Message from the Executive Officer of Process Development & Engineering

Hitoshi Kanaya, Exceutive Officer of Process Development & Engineering

At NEG, we take pride in our diverse range of products and advanced melting, forming, and processing technologies tailored to each type of glass. The Process Development & Engineering Group leads our continuous efforts to meet rising demands for product functionality and precision. We enhance our strengths by working closely with our Business and R&D Groups, accelerating innovation and development to deliver high-value products to our customers swiftly and efficiently.

Our strategy focuses on three key areas: achieving carbon neutrality, driving digital transformation (DX), and upskilling our engineering talent.

As environmental concerns grow, the pressure on the manufacturing industry to achieve carbon neutrality intensifies. Our Process Development & Engineering Group is at the forefront of this challenge, developing energy-efficient solutions for carbon-neutral glass production. These innovations include all-electric glass melting technology, oxygen combustion systems, hydrogen-oxygen combustion burners, and advanced melting furnace control systems. We’re rapidly advancing these innovations while integrating eco-friendly, cost-efficient equipment across our operations.

Our DX initiatives aim to streamline and automate all stages of production, from melting and forming to processing and shipping. We’re implementing labor-saving technologies in our melting and forming plants, with the ultimate goal of fully unmanned factories. Since we’re responsible for production equipment, buildings, and utilities, we’re taking a comprehensive approach that connects data from each stage of production to optimize factory-wide operations and significantly boost efficiency.

To strengthen our engineering capabilities, we continue to embrace open innovation, transferring skills gained from the NEG Group's extensive plant construction experience while acquiring new technologies through the external sale of our proficiencies and equipment.

Looking ahead, we plan to offer our long-cultivated engineering expertise as a full-fledged business, providing these technologies to domestic and international glass manufacturers. Guided by our “Speed & Challenge” slogan, we remain committed to our role in realizing our EGP 2028 medium-term business plan.