RITTO PLANT & TECHNICAL CENTER
Starlite's Ritto Plant & Technical Center was established as a second plant in 1961, having its roots in the Tokuan Plant (Osaka City), which began operations in 1949. The Ritto Plant is a core base for Starlite Group, which produces products for industrial machinery, electrical equipment, and automobiles, and conducts technical research and development and product development.
It is located in the southern area of Lake Biwa with rich in nature and water. It was once a transportation hub where the Tokaido and Nakasendo roads ran through, and now the Meishin Expressway passes through. Ritto is also an area where nature, history, and culture blend in together, being adjacent to Shigaraki town, which is famous for its pottery, and the Ritto Training Center, a training facility for racehorses.
The main street of the Plant is lined with the weeping Japanese pagoda trees, the symbol of the area. Along the Konze River that runs nearby, we take great care to create seasonal scenery that allows people to enjoy the cherry blossoms and metasequoia trees.
As the Technical Center, the core of the Group's R&D, and the production factories are located on the same site, everything from design proposals to prototyping, testing, analyzing, and mass producing can be executed in a single location. As a result, the greatest feature here is that issues that arise during the development process at the manufacturing site can be examined and solved in an agile manner.
Initiatives in Development
The Technical Center covers three areas of technology: tribology technology embodying the concept of "slide", "hold", and "protect", which is centered on material development; the development of new competence products for safety and health, disaster preparedness and automobile applications; and new processing technology that achieves high performance and high efficiency in production. We seamlessly lead the development with our global bases, using CAE simulation and analysis technologies that balance development speed and quality. The "desire to make society better through technology" is the driving force behind the Technical Center.
Initiatives in Production
At the production factories, we have established a system that allows us to provide a one-stop service covering a wide range of fields, from material formulation to mold design, manufacturing, processing, and assembly. We aim to achieve the best manufacturing in the Asian region by designing the most suitable processing machines tailored to needs and sharing them with production bases in China and Thailand.
Produce
Commitment to Production and Technology
BAKES Factory
We produce a wide range of products in small lots such as bearings and scratch-resistant products for heavy industries including steel milling, pulp and paper, and shipbuilding, and for railroads, as well as phenolic resin products including clutches, vanes, and brakes used in presses, vacuum pumps, elevators, and other industrial machinery.
BARIAS Factory
Utilizing the impact, corrosion, and abrasion resistance properties of polyurea resin, we provide ship fenders that can improve durability, safety, and maintainability, as well as reinforced and protective coating services for facilities, equipment, and special piping. We also provide coating services for large facilities and equipment and buildings at the requested site.
ALP Factory
We provide fluororesin products such as seal rings for gas compressors and automobiles, and friction plates for railroad vehicles. We also develop and produce seal rings for hydrogen compressors in the cryogenic range, as hydrogen is expected to be the next generation of energy.
Precision Products Factory
We mass produce bearings, gears, sealing materials, and lightweight compact reducers for office automation equipment, electronics, electrical equipment, and automobiles using super engineering plastics, as well as design and develop molds.
Safety & Life Support Factory
As we have safety assessment facilities that conform to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards), we produce and test industrial helmets, produce specialized toilets, and provide products and services to prepare for disasters.
Harmony
Harmony with Nature and Society
The employee cafeteria "Tsudoi"
In addition to providing lunch menus based on the theme of local production for local consumption, the employee cafeteria "Tsudoi"*1 collaborates with a local coffee roaster and yoga studio, and holds nature-themed workshops such as nature observation and craft stores, developing connections within the company as well as with the local community*2. Considering the recent increase in natural disasters, Starlite has concluded a cooperation agreement on disaster management with Ritto City and Konan City. We are preparing to be able to provide utility hole toilets that are installed in our Plant and disaster management products in the event of a disaster.
Tsudoi is a place where people gather and connect with each other, creating new values. Starlite received the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2023 jointly with Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd. for holding DIY workshops with employee participation from the renovation stage and creating many communities through events and workshops.
The Plant received the "National Award for Greenery Factory".
Our Messages
Research and Development Section
We believe one of the important themes today is to develop products that utilize the advantages of plastics while also being earth friendly. We continue to advance our approaches to social problems and to send out messages about our activities in the development of technology.
Production Engineering Section
We produce products that are useful for a safe and secure lifestyle. We also promote various awareness-raising activities to help as many people as possible have a correct understanding of the natural disasters that have been increasing in recent years and prepare properly.
Manufacturing Section
We have introduced the latest mechatronics technology into our production sites to continue building a manufacturing system that is incomparable in the world.
Back-Office Section
In addition to supporting our employees, we also organize events that allow them to interact with each other. We are constantly working to improve our workplace so that everyone feels happy to be working here.
Plant Profile
Name
- Ritto Plant & Technical Center
Established
- June 1961
Number of Employees
- 303 (as of FY2023)
Location
2222 Kamitoyama, Ritto-shi, Shiga, Japan MAP
Site Area
- 132,000m²
Business Area
Acquisition
Certification- ISO9001
- ISO14001
