DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The Development Center was established in 2016 as a global hub for creating new competence by bringing together the analysis and prototyping expertise of Starlite Group for the next generation of automobiles, based on the development and design sections that had been operating at the Hiroshima Branch.
Starlite provides comprehensive services ranging from design and analysis to testing, evaluation, and manufacturing of products for automobiles. The Development Center works to bring the ideal functional designs of car manufacturers to life, offering proposals and conducting design work. The biggest feature is that we provide support for CAE analysis, mold design, and mass production in collaboration with Starlite Group's mobility production bases, such as Hiroshima Plant and Yamaguchi Plant, as well as our overseas bases.
The Development Center is in Kabe, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima City, at the junction of the Izumo Kaido and Iwami Kaido roads, and at the confluence of the Ota River transportation by water and Misasa River transportation by water. During the Edo period (around 17th century), the area had served as an inner port for the castle town of Hiroshima. On the east side of Kabe Station, near the Development Center, there are a row of charming old wooden townhouses that have the atmosphere of the Edo period. Takamatsu Mountain, overlooking the Kabe district, is an area with a historical connection to the Kumagai clan, who played a key role in the rise of the Mōri clan and built Takamatsu Castle as their base.
The main production items are cowl grilles, active grille shutters (AGS) and sub-tanks for automobiles. The cowl grille is an exterior unit that improves vehicle performance and weight reduction and that also helps protect pedestrians. AGS automatically controls airflow to the engine room and improves aerodynamics, thereby helping to improve fuel efficiency. We meet diverse needs of our customers with competent products that are designed with safety and environment in mind.
Initiatives in Function and Design Development
The leading unit we develop and design, the "cowl grille", requires both a "cowl (wind deflector)" function and an "air intake grille (mesh)" function. It also seals rainwater flowing down from the front windshield while allowing heat and odors from the engine to escape. In addition, the cowl grille is designed to absorb impact energy by breaking when a collision occurs between a vehicle and a pedestrian at the front of the vehicle, contributing to pedestrian safety.
We utilize model-based development (MBD) to show system behavior using mathematical formulas and physical models and verify it at the development stage. We perform simulations that connect the effects from product-level verification to surrounding parts and vehicle performance, aiming to achieve early verification at the design stage, reduce rework, shorten development time, and improve quality.
Our Messages
Development Section, Mobility Solutions Business
The Development Center is mainly engaged in product design for automobile resin parts with a focus on creating products that are environmentally friendly, safe, secure, and comfortable and in production of molds and various jigs required for manufacturing. We will continue to imagine, propose, and develop new functions to create products that are favored by society.
Analysis Section, Mobility Solutions Business
I am responsible for product evaluation using CAE analysis. We develop products utilizing analysis technologies across a wide range of fields, including resin flow, structure, heat, vibration, impact, and fluid, and are constantly working on developing new technologies such as multiphysics analysis and optimization technology, striving to provide products quickly and reliably.
Development Section, Mobility Solutions Business
The Development Center is bright and open, making it a comfortable workplace. I am grateful to people before us for their sincere guidance, and I approach my work with confidence every day. Design work can be intricate and challenging at times, but I find it rewarding to learn and grow from these challenges.
Development Section, Mobility Solutions Business
Requirements for parts constantly change. Various factors contribute to that change, including the evolution of automobiles and environmental regulations. As designers, we are required to predict changes and transform ideas into reality. We utilize our own 3D CAD and 3D printers to try to find creative and effective solutions every day.
Company Profile
Name
- DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Established
- January 2016
Number of Employees
- 16 (as of FY2024)
Location
26-7 Kabeminami-4, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima 731-0223, Japan MAP
- TEL+81-82-819-3506
- FAX+81-82-815-3370
Business Area
We look forward to working in partnership with you to create new solutions. Leading society to the right direction.
We make proposals to solve social issues with competence products and services while valuing our connection to nature and society. Please feel free to contact us.
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