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spring, the beautiful sight of the remaining snow on the peaks of the Northern
Alps is reflected in the water of the surrounding rice fields. In summer, Azumino
is crowded with many mountain climbers and tourists. In autumn, the golden stalks
of rice wave in the wind. In winter, a stillness fills the air as mountains are
once again covered in snow. No matter what the season, Toyoshina-cho, the location
of our Headquarters, is blessed by nature's beauty. In July 1966, General Aircon
Co. Ltd. was established through a merger of General Electric (GE) of the U.S.,
and Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
In February 1974, Toyota Group (Toyota Motor Corp., Toyota
Motor Sales, and Nippon Denso) began equity participation in General Aircon Co.,
Ltd. In January 1989, General Aircon Co. Ltd. was renamed GAC Co., Ltd.
As can be deduced from our original company name, air conditioning
is our area of expertise. In our line-up of air conditioners, our originally designed
and produced cabinet air conditioner is our main product.
We have interviewed the president and those responsible for
design, development, and sales of cabinet air conditioners to hear their individual
perspectives.
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President Shuji Nakata |
  he
G in our company's name is originally taken from General Electric (GE), but I
think it is accurate to say it's the G from [General Refrigeration]. Our mission
is to provide products capable of creating a cooler, more comfortable living environment
for humans as well as machines. This way of thinking brought about cabinet air
conditioners."
President Shuji Nakata insists that air conditioners create not only comfortable
temperatures, but also comfortable atmospheres everywhere they are used.
"Air conditioning has evolved from what was once an
accessory to what we now consider a necessary component in our everyday lives.
Machine tools are the same. Protecting control panels against heat damage can
lead to progress in productivity and improvements in the workplace environment.
These days, many machine tool users purchase air conditioners that require separate
installation. I think, in turn, we will begin to see a trend in machine tool manufacturers
selling machinery with built-in air conditioners."
 President Nakata
envisions that as IT use becomes more widespread, so will the number of control
panels. This increase is certain to create a growing demand for base controlling
systems.
"With air conditioning being our area of expertise,
sales of our original cabinet air conditioners is an area of our business where
we are able to conduct sales freely, without restriction. It is our goal to raise
the overall sales percentage of cabinet air conditioners from the current figure
of 2.3% to approximately 10% of our gross net sales. We are determined to work
in harmony with the local community while continuing to develop and market state-of-the-art
technology." |
-Designing engineer
years ago, when I first joined GAC Co., Ltd., they were in the initial planning
stages of the cabinet air conditioner. Ever since, I have continued to work closely
with this machine. Recently, production of air conditioners for control panels
has become more widespread. Although they are small boxes, control panels in machine
tools produce high heat levels. The temperature inside these control boxes needs
to be maintained between 25°C-30°C, as opposed to excessively high levels
such as 50°C-60°C. Our cabinet air conditioner was specifically designed
to refrigerate these control panels."
In an already well-developed field of technology, he seems to have gone to painstaking
extents planning how to design and produce products superior to those of the competition.
"Compact sized air conditioners are ideal for attachment
and installation in machines, but the true question of performance is whether
the heat-exchanger can control temperatures as high as 50°C-60°C. When
attempting to produce a machine that operates at low noise levels outdoors, countless
test-runs and product alterations were necessary. Designing a cabinet air conditioner
that could be easily manufactured in our production centers posed yet another
challenge. As a designer, I am grateful to be able to work on an entirely original
product such as our cabinet air conditioner, because I am able to express my ideas
and give input to better develop the cooler."
GAC was one of the first corporations in Japan to begin using R-134a, a refrigerant
with no harmful effects on the ozone layer. We asked him about his feelings on
design.
"As a designer, it is obvious that I should think about
high quality products and cost-efficient production, but in the case that a consumer
should misuse one of our products, it is my responsibility to design safe circuits
to prevent any possible accidents or injuries. Because we have implemented a self-error
diagnosis system with various functions and components, it is impossible to make
an extremely compact unit. Our overall vision is to design and produce small,
light-weight and quiet cabinet air conditioners. We will strive to provide machines
capable of adjusting to a wider temperature control range and producing lower
noise-levels than ever before." |
-Production engineer
 It
has been 1 year since I joined the cabinet air conditioner production line. I
am currently in charge of the final inspection division. It is our job to check
whether machines meet regulations as well as to package and ship them. Our position
at GAC is a very important one. If we don't perform a thorough check of each and
every product, it could lead to accidental shipment of defective products."
In the event that a new product is manufactured, the design department and production
department perform a simulation of the production process to determine if the
product can be manufactured according to plan.
"For instance, an electric cord which appeared to be
the correct length in plans was too short when actually tested in a production
simulation. In this circumstance, we would correct and re-write our plan in order
to move into the next stage of mass production. GAC's method for producing a wide-range
of various products in low product volumes requires a great deal of manual operation
rather than relying strictly on machinery. Thus, our production method requires
specialized techniques. In our workplace, there are numerous experts. For example,
one worker specializes in wax-coating bronze pipes, while another's area of expertise
is welding. Watching their exceptional on-job performance has inspired me to obtain
various specialty licenses in the future."
When working in cooperation with the design division, there is never a lack of
feedback on how to produce higher quality products more efficiently.
"In the event that we receive a suggestion to improve
the production process, we immediately contact the design department and work
together to bring about the suggested change." |
-Sales engineer
 ecognition
of the cabinet air conditioner's effective refrigeration of machine tool control
panels and other products has become quite high.
Because almost all large companies have control panel air conditioning units these
days, we are working harder than ever to promote the high refrigeration capacity
and low running costs of our cabinet air conditioners. Users say our products
are highly reliable and have long product lives."
Our range of corporate activities continues to spread into new fields where we
carefully select the most compatible products to meet customers' tool control
panel refrigeration needs.
From units for refrigerating control panels of machine tools to mobile phone base
stations, the demands for versatile cabinet air conditioners with high-level technology
are growing.
"Compared to a noisy plant where additional noise from
air conditioning is of no concern, air conditioners made for attachment to electric
poles or for interior use in buildings must be designed to operate at low noise
levels. Equipment malfunction in communications machinery is unacceptable. When
it comes to these issues, GAC's air conditioning products receive high quality
ratings from customers.
Relating customer feedback to GAC staff members is an important part of our business
activities. One experience in particular, when we successfully created a product
in collaboration with an NTT company affiliate in February 2003, still remains
a priceless memory for me."
As the accumulation rate of circuits rises, machinery becomes more compact, and
heat levels increase, the demand for compact size air conditioners is certain
to grow. It is our goal to branch out and become a larger presence in the communications
industry. |
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