OREANDA-NEWS. September 18, 2012. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today it has been designated as a "Green Asia Special Global Strategy Synthesis Area" company in Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture. Under this designation, Mitsubishi Electric's Fukuoka-based Power Device Works, a base for the development and manufacture of power devices, will accelerate development of new technologies and products including silicon carbide (SiC) power devices.

Mitsubishi Electric develops and manufactures low-loss power devices as a global, leading green company. The new designation reflects the company's development of environmentally conscious, highly functional and cost-effective products, as well as production bases, which is a main goal of the Green Asia Special Global Strategy Synthesis Area project.

Mitsubishi Electric plans to strengthen its power device technologies and capabilities, and accelerate product development at its Power Device Works by building a new facility where related design and development divisions will be consolidated, while also making further investments. In addition to facilitating closer interaction between the divisions, the consolidation will free up space at the Works for new product sample evaluation, creating further operational efficiency. Efforts will focus particularly on the accelerated development of new technologies and power device products for which demand is growing and becoming more diversified.

High-energy-performance power devices are used in products ranging from air conditioners, refrigerators and other consumer appliances to equipment for industry and railroads. The growing proliferation of hybrid and electric vehicles, solar- and wind-power generation and similar developments are expected to raise the global demand for power devices even further.