Sumitomo Metals Receives Two Gold Awards from Panasonic for its ECO-VC Initiative

Today, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Metals) received from Panasonic Corporation (head office: Kadoma City, Osaka) two gold awards for its ECO-VC (Value Creation) Initiative. 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, 5 suppliers received gold awards out of 668 accomplishments from 444 suppliers.

The awards were given today at the Panasonic Excellent Partners Meeting held in Osaka and Hiroshi Tomono, President of Sumitomo Metals, was delegated as a representative of suppliers and made presentation titled "Sumitomo Metals’ Eco-Friendly Activities," at the meeting.

We are honored that Panasonic accredited our strategy of not merely selling materials but providing solutions to customers.

1. The awarded activities
(1) "Adoption of heat release steel sheet as heat sink material for ultra-thin TVs"
Responding to the need for thinner, multi-functional liquid crystal display TVs, Sumitomo Metals has developed ultra-thin heat sink materials based on heat-release steel sheeting.

(2) "Weight reduction in beam materials for housing"
We have enabled further reduction in welded light-weight H-beams that are used for housing construction.

2. Evaluation points
(1) "Adoption of heat release steel sheet as heat-sink material for ultra-thin TVs"
An ultra-thin TV set uses a component called a heat sink for dissipation of heat generated by LSI within the TV cabinet. In order to make a TV set thinner, a heat sink also needs to be thinner, while a TV with more functions requires enhanced performance from LSI, which then dissipates more heat. The conventional aluminum heat sink is oversized relative to the limited space available for it, less than 6 mm in thickness, of a back cover of the thinner TV set and is unable to dissipate heat sufficiently.

While the conventional aluminum heat sink transfers heat, Sumitomo Metals has decided to focus on emission, which is one of three ways to transfer heat: transfer, convection, and emission. We have developed a paint that has a thermal emissivity close to theoretical limitation and have coated a heat-release steel sheet with this paint, creating an ultra-thin heat sink. By replacing aluminum with steel, we have contributed to Panasonic’s efforts to reduce both CO2 emissions and costs.

(2) "Weight reduction in beam materials for housing"
Panasonic Electric Works Techno-Structure Co, Ltd. makes the wood-frame house structure named "Techno-Structure." Its composite beams made of steel and wood use Sumitomo Metals’ welded light-weight H-beams, named "SMart BEAM." We assessed strength and vibration of the composite beam and optimized shapes and welding conditions of metal joints which are used to connect columns to the beam. We have thus made it possible to reduce the gauge of the H-beams and have contributed to Panasonic Electric Works Techno-Structure’s efforts at saving its material costs and cutting CO2 emissions.

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

Two Gold Awards from Panasonic for its ECO-VC Initiative