With the ongoing evolution of mobile phones, the LTE (Long Term Evolution) commercial service, a wireless communication system for enabling high-speed, large-capacity transmission at the optical fiber level, is scheduled to begin in 2010 in Japan and the United States. The MT8820C Radio Communication Analyzer is a measuring instrument used in the development and production of LTE-compatible mobile phone units and cards for data communication. While maintaining the features of the previous model, which contributed to downsizing production lines, we exercised our ingenuity in selecting components and circuit designs. Our goal was to further reduce power consumption from the start of development. As a result, we were able to reduce power consumption by 26% in comparison to conventional products.
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- Eco products development
Eco products development
Based on the life cycle concept, Anritsu is promoting environmental efforts across the product life cycle, from product design, parts procurement and manufacturing to shipment, customer use and recycling. In addition to accelerating provision of environmentally conscious products as a pillar of environmental management, Anritsu is actively pursuing efforts whereby it utilizes its own technologies to address the issue of increasing power consumption by IT devices, which has recently emerged as a public concern. Anritsu complies with environmental regulations around the world and conducts high-quality product assessment from the early design stage of every product’s development.
Complying with Product Environmental Regulations Worldwide
The European Union (EU) enacted the WEEE Directive in 2005, the RoHS Directive in 2006 and the REACH regulations in 2007. Product environmental regulations now require prompt response. Communication, information sharing and the unified response of Group companies outside Japan are facilitated by the Global Environment Management Meeting, for example. Since prior efforts to respond to ERPs(Energy Related Products) should be considered at the product design phase, we developed a common, worldwide product assessment standard to promote the development of environmentally conscious products in Anritsu outside Japan.
Global Product Assessment Implementation Guidelines
In the past, the development of environmentally conscious products has been conducted separately as product assessment in Anritsu Group companies in Japan and as DfE (Design for Environment) in Anritsu Company (U.S.A.). Anritsu established global product assessment standards and global product assessment implementation guidelines to integrate these methods so that Anritsu Group companies could develop environmentally conscious products within a unified, global standard. In fiscal 2009, we began using the standards and guidelines to develop these products.
1) Operational Procedure
Global product assessment is incorporated into the product development process (including design, test production and evaluation) prior to commercialization. To ensure objective and responsible product assessment, Anritsu conducts third-party evaluation by the Quality Management Department and other entities, and initiates follow-up actions if targets have not been achieved.
2) Evaluation Items
Evaluation items in the global product assessment cover basic factors such as improvements in volume, mass and power consumption against a reference product. Additional items for evaluation include resource savings and the reduction of harmful substances and overall environmental impact throughout production, physical distribution, use and disposal.
Major environmentally conscious criteria
| Resource saving; Reduced load during manufacturing |
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|---|---|
| Reduced harmful substances |
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| Reduced load in physical distribution |
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| Reduced load during use |
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| Reduced load at time of disposal |
|
Product Assessment Example
In fiscal year 2009, products that saved resources by at least 10% accounted for 67% of all developed products, significantly exceeding the target of 30%.
PureFlow GS1-GR/GBR, a high-precision bandwidth controller from Anritsu Networks Co., Ltd., has a proprietary high-precision bandwidth control engine and flexible packet*
classification function. The device increases the efficiency of data telecommunication line bandwidth and communication quality, such as for audio and video. It is designed for use in data centers**
toward improving integrated network environments such as teleconferences. We worked to reduce its size and weight to 1U (1.75 inch = 44.45 mm), making it thinner than existing models and so that it could fit in a 19-inch data center rack.
After a sweeping review of the material and structure of the case as well as every part, right down to single screws, we successfully reduced its volume by 61% and mass by 77% compared with the reference product.
* Communication data unit of a given size in which data is distributed for efficient use of telecommunication lines
** Facility for maintaining customer servers and providing Internet connections as well as maintenance/operation services
Eco Product Program
Environmentally Conscious Products
Anritsu Group certifies the Excellent Eco Product and Eco Product as environmentally conscious products based on the results of global product assessment
Excellent Eco Product:
Product that meets Excellent Eco Product requirements with a minimum score of 80
Eco Product:
Product that meets Eco Product requirements with a minimum score of 60
Assessed Product:
Product that meets Assessed Product requirements
Major Environmentally Conscious Criteria for Excellent Eco Products
- Top industry ranking for environmentally conscious properties
- Environmental information ready for disclosure
- Manufacturing assessment completed
- CO2 emission evaluated by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- Environmental management system in place at the relevant business entity and main production site
In the Excellent Eco Product product, environmental information on the mark and the product is described in parallel in the catalog etc.
Excellent Eco Products Recognized in fiscal 2009
- MT8820C Radio Communication Analyzer (for electric power conservation)
- MP2100A BERTWave Series (for space, weight and electric power conservation)
- MS2830A Signal Analyzer (for electric power conservation)
With penetration of the Internet over recent years, optical communication systems using optical fiber are spreading from enterprises into homes. Optical communication systems incorporate optical transceiver modules and various electrical devices for transmission. The MP2100A BERTWave series is used as a measuring instrument to evaluate signal quality (waveform, bit error rate, etc.) of these modules and devices. To make the equipment smaller, lighter and more power efficient while packing multiple functions into a single instrument, we reexamined all circuits and components, including the power source and CPU (central processing unit). As a result, we reduced the volume by 47%, mass by 72% and power consumption by 72% in comparison to conventional products.
The MS2830A Signal Analyzer is a measuring instrument used for product development and in the production lines of various digital wireless equipment and electronic components, including those associated with next-generation mobile phones. To both reduce measurement time and save electric power, we have adopted power-saving components and applied the core technology of conventional products while reducing the number of components to as low as possible. In addition, we offer functions as options in the standard specifications to eliminate unnecessary power consumption. Through these efforts, we have improved measuring capabilities by 20% while reducing CO2 emission during use by 30% in comparison to conventional products.
Recycling Used Products
Recycling Center
Anritsu led the measuring instrument industry in establishing the Recycling Center at Anritsu Kousan Co., Ltd., in 2000. Anritsu Kousan obtained a license to engage in the industrial waste disposal business in September 2002 and started operating in fiscal 2003. The Recycling Center has been promoting reuse of used products since fiscal 2005. Once completely sorted, all waste emitted from the Recycle Center is recycled.
Refurbished measuring instruments are products used for demonstration that have been fully reconditioned and recalibrated as highly reliable products. We sell them to universities and other educational institutions in Japan, thus extending the lives of the products.
I joined the Nagaoka University of Technology in 2008 and opened an advanced optical measurement system laboratory.
Refurbished measuring instruments offered by Anritsu Kousan Co., Ltd. were really helpful for me because I needed a large number of measuring instruments including an optical source, light sensor, power meter and spectrum analyzer to study measurement technologies, such as those involving ultra-high speed waveforms. Being recycled products, they are offered at lower prices than those of new products and also come with a one-year guarantee that covers their functions and overall performance. They are also friendly to the environment in that we are using something that would have been discarded. This contributes to the creation of a recycling-oriented society through effective utilization of resources.
Optical technology is expected to have applications in various fields including medical care and location/range information systems as well as the information communication field. However, we are often on a tight budget and struggling to maintain, upgrade or expand our equipments. The company may not be easy to provide the measuring equipments that we researchers are looking for, but I hope that does not stop it from continuing the initiative as a good partner of universities and other educational institutions.