Major order from Japan
In times of economic uncertainty and trade conflicts, the free trade agreement between the EU and Japan, which entered into force at the beginning of 2019, is bringing two of the world’s largest economies closer together. Japan and the European Union face similar challenges in terms of climate change, demographic trends, and the digitalisation of their societies.
The strengths of Japan’s highly efficient economy lie particularly in international trade and research-intensive high technology—Japan is regarded as the world’s technology forge. There is hardly a household in Austria that does not use Japanese products for mobility, for the home office, or for entertainment.
SAB is now demonstrating that technology transfer is also possible in the opposite direction—more precisely, from the hilly region of Western Styria to Japan’s main island of Honshu. In recent years, a concept for a highly automated furnace system was developed, which was successfully brought to contract conclusion in February 2022.
„The plant, which will go into production from 2023, will be among the most advanced of its kind worldwide“
The province that will become home to the fully automated furnace system is a picture-postcard idyll. Tall, forested mountains, houses with traditionally curved Japanese roofs. Mountain pines stretch out majestically—with the Hida Mountains in the background.
As traditional as it looks here, production will be just as modern from 2023—around a three-hour drive from the metropolis of Tokyo—once the fully automated SAB furnace system, among the most advanced of its kind worldwide, is in operation.
At this point, we would also like to extend our special thanks to the Tokyo office of Advantage Austria, the internationalisation agency of the Austrian economy, for its valuable support.
