News Release

YANMAR is proud to announce the opening of the company’s new headquarters, located on the very site on which the company was originally established in 1912. Symbolically called the “YANMAR FLYING-Y BUILDING,” the structure incorporates YANMAR’s latest technologies in the various domains in it operates, positioning the company as a truly environmentally-friendly facility. The building will also serve as a hub of communication from which the company will transmit its innovative solutions to the world markets and customers.

Fulfilling YANMAR’s mission to contribute to the creation of a sustainable society

YANMAR has operated in the domains of food production and harnessing power for more than a century, and it is now take the first step into the next 100 years. The new headquarters is the very embodiment of the company’s mission statement; scheduled to open to the general public in the near future, the Premium Marche Café is a modern employee cafeteria that utilizes healthy ingredients supplied from nationwide producers. The building also makes full use of YANMAR’s energy-saving power products, and employs a wide range of eco-friendly technologies, in order to efficiently contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. 

Innovative design that evokes YANMAR undertakings on the land, at sea and in urban areas

The design of the building evokes YANMAR’s core domains of activity: the land, the sea and urban areas. Located in close proximity to a busy intersection, the building features a dynamic shape that is suggestive of the daily bustle of the city. The large natural green curtain that reaches to the roof reminds viewers of the greenery of the land, while the ship-bow shaped exterior is a symbol of the sea. The exterior uses a simple, yet bold design, exerting a strong presence in the surrounding environment. The rounded shape of the louvers partially shades the structure and helps create a sophisticated look. The refined layered structure as seen from the street to upper levels is a symbol of the relationship of durability and trust the company has built with its customers over a century. 

An efficient communication network with local communities and the world at large

Based on the concept of “interactive motion,” the building has a red staircase in the center reminiscent of the interior of an engine with the company’s business “radiating out like infinite waves of creative energy.” The versatile design of the floors facilitates multifaceted communication, and is sure to contribute to improved creativity in the workplace. The minimal number of interior walls is also a metaphor for breaking down departmental barriers towards enhanced communication on a company level and across the globe. The novel and inspiring design is suitable for the company’s new headquarters, a hub of communication from where it will continue to transmit its message to the world.

Building outline

・Name: YANMAR FLYING-Y BUILDING
・Location: 1-32 Chayamachi Kita-ku Osaka, Japan
・Structure: 2 basement levels, 12 floors above ground, 2 level roof
・Total floor area: Approx. 21,000 square meters (63,000 square feet)

Floor outline:

Basement 2 to 4th floor: Commercial area
5th floor: Seismic isolated structure
6th floor and up: YANMAR Group area

Origins of the YANMAR FLYING-Y BUILDING name

Together with the launch of the YANMAR PREMIM BRAND PROJECT in 2013, Yanmar also introduced a new logo, the “Flying Y,” with “Y” as the initial letter in YANMAR and the shape representing the wings of the Oni-Yanma, a Japanese dragonfly symbolic of wealth and abundance from which YANMAR’s corporate name was coined. The company wishes for its employees and customers to carry this name with pride across the globe for the years to come. After a century of achievements and contributions to world markets, YANMAR’s ship now sets out on a new voyage, bolder and more determined than ever before.

THE MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATIONS OF THE YANMAR FLYING-Y BUILDING

The YANMAR FLYING-Y BUILDING utilizes a combination of the latest environmental technology and YANMAR innovations; features include large-scale reductions of CO2 emissions, an energy conservation system, a natural green curtain on the building’s south side, an air circulating spiral staircase and other features designed to invoke harmony with the environment. Because of this, the new headquarters has received the highest rank (S) in the CASBEE Osaka System. YANMAR will also continue to advance these environmentally-friendly innovations with the goal of eventually eliminating all emissions.

Features geared towards a zero CO2 emission building

The office section of the headquarters is targeted to decrease yearly CO2 emissions associated with energy consumption by 55%. Gas heat pump air conditioning, gas cogeneration systems, solar panels, solar thermal collectors and other equipment are combined to form a highly efficient energy system. As reusable energy technologies improve in the future, the equipment will be updated with the end goal of creating a true “zero emissions building.”

(1) Gas cogeneration system, gas heat pump air conditioning

YANMAR’S own creation, the cogeneration unit is a highly efficient, low fuel-cost system utilizing the exhaust heat from energy generation as a source of heat for office climate control and warm water. The air conditioning system is powered by gas heat pumps (GHPs) to create a pleasant indoor environment via a ceiling radiation panel. The GHP system runs a compressor connected to gas engines that cool and heat offices by exchanging air between the indoors and outdoors. Because the air conditioning system is powered by natural gas, electricity consumption is greatly reduced compared to electric-run systems; the GHP network installed in the new building totals 3,046 kW. 

(2) Energy creation with solar panels

Solar panels are well suited for energy creation systems in city buildings where rooftops are not blocked from the sun. 40 kW of solar panels are installed facing southward on the headquarters’ rooftop, and are capable of collecting approximately 40 mW of energy yearly.

(3) Green wall on building’s southern facade

The southern facade of the building will be fitted with a natural green curtain measuring 23.7 m across and 52 m high with an area of approx. 1,230 square meters. This feature adds plant life back to the Umeda area, and helps to absorb pollutants in the air. To sustain the living wall, a minimal amount of necessary artificial soil is wrapped in unwoven fabric and placed inside the louvers of the building, and a drip hose automatically provides water. Forty percent of the wall will consist of blooming flowers that will play a role in the bee keeping activities of the Osaka Honey Bee Project. 

(4) LED lighting and natural light

In the average building, office lighting accounts for one-fourth of all energy consumed. To conserve energy, LED lighting will be used in all areas except for certain engine rooms and for special lighting. Wide windows and a spiral staircase, called an “eco-cylinder,” will provide natural light throughout office spaces with sensors automatically adjusting lighting brightness.

(5) Window structures that naturally lighten thermal load

Louvers located outside the windows will let in natural light, but will also protect the inside from receiving too much direct sunlight. Because higher floors receive more light than lower levels, the amount of light let in can be controlled separately, and air will be circulated naturally using windows on the bottom floor. 

A BEACON OF SAFETY FOR THE COMMUNITY DURING DISASTER AND A BASE FOR HARMONIOUS LIVING 

A stable structure with a quickly employable business continuity plan

As a part of the headquarters’ business continuity plan, it will also serve as a disaster relief shelter. According to Osaka city’s hazard map, the nearby Yodogawa River has the potential to flood up to 4 m above normal level. Because such a rise in water level could reach the new headquarters, all essential equipment is installed above the second floor. On the fifth floor, the building employs a seismic isolated structure whose strategic location reduces the amount of incoming water in the event of river flooding or sudden heavy rains. 

Supporting Osaka Honey Bee Project

YANMAR supports the Osaka Honey Bee Project, a bee keeping project started in 2011 as an employee initiative. Along with support for future activities, space will be provided on the rooftop garden to install the bee hives of the incorporated NPO Osaka Honey Bee Project. 

Note: Information contained in News Releases is valid at the time of publication and may differ from the most recently available information.

Inquiries:
Public Relations Group
General Affairs Div., Yanmar Co., Ltd.
TEL: +81-6-6376-6212
FAX: +81-6-6372-2455
E-mail: koho@yanmar.co.jp