March 28, 2001 the Most in Western Japan Construction Completed of "Kotobuki Seika Uratsu F-21," the Ecofactory Making Effective Use of Natural Energy
20 small wind power generators have been installed on the roof of this plant, supplying power for the lighting in the entrance and offices. A display has been built in the front of the plant to tell visitors in real time how much power is being generated, and wind speed and direction. From the planning stage, this plant was designed as an HACCP-compliant (*) plant, with attention being paid to support a clean and constantly hygienic environment without any fear of cross-contamination, while aiming at being ecofriendly and promoting a recycling-oriented society. The 20 wind power generators, with small windmills (1.1 meters in diameter; output specifications of 400 watts per 12.5 meters per second; manufactured by Zephyr Corporation) make up a mini wind farm system, and are built along the front part of the roof of the plant (80 meters long), in a style harmonious with the design of the building. Also, so as not to waste any electric power charging that changes dramatically from slight breezes to strong winds, eight single crystal silicon solar battery modules (32.9 centimeters wide, 129.3 centimeters long and 4.3 centimeters thick) are also used as a backup power supply for the entire system that controls the rotation of the windmills during strong winds. Located between Mt. Daisen and the Sea of Japan, the site has good wind conditions. With a wind speed of 12.5 meters per second, the equipment can generate eight kilowatts, and is used to power the lighting in the entrance and offices. The effective use of natural resources is also seen with water. Not only is the plentiful supply of underground water of the Hino River system pumped up from 30 meters below for use in production, but in summer the water is also used to reduce the temperature by five degrees of outside air to blow into the rooms at the plant and reduce the load on the air conditioners. In winter, residual heat and steam from the production process is used to act as indoor heaters to raise the temperature. All the wastewater from the production process and the steam coils is sent to boiler water supply tanks, and designed to recover the waste heat in order to save energy. The basic policy of Kotobuki Seika Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture; President: Haruhiro Kawagoe) is "to manufacture confectioneries using locally produced products nationwide, and to only sell these confectioneries at tourist resorts where the locally produced products come from." The company's motto is to contribute to the creation of gastronomic cultures rooted in local areas. To give the company the image of being a local company, the exterior appearance of the building consists of modern silver-gray metallic panels resembling Japanese pampas grass and rice ears to give the expression of a modern factory in harmony with the climate of the 21st century. (*) HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) HACCP is a control system that forecasts any biological, chemical or physical possibility of safety hazard, throughout the process from the sourcing of raw materials until food products reach the customer, monitoring the critical points to avoid any such occurrence, and recording the process.
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 Overall view of the new plant  Windmills and solar batteries (foreground) on the roof  Wind and solar power generator display |
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Outline of "Kotobuki Seika Uratsu F-21"
Outline of Kotobuki Seika Co., Ltd.
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