Tag - manufacturing

 
 

MANUFACTURING

The Huawei Mate 60 Pro, launched in August 2023 and powered by a sophisticated chip, was seen as a symbol of the China's technological resurgence despite Washington's ongoing efforts to cripple its capacity to produce advanced semiconductors.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 22, 2024
U.S. targets China chipmaking plant after Huawei Mate 60 Pro
The Biden administration seeks to cut off China's most advanced factory from more American imports after it produced a sophisticated chip for the phone.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s first Kumamoto plant in the town of Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Feb. 10
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 16, 2024
Japan boosts aid to chip projects amid global race
Prompted by concerns, the government acted swiftly to prevent the potential loss of domestic production bases.
Workers walk to a Daihatsu factory in the town of Oyamazaki, Kyoto Prefecture, on Monday as the firm resumed production at the facility.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 12, 2024
Daihatsu resumes production of two models at Kyoto plant
The Toyota subsidiary hopes to restart gradually but its domestic vehicle production schedule remains unclear.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in the town of Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, in May. The firm plans to build a second chip fabrication plant in the prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2024
TSMC to build second chipmaking plant in Japan with partners
The facility will be close to the first TSMC plant in the Kumamoto Prefecture town of Kikuyo.
The government will extend subsidies worth as much as ¥242.9 billion for Kioxia and Western Digital to expand memory chip production in Mie and Iwate prefectures.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 6, 2024
Japan extends subsidies to downturn-hit Kioxia and Western Digital
The funding provides underpinning for the two companies, which have been hammered by a slump in the market for NAND flash chips.
The Fugaku supercomputer at Riken Center for Computational Science in Kobe in June 2020. Many companies leverage its simulation capabilities to streamline processes, saving labor on experiments and calculations crucial for the development of large products.
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2024
Fugaku supercomputer tops predecessor in corporate usage
While Fugaku has primarily garnered attention for academic applications it has also proved instrumental in product development.
Toyota plans to shorten plant operating hours and review its product development plans, with tight schedules being partly blamed for the scandals involving group companies Daihatsu and Toyota Industries.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2024
Toyota to shorten plants' maximum operating hours
The 30-minute reduction is aimed at giving workers a more flexible schedule following a series of certification irregularities at its group companies.
Industrial output in December rose a seasonally-adjusted 1.8% from the previous month, following a 0.9% decline in November, with the industry ministry maintaining its basic assessment that it is fluctuating indecisively.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 31, 2024
Japan’s factory output gains to support economy’s patchy rebound
The rebound may potentially remove a hurdle for the Bank of Japan as it mulls the timing of a likely interest rate hike.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda speaks during a news conference in Nagoya on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2024
World No. 1 but mired in scandal: Toyota sees mixed start to 2024
Despite the steady performance of its business, the carmaker has been shaken by wrongdoing at group firms, leading to an apology from the chairman.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, in May 2023
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2024
Can Japan again master semiconductors to relive its glory days?
Competition in the sector is fierce, with many countries pushing to develop their own capabilities and insulate supply chains from geopolitical tensions.
Toyota's Land Cruiser 300 SUV is among models subject to a halt in shipments after irregularities were found during certification tests for diesel engines.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 29, 2024
Toyota halts shipment of some vehicles over certification issues
A special investigative committee found irregularities during horsepower output testing for the certification of three diesel engine models.
U.S. National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard said President Joe Biden "continues to believe very strongly that steel is an important industry, a backbone of the transition we are driving in the economy.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 27, 2024
Biden aides signal importance of union jobs in Nippon Steel review
Top economic aides for President Joe Biden said he aims to preserve union jobs and domestic manufacturing in the U.S. steel sector.
A Kubota M96S tractor is shown at the 47th Annual World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, in February 2014.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 27, 2024
Kubota hit with $2 million penalty over false 'Made in USA' claims
In addition to the penalty, Kubota will be prohibited from making deceptive claims, according to a court order filed by the U.S. Justice Department.
One way to cut the steel industry’s emissions is to recycle more iron and steel products than the world currently does.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2024
What steel decarbonization needs
One way to cut the industry's emissions is by recycling more iron and steel products than we currently do.
Carmaker Daihatsu recalled more than 320,000 vehicles and extended a factory shutdown on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 24, 2024
Daihatsu recalls 320,000 cars and extends factory halt
The Toyota-owned firm notified the transport ministry that it would recall a total of 322,700 vehicles of two models due to a door defect.
The SK Hynix factory in Dalian specializes in 3D NAND flash memory used in smartphones and other devices. NAND accounts for an increasing portion of the company’s revenue, around 27% of which comes from China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 23, 2024
U.S. chip battle with China catches South Korea in the crossfire
Korean firms have to balance relations with both countries — one, a source of cutting-edge chipmaking technology and the other, the world's largest chip market.
A worker carries a tray containing steamed kamaboko at a factory in Ise, Mie Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 22, 2024
As costs rise, kamaboko producers struggle to stay afloat
Many have little choice but to raise the prices of their own products after having exhausted other measures.
TSMC had said it would make 3nm chips at the second factory, which is expected to be more advanced than the first in Arizona, but on Thursday, it said that incentives from the U.S. government would help determine how advanced the tech inside will be.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 19, 2024
TSMC’s second factory in Arizona delayed as U.S. grants remain in flux
Site will start operations only in 2027 or 2028, instead of the chipmaker's earlier guidance of 2026.
TSMC's plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, is set to open on Feb. 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 18, 2024
Taiwan's TSMC to launch Kumamoto chipmaking plant in February
TSMC — whose clients include Apple and Nvidia — controls more than half the world's output of silicon wafers, used in everything from smartphones to cars to missiles.
Japan's core machinery orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as a leading indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, fell more than expected in November.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 18, 2024
Japan's core machinery orders fell more than forecast in November
Capital spending is one of the key drivers for Japan's economy and a major indicator of business confidence.

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces