Toshiba has begun production of vegetables at the Toshiba Clean Room Farm Yokosuka, a plant factory in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture. Located in a formerly idle facility, Toshiba’s closed-type plant factory uses state-of-the-art technology to raise crops and operates under almost aseptic conditions. Toshiba aims for annual output of three million bags (one bag is equivalent to a head of lettuce) of leaf lettuce, baby leaf greens, spinach, mizuna and herbs per, and targets annual sales target of 300 million yen.
The Toshiba factory is equipped with a wide range of technologies and know-how from across Toshiba Group, including fluorescent lighting with an output wavelength optimized for vegetable growth; air-conditioning systems that maintain constant temperature and moisture level; remote monitoring systems to track growth; and sterilization systems for packing materials. The production management system is based on that utilized for semiconductor device production. Shipment of the first crop is scheduled for the end of October. In order to increase sales in this new business, Toshiba is also considering construction of a large-scale plant factory outside Japan, and the sale of equipment for plant factory applications within FY2014.
