Kanadevia has invested approximately 850 million yen to construct a new electronic board plant at its Maizuru Works in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, boosting its annual production capacity for semiconductor manufacturing equipment circuit boards to 49,000 units. The expansion comes against the backdrop of rapidly surging semiconductor demand and a strategic drive to bolster production systems for decarbonization-related equipment.

Facility Expansion and Capacity Boost Driven by 850 Million Yen Investment

Kanadevia Corporation (formerly Hitachi Zosen Corporation) announced the completion and commencement of full-scale operations at its new electronic board plant within its Maizuru Works in Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture. This investment, totaling approximately 850 million yen, drastically increases the plant’s annual production capacity for electronic boards used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and industrial machinery from roughly 29,000 to 49,000 units—a 1.7-fold boost (a 70% increase). The project involved relocating and constructing a new building for the Electronic Equipment Center adjacent to the Control Equipment Center, creating a new facility with a total floor area of 1,122.25 square meters. In recent years, global demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment has surged exponentially, fueled by advancing digitization and the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. In response to these market dynamics, Kanadevia restructured its production infrastructure and integrated state-of-the-art equipment. The operation of the new plant optimizes board mounting and assembly lines, enabling the company to deliver products swiftly and reliably to meet surging order volumes. This capacity enhancement serves as a critical growth engine within Kanadevia’s broader strategy for its industrial machinery and precision electronic control businesses.

Integration with the Unit Plant to Maximize Production Efficiency

Prior to constructing the new electronic board plant, Kanadevia converted two existing facilities at the site—Experiment Building No. 1 (576.69 square meters) and Experiment Building No. 2 (569.15 square meters)—into a dedicated Unit Plant. By consolidating and linking the Unit Plant, which launched operations earlier in April 2026, with the newly completed electronic board facility, the company established a seamless, end-to-end production workflow spanning component manufacturing, unit assembly, and final equipment integration. The Maizuru Works operates on a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing model, encompassing numerous high-skill processes such as manual soldering, intricate wiring, and crane-operated movements of heavy enclosures. Full-time personnel handle instruction drafting, process management, and data monitoring, working alongside contract personnel to operate high-precision production lines. Unifying the production hubs has drastically reduced inter-process transit costs and lead times, achieving significant efficiency gains alongside a rigorous quality assurance framework. Please refer to the site layout plan below.

Core Technologies and Advanced Product Portfolio

Technical Features of Semiconductor Equipment and Industrial Control Boards

Since entering the electronic control equipment business in 1975, Kanadevia’s Maizuru Works has manufactured core electronic boards and control systems for semiconductor manufacturing tools, railway vehicles, industrial PCs, and power plant facilities. Electronic boards produced here are widely deployed as CPU boards for industrial PCs operating under extreme temperatures or high vibration, as well as main control boards requiring ultra-precise operation in semiconductor equipment. Manufacturing workflows strictly enforce high-precision soldering, component mounting based on design schematics, protective coating, and rigorous electrical and operational inspections. Furthermore, the plant possesses extensive expertise in producing control panels for major infrastructure assets, including waste-to-energy facilities, sewage treatment plants, marine engines, and tunnel boring machines. Because semiconductor equipment circuit boards demand absolute reliability where even minor noise or microscopic flaws are unacceptable, the precision mounting techniques and quality assurance know-how accumulated by the plant over decades serve as an indispensable foundation.

Harnessing LFP Batteries and Advanced Material HiTaCa®

The newly established Unit Plant strengthens assembly capabilities for cutting-edge products targeting growth sectors like energy storage and advanced materials. Specifically, it manufactures Battery Management Units (BMUs) for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are known for high safety and long operational lifespans. Additionally, the plant is advancing the equipment integration of flexible film heaters utilizing Kanadevia’s proprietary functional material, HiTaCa®. HiTaCa® is an ultra-thin, highly efficient planar heater that uses vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets as heating elements, boasting a proven track record as an anti-icing heater for railway bogies on Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen bullet trains. Kanadevia plans to adapt this technology for high-value-added industrial applications, including thermal control units for semiconductor manufacturing equipment where temperature regulation is critical. Please refer to the advanced material structure diagram below.

Industrial Transformation, Regional Impact, and Future Outlook

Strategic Shift from Shipbuilding to Precision Machinery and Decarbonization

Kanadevia Corporation traces its roots back to 1881 as Osaka Iron Works, later adopting the name Hitachi Zosen Corporation in 1943 to build a heavy industry and plant engineering powerhouse. Following the spin-off of its shipbuilding business in 2002, the company redirected its core focus toward environmental plants, industrial machinery, social infrastructure, and decarbonization technologies. To reflect its corporate vision of “taking on the challenge of harmony between humanity and nature through the power of technology,” the firm officially rebranded as Kanadevia Corporation on October 1, 2024. The Maizuru Works (formerly Hitachi Zosen Maizuru Works) stands as a landmark of this structural transformation, evolving from a historic shipyard into a flagship facility for precision machinery and electronic control equipment. This 850 million yen investment in the electronic board plant strongly accelerates Kanadevia’s portfolio reform—pivoting away from low-margin segments to focus on high-value sectors—and serves as a core strategy driving significant operating profit growth and a V-shaped earnings recovery.

Regional Economic Role in Maizuru City and Key Points to Watch

Located in Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture—a strategic transportation hub featuring Maizuru Port and an extensive highway network—the Maizuru Works provides vital regional employment, including local hiring of high school vocational graduates. Both Maizuru City and Kyoto Prefecture actively support corporate capital investments through generous incentive programs, such as enterprise location subsidies, property tax reductions, and job creation grants. The plant provides an exceptional working environment equipped with full climate control, comprehensive introductory training, and safety education programs. As global semiconductor demand expands and adoption grows for energy storage batteries and carbon nanotube applications in a decarbonizing world, the Maizuru Works plays a key role in regional economic growth and employment stability. Moving forward, observers will keenly watch how increased shipments from expanded capacity and the market launch of new technologies generate positive ripple effects across both Kanadevia’s earnings and the local economy.

Reference Pages

• [Kanadevia Corporation News Release] https://www.kanadevia.com/newsroom/news/release/assets/pdf/FY2026-55.pdf
• [Kanadevia Corporation Official Website] https://www.kanadevia.com/
• [Maizuru City Official Website – Business Location Incentives] https://www.city.maizuru.kyoto.jp/shigoto/0000001417.html

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