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| November 27, 2012 |
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| Mitsubishi Chemical Sells its Plant Factory System to a Russian Company |
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| Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation |
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Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation ("MCC"; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hiroaki Ishizuka) today announced the sale of its first plant factory system using artificial light to a Russian company, Mir Upakovki CJSC, in St. Petersburg.
The system was installed in a renovated basement area of a Mir Upakovki factory in St. Petersburg. The renovation equipped the basement area with various facilities needed to cultivate vegetables, such as air conditioning to maintain the right temperature and water treatment facilities with filtration cycles to allow reuse of water. LEDs provide all light for photosynthesis. The innovative system allows Mir Upakovki to harvest fresh vegetables in any season, even winter (the average maximum/minimum temperature in St. Petersburg in January: -5.1℃/-10.7℃). This was an important aspect in Mir Upakovki’s decision to introduce the system.
The system also uses some plastic products from Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc., an effort to strengthen synergy among Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group companies.
Mir Upakovki uses the system to cultivate various vegetables including baby leaf greens and leaf lettuce. MCC's system achieved a high yield per unit area through a unique close planting technology that enables very high density on a urethane resin bed. As the vegetables are grown hydroponically in a clean environment, washing is not necessary, and people can eat the produce immediately after the harvest. In the case of baby leaf greens, these are cost competitive with field-grown produce.
MCC started consultations in February 2012, began production of components while conducting design guidance after April, and began full-scale construction in August. After completion of the factory at the beginning of September, Mir Upakovki began harvesting baby leaf greens and leaf lettuce at the end of September and October, respectively. Harvested vegetables are supplied to Mir Upakovki's staff cafeteria for salad, and the company is considering supplying the vegetables to customers outside the company.
While customizing specifications of the plant factory system according to conditions of the site and the needs of customers, MCC will continue to market the system in Japan and abroad.
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| For further information, please contact |
Public Relations and Investor Relations Office
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation |
| Tel: [+81] (0)3-6748-7140 |
About Mir Upakovki
| Company name: |
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Mir Upakovki CJSC |
| Established: |
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1999 |
| Location: |
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14, Pesochnaya Str., bldg 1, Sertolovo-1 Micro-District, Sertolovo,
Vsevolozhsk District, Leningrad Oblast, 188650, Russia |
| Representative: |
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Oleg Olegovich Lavinyukov |
| Owner: |
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Alexander Veniaminovich Bayanov, Igor Evgenyevich Gusev |
| Capital: |
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US$ 7 million |
| Net sales: |
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US$ 66 million |
| Major business: |
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Plastic packaging |
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Outline of the plant factory system (introduction example of Mir Upakovki)
| Cultivated varieties: |
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Baby leaf greens and leaf lettuce |
| Installation site: |
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Basement floor of a welfare facility at the factory of Mir Upakovki in St. Petersburg |
| Area: |
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355㎡ |
| Yield: |
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24kg/day (baby leaf greens); 3kg/day (leaf lettuce) |
| Number of days from sowing to harvest: |
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20 days (baby leaf greens); 35 days (leaf lettuce) |
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MCHC Group components used in the plant factory system
| Tank to circulate the liquid fertilizer: |
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HISHIPLATE™, industrial-use PVC plate |
| Water tank for lettuce (planter): |
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HISHIMETAL™, plastic film-laminated steel sheet |
HISHIPLATE™ and HISHIMETAL™ are products of Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc.
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Photos
| Rack for cultivation |
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Baby leaf (Rosette pak choi) |
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