-3-6867-2977
