Sumitomo Metals Receives Silver Award for Panasonic's ECO-VC Initiative

Today, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Metals) received from Panasonic Corporation (head office: Kadoma City, Osaka) the silver award for the ECO-VC (Value Creation) Initiative at the Panasonic Excellent Partners Meeting.

This award is given to suppliers of Panasonic Group companies that make particularly significant contributions to reducing CO2 emissions and making their products more competitive. On this occasion, 8 accomplishments received awards out of a total of 512 accomplishments.

Sumitomo Metals was praised by Panasonic with the following comments: "We were deeply impressed with Sumitomo Metals' technical capabilities enabling environmental load reduction and cost reduction, its attitude toward tackling issues, and its passion to achieving objectives."

1. Theme of the award
"Proposal for the ultimate ECO-VC design: reduction in thickness of steel sheets and reduction of total weight of an exterior unit of an air conditioner by using new materials and optimizing design configuration"

Sumitomo Metals developed a simulation of a free fall drop test*1 by applying CAE*2 analysis technologies, and thereby enabled reductions in steel sheet materials and costs.

2. Evaluation points

  (1) Sumitomo Metals further developed its simulation technologies, which were accumulated in the automotive field, and developed the world's first

        simulated free fall drop test by taking into account the characteristics of packaging materials. This has enabled numerical analysis of damage

        caused by dropping packaged electric appliances during distribution processes. The omission or shortening of actual drop tests has resulted in

        cost reduction and time saving for new product development.

  (2) Sumitomo Metals used this simulation to calculate material durability that was required to sustain damage from a drop. Based on the results of

        numerical analysis, the company then developed and applied new lighter materials that satisfied the required workability and strength. This has

        contributed to the manufacture of lighter outer units for air conditioners, thus saving resources and cutting CO2 emissions.

3. Future development
Sumitomo Metals will continue to provide not only materials but also solutions to customers by using its simulation and other advanced technologies as it seeks the "Number One Position in Customer Evaluation."

<Terms>
*1 Simulation of a free fall drop test
This is a simulation test based on computer calculation instead of an actual free fall drop test that uses packaged electric appliances. Its objective is to verify the quality guarantee of the product by simulating damage from being dropped during distribution and transportation.

*2 CAE
Computer Aided Engineering. The use of computers to support prior checking of product design, manufacturing, and process engineering. The term can also refer to such tools.

Silver Award for the ECO-VC Initiative