Cultivate people who spark innovation
By aiding the sustainable growth of society through our business, YAMASHIN-FILTER will enhance its corporate value while contributing to the achievement of a sustainable society.
Research and Development Policy
We have set the environment, air quality, and health as the core social issues that we should contribute to solving. As a comprehensive filter manufacturer, we engage in research and development to create high-value-added products, with a focus on the three areas of construction machinery filters, air filters, and healthcare.
Research and Development Structure
As a specialist filter manufacturer, YAMASHIN-FILTER aims to undertake fast-paced R&D, implementing new product development in a way that responds to customers’ expectations and society’s needs. In line with our R&D policy, planning and development proposals are collated by the R&D Division and used to initiate new projects. The determination as to whether projects should continue is made through design review and meetings attended by members of senior management.
More than 70 employees are involved with R&D, which is a very large number for a company of our size. The Yokosuka Innovation Center, which began operation in February 2022, brings together the functions that were formerly performed at the Yokohama Research & Development Center (in the Sugita district of Yokohama) and at the Yokosuka Media Laboratory. There are also R&D personnel at the Saga Branch Office and in the R&D Section of Yamashin Filter (SIP) Technology Inc. in Suzhou, China.
Our R&D facilities are responsible for medium-term development (new product development) of product categories that the Development Design Department and R&D Department view as being needed in one to five years’ time, and for research aimed at accumulating the fundamental technologies that we need as a manufacturer from a long-term perspective (fundamental research).
In this way, by enhancing our ability to develop and provide the products needed by customers and by the market, our R&D units constitute the foundation underpinning the Group. In FY2021, we worked to further strengthen the R&D structure by setting materiality KPIs.
Setting of Research and Development Goals
In our research and development goals for FY2021 (our 67th term), we selected the following development themes, including that of our next-generation model filters, and worked to generate results.
Major Development Themes for FY2021
- Development of filters for next-generation models (aeration measures, etc.)
- Development of ICT filters (differential pressure sensors, etc.)
- Filters for agricultural machinery
- Development of products using nanofibers, etc.
Collaboration with Research Institutes
Together with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), we are conducting research and development on sensing devices that enable ultra-fine dust detection not easily achieved with existing IoT technology and that also enable operation and measurement in harsh environments in which large-scale temperature distributions and dynamic currents are present.
●Long-life filters for use in construction machinery – Realizing a lifespan 2.5 times that of conventional products
In August 2022, we completed commercialization of a model new return filter for use in large-sized construction machinery, and a new line filter, both of which use nanofibers. Whereas conventional return filters made only from glass fiber require changing after 1,000 hours of use, the new return filter, which combines nanofibers with glass fiber, can be used for 2,500 hours (2.5 times as long), representing a substantial improvement in product lifespan. We have also achieved an extended lifespan of 2,000 hours for the new line filter.
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- Model new return filter for use in large-sized construction machinery (left), and new line filter (right)
●A Fusion of Filters and ICT - FILTER SAVER®, SWIFTROCK®
Filters for construction machinery are consumable items that remove dirt and need to be replaced. Conventionally, filters that are still usable are replaced according to predetermined hours of usage, regardless of the amount of soil in the filter.
Making effective use of information and communications technology (ICT), our company has developed FILTER SAVER®, which makes it possible to check the degree of filter clogging, enabling prediction of the replacement period and filter lifespan. Regarding abrasive contamination, which is the top cause of malfunctions in hydraulic and lubrication systems, we have developed SWIFTROCK®, which can detect the start of abnormal abrasion, which is the main cause of malfunction. These technologies not only reduce cost for customers, but also lead to a longer product lifespan and more effective use of resources.
●Air filter products
Our NanoWHELP® which is made from YAMASHIN Nano Filter, is highly environmentally friendly and is the only medium- to high-performance air filter made by a Japanese manufacturer*1 that has achieved a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of 14*2, the highest level for building air-conditioning units. NanoWHELP® has been adopted for use in a wide range of facilities, including office buildings and factories. We have also launched the KOSOFURU medium-performance lytic enzyme air filter. The enzymes (derived from natural sources) that are integrated with the filter have the property of rendering viruses and microorganisms inert, and are being sold to food manufacturing plants, etc.
*1 Based on our company’s survey.
*2 The ASHRAE 52.2 (2007) US filter standard lists MERV ratings from MERV 1 to MERV 16. A rating of MERV 14 denotes particle size efficiency (representing the ability to capture particles of specific sizes) of at least 75% but no more than 85% for particles between 0.3 and 1 micron in size.
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- NanoWHELP® (left) and KOSOFURU (right)
●Development of Ultimate YAMASHIN Filter Mask®
In response to the disappearance of masks from stores for some periods during the COVID-19 pandemic, we began developing masks in early 2020. We conducted development of filter media, examination of form designs, verification, and evaluation at an unprecedented speed in the industry, and in May 2020, we launched sales online. This action has contributed to controlling the spread of contagion (see “Community Contribution Through Filters”).
