Products backed by long-cultivated technologies, and things to come (Terada Iron Works Co., Ltd.)Hiroshima for Global Peace

Products backed by long-cultivated technologies, and things to come (Terada Iron Works Co., Ltd.)

Products backed by long-cultivated technologies, and things to come

Terada Iron Works Co., Ltd. has a history of over 100 years. The company started out in the iron industry, manufacturing water tanks for steam locomotives and later supported Japan’s rapid growth in the business sector by manufacturing tanks for petrochemical plants. On the other hand, however, this has also placed a burden on the global environment. In response, the company started manufacturing exhaust gas desulfurization equipment for coal-fired thermal power plants, which is necessary to prevent acid rain, and this product continues to be its flagship. In addition, the technology it has developed over the years is helping to drive new initiatives.
Moreover, using the technology it developed when searching for an environmental business in the past, it has started manufacturing and selling solar thermal systems. Initially, the business was sluggish partly because it focused on products for home use and also because the market for the solar thermal business in Japan was shrinking. However, since switching to the commercial market, the system has been adopted for hot water supplies in hospitals and for air conditioning in office buildings, etc. The company is now well known in the industry, and the attention paid to solar thermal systems is increasing year on year.
Taking advantage of this tailwind, Terada Iron Works aims to become carbon neutral in the future by equalizing the sales of exhaust gas desulfurization equipment and other plant equipment with those of solar thermal systems.

Product development tailored to people’s lifestyles

People’s lifestyles change with the times. One example of this is the move to lighter roofs. In order to make houses more resistant to earthquakes, lighter roofs have replaced roofs made of tiles and other heavy materials. The solar water heaters manufactured by Terada Iron Works originally used a gravity-fed system to be placed on the roofs of houses. However, these changes in housing design made it difficult to mount solar water heaters, which weigh about 300 kg, on rooftops. This led to the development of a new solar water heater (Suntop) that can be installed directly on the ground.
By adapting to changes in housing, the company works to develop products that contribute to a sustainable society and provide them to consumers. These efforts will likely contribute to achieving Goal 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production.”

Suntop (ground-mounted solar water heater)

Contributing to society by not obtaining patents

When I asked about Eco-Saku (solar heat collector cookware), Mr. Terada said, “We can sell it all over the world, from developed countries to developing countries, because it enables cooking at almost 300℃ anywhere the sun is shining. It can also be used to sterilize water through evaporative distillation, making it safe to drink. There are even recipe books showing how to cook with it, but since we didn’t patent it, similar products have been made in other countries. That’s fine though, because we’ve made a contribution to society.” These were the words that left the greatest impression on me. I was impressed by the fact that they were not angry at the counterfeit products or pursuing only their own profits but were taking a broader view of contribution to society. It was also a valuable opportunity to think about whether this also represents a kind of contribution to the SDGs (8, 9, 10).