OREANDA-NEWS. November 27, 2012. Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo: 6502) today announced that the company will start construction of a thermal, hydro and renewable power engineering center at its Keihin Product Operations in Yokohama, Japan. Scheduled to start operation in January 2014 and to operate as a global hub for key manufacturing-related functions, the new center will carry out engineering, design, procurement and production control, and will enhance Toshiba's overall engineering capabilities. It will also allow Toshiba to raise the level of its cooperation with and support for its overseas operations and international customers and to boost its competitiveness in the global market.

Toshiba anticipates growing demand for power generation systems in the global market, particularly for thermal and hydro power generation equipment in the emerging economies. The state-of-the-art engineering center will ensure the company is able to respond. Once completed, it will be home to 1,500 engineers, operate 24 hours a day, and its equipment will include the advanced CAD systems.

The building, a five storey, steel frame structure, is designed to withstand natural disasters and to secure assets and business continuity. Its features include an earthquake-resistant structure, the protection of flood barriers and an emergency, off-grid power generation system.

Toshiba is promoting power systems and related operations as key strategic businesses and reinforcing its capabilities in these areas with upgraded facilities. The company established a new nuclear power engineering center at its Isogo facility in Yokohama in November 2009 and is currently constructing a smart community center in Kawasaki that will start operation in October 2013.

The new engineering will collaborate closely with Toshiba's Fuchu Complex in Japan and overseas manufacturing operations in India and China and ensure that Toshiba Group is able to deliver total solutions for thermal, hydro and renewable energy generation at the global level.