Production
In addition to striving for zero emissions, Casio is working hard at each of its production sites to save resources and energy by reducing defects and improving the efficiency of production lines.
The ongoing quest for zero emissions
"Zero emissions" stands for the effort to get the amount of waste that goes into landfills below regulatory standards. In Japan, these standards can be established independently by each company and organization, but Casio has established one of the strictest levels in the industry: keeping the ratio of landfill waste to total waste production below 1%.
Even Kochi Casio, the liquid crystal production site expected to have the greatest difficulty in achieving this goal, has continuously been achieving its zero emissions targets since fiscal 2004. The sludge and glass particles generated in the process of treating the wastewater used to clean liquid crystals are recycled and used to make cement. Other plastic and metal waste materials are used by Casio's partner companies.
To save energy used on air conditioning and lighting, Casio Thailand completely reconfigured its manufacturing line.
By arranging the entire production line into a more compact layout, and concentrating all of the operations performed at night in a few areas, the factory was able to reduce its operations space by 1300m2, or about 10% of the total plant area. This in turn reduced the amount of electricity used to power the air conditioning and lighting. Efforts were also made to ensure that there was no cool air leaking outside of the production space, thereby preventing energy losses.
Introduction of reusable shipping cartons in Asian distribution
A reusable shipping carton
A reusable shipping carton
To reduce packaging material, Casio is working to introduce the use of reusable shipping cartons in its Asian distribution operations.
In an effort to switch to plastic reusable shipping cartons in its air freight shipments between Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand, Casio launched the use of new cartons in September 2009.
These cartons can be used to ship parts made in Japan to Hong Kong for use at Chinese production sites, and to ship timepiece parts from vendors in China, from Hong Kong to Thailand. By then transporting finished timepieces or timepiece parts from Thailand to Japan, the cartons never have to travel empty between the three countries.
Unlike traditional cardboard boxes, these cartons do not have to be discarded, and instead can be used many times over, thereby reducing environmental impact.
Casio watches or timepieces are made at four manufacturing plants in the Far East. They are :
Yamagata Casio in Japan
Casio Electronic (Shenzhen)
Guandu Factory and
Casio Electronic Technology (Zhongshan) in China
and Casio (Thailand).
References:
Casio: Providing a Stable Supply of Products Worldwide