Technology & Engineering Center
Contributing to significant advances in our customer’s food and health by developing “Customer-first Production” and “No. 1 Competitive Production”
A good new invention must be manufactured and sold as products, otherwise it is socially meaningless. We were the first company to commercialize the seasoning of an innovative discovery of “glutamate as umami.” That was a challenging project led by knowledge, ingenuity, and effort of many people. The Ajinomoto Group has 101 plants worldwide, manufacturing a wide range of products, including foods, amino acids, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. However, our challenging spirit of developing new products has remained the same since the company establishment. The Center plays a leadership role in the Ajinomoto Group by developing manufacturing technologies to assist people to have good food and good health. We are also actively striving with important issues, such as food safety and environmental conservation.
Production system technology
Development and introduction of cell production system
Efficiency and speed are important in production. We establish a flexible supply system based on various technologies, including industrial engineering and information technology to develop manufacturing methods that make it possible to supply products quickly and properly.
Energy saving and environmentally friendly technologies
Membrane concentration technology
Our food manufacturing relies largely on agriculture and fisheries. Therefore, we should use natural resources, including energy, as efficiently as possible. Based on this policy, we are promoting energy conservation in our plants and are developing new energy-saving technologies. With respect to greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, we have been minimizing and quantifying the amount emitted during manufacturing, but also of the overall process from the manufacturing/procurement of materials to the distribution and disposal of products.
Packaging technologies
Discussion on packaging technology
Packaging is an important source of information for customers, as it is the face of a product, and it also plays an important role in protecting products as part of safety assurance. We develop future packaging technologies and packaging materials in cooperation with packaging material manufacturers, considering the two important functions mentioned above, as well as ease of use, storage, distribution, and environmental conservation.
