HORIBA STEC Launches Full-Scale Operations at Kyoto Fukuchiyama Factory

HORIBA STEC Co., Ltd. (President: Takeshi Miyamoto), the HORIBA Group company responsible for HORIBA’s semiconductor business, has commenced full-scale operations at its Kyoto Fukuchiyama Factory. The factory produces flagship products including, mass flow controllers (MFCs) and chemical concentration monitors, and is designed to enhance automation and efficiency while reinforcing a stable supply framework for the semiconductor industry.

With a total floor area of approximately 23,000 square meters, the Fukuchiyama Factory is a core manufacturing site designed for mass production technologies. The factory features highly efficient production systems, including jidoka*1 lines and automated material-handling equipment, and is designed to enable flexible production scaling even in the semiconductor market, where demand can fluctuate significantly. 
As a result, HORIBA STEC will be able to increase its domestic production capacity for MFCs to up to approximately three times current levels and its production capacity for chemical concentration monitors to approximately two times current levels in the future, thereby establishing a stable long-term supply framework. 
HORIBA will enhance factory operations by combining its proprietary data management system with a wide range of measurement and control technologies. By integrating and visualizing equipment operating data and data from various monitoring systems, the factory aims to optimize production management and energy management. In addition, as a showcase for HORIBA’s measurement and control solutions, the factory will also serve as a platform for customer proposals and technology outreach.
Moreover, with the start of operations at this factory, HORIBA will further strengthen collaboration with the adjacent Kyoto Fukuchiyama Technology Center and establish the Fukuchiyama area as an integrated hub for semiconductor research and development and mass production. By accelerating initiatives built on the twin pillars of stable supply and technological innovation, HORIBA aims to contribute to the growth of the HORIBA Group and the evolution of the global semiconductor industry as a leading partner in measurement and control.
 

[Key Features]

1. Establishing a stable mass-production system through automated lines and automated material handlingIn its approximately 10,000-square-meter production area, the factory manufactures mass flow controllers (MFCs) and chemical concentration monitors, HORIBA’S key semiconductor products, as well as printed circuit boards used in HORIBA’s own products.
For MFC production, robotic arms have been introduced to automate adjustment processes that previously had to be performed manually. This not only reduces labor requirements but also helps stabilize quality by minimizing variations in work procedures. In addition, automated guided vehicles (AGVs*2) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs*3) are used for in-factory transport, improving efficiency across the entire production process.
By establishing a mass-production system supported by these automated manufacturing facilities, the factory will be able to expand domestic MFC production capacity to up to approximately three times current levels in the future and increase production capacity for chemical concentration monitors to up to approximately twice current levels.
 

2. Improving factory operations and R&D efficiency through data integration and visualizationHORIBA is using its proprietary data management system to centrally manage information collected across the factory. 
In the cleanroom where MFCs are manufactured, HORIBA measurement instruments are installed throughout the facility, including an AMC (Airborne Molecular Contamination) monitoring system*4 that measures airborne contamination. By visualizing and analyzing equipment operating data and various monitoring data, HORIBA will use these insights to enhance factory operations and optimize energy use.
In addition, device-specific characteristic data obtained during production will be shared with the adjacent research and development base, the Kyoto Fukuchiyama Technology Center. By leveraging AI and digital twin*5 technologies, HORIBA will further improve development efficiency and accelerate the deployment of next-generation technologies.
 

3. Advancing decarbonization through the use of renewable energy
The factory has achieved ZEB*6 (Net Zero Energy Building) status, a designation promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is leveraging solar and hydrogen energy.
Approximately 5,000 square meters of solar panels have been installed on the roof, and the electricity they generate is maximized within the factory.
Any surplus electricity is converted into hydrogen through water electrolysis and stored. The hydrogen is then used to generate electricity via fuel cells, creating an energy cycle of “generate, store, and use.”
Through these initiatives, HORIBA aims to contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society while also optimizing operations from a cost-efficiency perspective.

[Facility Overview]

*1 “Jidoka” refers to a system that can operate autonomously while maintaining quality by detecting abnormalities and, when necessary, stopping operations and sending alerts.
*2 AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle): an unmanned transport vehicle that travels along preset routes.
*3 AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot): an autonomous transport robot that determines its own route and moves accordingly.
*4 HORIBA’s system for monitoring airborne molecular contaminants (AMCs) in cleanroom air.
*5 Analysis and optimization technology using virtual models that accurately reproduce physical phenomena.
*6 ZEB (Net Zero Energy Building): an environmentally friendly building designed to achieve a net-zero annual energy balance through energy-saving measures and on-site renewable energy generation such as solar power.