Daikin Shiga Plant

About Shiga Plant

Shiga Plant manufactures room air conditioners and air purifiers with a priority on customer satisfaction, product usability, and increased environmental comfort. Its product development system promotes energy savings and environmental comfort by combining digital technologies and proficient techniques, ensuring safety and high-quality in all Daikin products. As a global mother plant, it also advances product development for overseas markets and the expansion of production equipment to overseas bases.

Completion: November 6, 1970

Site Area: Approx. 255,838m²

[Image: Exterior view of the Daikin Shiga Plant building, a modern industrial facility.]

History of Shiga Plant

• 1970 - Shiga Plant established.
• 1978 - Production of Daikin System (PDS) introduced.
• 1980 - Factory No.2 begins operation.
• 1987 - Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) activities initiated.
• 1989 - Cumulative production reaches 5 million units.
• 1993 - Factory No.3 begins operation.
• 1994 - ISO9001 quality management system certification obtained.
• 1996 - ISO14001 environment management system certification obtained.
• 1998 - Production reaches 10 million units.
• 1999 - High-cycle production system initiated.
• 2006 - Cumulative production reaches 20 million units.
• 2016 - Cumulative production reaches 30 million units.
• 2020 - ISO45001 occupational health and safety management system certification obtained. (2012 OHSAS18001 certification obtained.)
• Shiga Plant celebrates its 50th anniversary.

[Image: A serene landscape with trees and a clear sky, representing the plant's environment.]

[Image: Workers in a factory setting engaged in production processes.]

Production and Development

Air Conditioning Products

With consideration for the global environment, Shiga Plant develops and manufactures an impressive array of HVAC products customized to the needs and unique characteristics of each region to create healthy comfort and durable quality in indoor environments.

[Image: A collection of Daikin products including wall-mounted and ceiling cassette room air conditioners, air purifiers, and heat pump water heating and supply systems.]

Daikin's Aims for Value Creation

To achieve the realization of SDGs through its business, the Daikin Group has identified three priority themes: "The Earth," "Cities," and "People." Leveraging its leading global technologies, Daikin consistently provides new value that enables healthy and comfortable lifestyles while reducing environmental impact.

Shiga Plant Works Value Creation

• Creating Value for the Earth: Carbon neutrality initiatives, Coexistence with nature in Shiga, Daikin's unique production system.
• Creating Value for People: Integrated production from design to supply, Product development matching trends.
• Foundation Supporting Value Creation: Working with the local community, Health and safety initiatives.

[Image: An illustration of a globe enclosed in a glass dome with a green city landscape inside, symbolizing environmental and social responsibility.]

Creating Value for the Earth

Carbon neutrality initiatives

Development of environmentally-friendly factories

The factories at Shiga Plant strive for significant reductions of CO2 emissions through an integrated air conditioning system and LED lighting, utilizing the Daikin Builmulti Intelligent Partner System (D-BIPS) and ongoing improvements. The KARAKURI KAIZEN system is implemented in production lines to reduce environmental load and lower air pressure used by equipment and devices, leading to product development that reduces processes and aims to lower energy consumption. The goal is to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions at factories by 2030. Efforts also include zero industrial waste through waste separation and a circular economy system for aluminum. Employee education covers water quality accident and emergency response training to enhance environmental awareness.

[Image: A person monitors energy data on a computer screen in a control room, illustrating visualization of energy circulation for energy-saving activities.]

[Image: Workers supplying components to production lines with a focus on energy-saving mechanisms, representing KARAKURI designed by employees.]

[Image: Employees participate in a training session focused on safety procedures, illustrating water quality accidents and emergency response training.]

Coexistence with nature in Shiga

Biodiversity conservation initiatives

The Daikin Group promotes forestation at each plant. Daikin Shiga Forest, a biotope established at the Shiga Plant, aims to reproduce the region's natural environment through forestation efforts.

[Image: A photograph of the lush green Daikin Shiga Forest area.]

[Image: A close-up image of fireflies in their natural habitat, photographed at Daikin Shiga Forest.]

[Image: People working in a forest setting, possibly installing protective measures, representing a forest conservation effort.]

[Image: Individuals tending to plants in a field, likely for conservation purposes, representing exterminating activities for foreign species like cat's ear (false dandelion).]

Awards received for Daikin Shiga Forest activities

• May 2010: Received the Grand Prize in the Corporate Section at the 3rd Kusatsu City Mitigation of Global Warming Awards.
• June 2016: Received the Special CSR Prize at the 8th Biotope Awards from the Japan Biotope Association (NPO).
• May 2017: Received the Excellence Prize in the Large Corporate Section at the 3rd Environment Manpower Creation Awards from the Ministry of the Environment.
• February 2018: Received Grand Prize in the Corporate and Organization Section at the Kusatsu City Eco-Style Contest.
• March 2022: Received three-star Shiga Biodiversity Certification from the Shiga Prefectural Government.
• November 2024: Acquired 2024 OECM site certification from the Ministry of the Environment.

[Logos: Shiga Prefecture Biodiversity Initiative Certification Logo, 30by30 Alliance, OECM Site Certification Logo.]

Creating Value for People

Integrated production, from design to supply

Integrated production factories for room air conditioners

All employees engage in product manufacture as a team, covering design, production, in-house procurement of components, product development, manufacture, and supply. This involves close cooperation not only among designers but also with all departments, including in-house procurement, manufacturing, and production technology.

[Image: Employees working collaboratively on assembly lines for room air conditioners, demonstrating teamwork and precision.]

[Image: Employees working collaboratively on assembly lines for room air conditioners, demonstrating teamwork and precision.]

Flow of production

• Product development: Developing technologies that improve comfort and energy-saving capabilities for customer satisfaction.
• Supply: Creating production plans for each factory based on nationwide customer needs.
• Distribution: Delivering products to customers safely and quickly.
• Quality management: Ensuring the best quality products through repeated testing.
• Component procurement: Ensuring the most suitable components for production.
• Services: Maintaining trusting relationships with customers after product delivery.
• Production technology: Developing factories and equipment that ensure safe production.

The plant produces high-quality products by combining IT technologies and proficient techniques.

Product development matching trends

The wide variety of products developed includes air conditioners, air purifiers, and water heating and supply systems, all keeping pace with technological advances and prioritizing designs that reduce environmental load. A unified support system connecting all departments enables the delivery of safe and secure products that are friendly to both people and the environment.

[Image: A display of Daikin products including room air conditioners, multi-split type air conditioning systems, air purifiers, and heat pump water heating and supply systems.]

Daikin's Unique Production System

Daikin's unique, constantly evolving PDS (Production of Daikin System) delivers efficiency that creates value, providing what's needed, when it's needed, in the amount needed. The High-cycle Production (multi-product, variable-quantity production) system allows for swift variations in product type and quantity according to requirements. Utilizing Daikin's IT resources, this system responds rapidly and flexibly to changing customer needs with production plans reflecting real-time data on markets, inventories, components, and human resources. This system enables adjusting production capacity on a day-to-day basis, minimizing lead times and environmental impact.

Production System Overview

• Lot production: Mass production of a single model, based on seasonal forecasts.
• Mixed production of multiple products: Mixed plan production, responding to diverse customer needs.
• Multi-product, variable quantity production: Daily high-cycle production, enabling rapid response to a wide range of changes.

Example of Production System <Assembly line for outdoor units>

The assembly line for outdoor units includes the following zones:

• Starting Zone: Features compressor supply line (automatic conveyor) and component supply (set conveyor).
• Automatic Leak Inspection Zone: Utilizes an automatic charging device for quick and leak-free refrigerant filling (R32) for outdoor units.
• Assembly Zone: Incorporates ID card attached assembly pallets.
• Operation Testing Zone: Features Daikin's elaborate operation testing system, ensuring product safety and reliability through advanced assembly technology, sensors, and computer technologies.
• Automatic Packing Zone: Final packaging stage.

Production Capabilities

• Responding to any change with multi-product, variable-quantity production: Satisfying diverse customer needs by manufacturing 80 to 150 different products daily.
• Production lines aligned with SDGs: Including adjustments for work table height and promoting gender equality.
• Automatic conveyor for components: Employees implement ideas to minimize loss, such as reducing non-value-adding transport services.

Foundation Supporting Value Creation

Working with the local community

Shiga Plant works closely with the local community to contribute to regional vitalization. Since the establishment of the Regional Community Department in 1973, the plant has engaged with local residents through plant visits, an annual summer evening festival, and area cleaning activities to foster communication and deepen relationships.

[Image: Elementary school students touring the plant in Shiga City.]

[Image: People participating in a cleanup event on "Lake Biwa Day".]

[Image: A vibrant festival scene with fireworks and many attendees, representing the annual summer evening festival.]

Health and safety initiatives

Ensuring a comfortable workplace where individual employees can work with confidence and peace of mind. Hands-on safety classes provide employees with opportunities to deepen their understanding of safety issues and increase awareness through controlled stressful situations. Industrial physicians conduct personal interviews and seminars to monitor and maintain employees' mental and physical well-being, ensuring comprehensive problem-solving approaches.

[Image: Employees practicing screw installation techniques.]

[Image: Training session focused on life-saving procedures conducted by the in-house fire brigade.]

[Image: Employees attending a seminar on mental health.]

Access to the Shiga Plant

Address: 1000-2 Okamoto-cho, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga, 525-8526, Japan

TEL: 077-563-1151

By train

• From JR Kusatsu Station (East Exit), take a Teisan bus bound for Aoyama 5-chome or Kamikiryu, and get off at Daikin-mae stop (Approx. 20 mins.).
• From JR Kusatsu Station (East Exit), take a Teisan taxi (Approx. 15 mins.).

By car

• From Ritto IC on the Meishin Expressway, exit to National Route 1 and head toward Otsu, turn left at the Kusatsu 3-chome intersection, and then go straight (Approx. 20 mins.).
• Turn right onto the prefectural road from Kusatsu-Tanakami IC (Approx. 10 mins.).

[Image: A detailed map showing road networks, highways, intersections, and public transport routes to the Daikin Shiga Plant.]