Konica Minolta Breaks Ground on New R&D Labs in Tokyo

[Anonymous]

Konica Minolta Breaks Ground on New R&D Labs in Tokyo

Tokyo  Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) today announced that the company breaks ground on its new R&D building (SKT) in Hachioji, Tokyo.

Since 1963 Konica Minolta Tokyo Site Hachioji (Tokyo Site) has played an important role as an epicenter of cutting-edge laboratories, fostering a number of proprietary core technologies. With the addition of the SKT, Tokyo Site will house more than 3,000 employees and become a major driving force in Konica Minolta’s research and development efforts. In the ever-changing business landscape, only innovations that bring out "new value to improve quality of life and society can drive "strong growth of the company. The new SKT is positioned as vital investment for the future of the Konica Minolta Group to enhance its innovative powers and skills in creating new values. The construction starts by the end of April 2013 and will complete in April 2014.

With seven stories, totaling approximately 40,000 square meters, the new SKT will become the largest R&D facility for Konica Minolta. The plan has put a strong emphasis on designing optimized work environment and systems that assist development of new products and services based on Konica Minolta’s strengths. The new labs are ideal places to make "creation of new value happen, in the true sense of the word, among promising growth fields by rising to the challenges of customers and society.

Broader and Productive Collaboration through Multi-faceted Fusion of Technologies

The SKT will hold a special place in the R&D of digital printing systems (Production Print) which drives growth in Konica Minolta’s mainstay Business Technologies business. The primary development functions, including engineering, pre-production and quality assurance testing, will be concentrated in the SKT so that a closer cooperation among these functions will improve overall efficiency of the development phases. A newly designed grand space with high load carrying capacity, along with installation of environmental testing equipment and other facilities, will enable the engineering teams to work on development of super-large systems.

Areas exclusive for internal alliance will encourage greater collaboration beyond organizational structure. On April 1, 2013, Konica Minolta merged its Business Technologies and other subsidiaries, establishing an all-inclusive business entity. Technological resources that were once scattered among the business companies have been put together, with greater potential to turn fusion of technologies into "new value in the form of attractive products and services.

Work environment for external "open innovation will be enhanced, pushing the envelope for broader collaborations with academic institutions and other corporations. Greater partnership with outside parties will assist Konica Minolta in creating "new value in the fields where the company did not have sufficient resources on its own.

In the skylighted atrium, special spaces will be designed to encourage and revitalize communications.

Flexibility with Universal Layout to Meet Long-term Needs

Universal layout will allow each floor to change placement of furniture, equipment, and information and communications systems with greater flexibility, as organizational structure and business models change over time.

Sustainable Building

The SKT will adopt various environmentally-responsible design and equipment, such as the skylighted atrium and solar panels, toward an eco- and employee-friendly facility. In response to increasing demand to prepare for large-scale earthquake, the base isolation structure will keep R&D divisions’ information and machines safe.

Overview of SKT

Address	2970 Ishikawa-Machi, Hachioji-Shi, Tokyo
Building Area	Approximately 6,300 square meters
Total Floor Space	Approximately 40,000 square meters
Floors	Seven floors
Design and Construction	Takenaka Corporation
Construction Start	April 2013
Completion	April 2014
Capacity	Approximately 1,500 people (Approximately 3,200 people in Tokyo Site, subject to change)

Under the Communication Message "Giving Shape to Ideas, Konica Minolta aims to create new growth opportunities by accurately identifying the changing needs of society and responding to them with the technologies it developed over the years. Going forward, Konica Minolta will continue improving quality of and revitalizing its R&D functions as the most powerful sources for future growth, fostering advanced technologies and problem-solving skills to contribute to the progress of society to a better stage and creating "new value.

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April 9, 2013 at 8:08 AM