Компания SOC Corporation разрабатывает интеллектуальные предохранители для электромобилей и центров обработки данных

As electrification accelerates across vehicles, data centers and industrial systems, SOC Corporation is advancing fuse technology that integrates safety from the earliest design stages while providing the precision, reliability and supply stability required by increasingly complex electrical architectures. Established in Tokyo in 1958, SOC Corporation develops and manufactures fuses for electrical equipment and electronics. Its products support applications spanning electric vehicles, renewable energy, industrial machinery, medical equipment and data centers. With production in Japan and sales operations across Asia, Europe and the United States, SOC combines decades of technical expertise with an international presence. Around the world, industries are entering a new phase of electrification and digital transformation. According to forecasts from the International Energy Agency, global electric vehicle sales are expected to exceed 20 million units by 2025, while the rapid growth of AI infrastructure and advanced semiconductors is driving power systems toward higher voltages, greater energy density, and increasingly compact architectures. As systems become more complex and the consequences of failure become more severe, many engineers believe circuit protection is no longer simply a supporting component, but a critical part of system level design and safety strategy. From your perspective, how has the role of circuit protection evolved over the years, and how significantly has customer thinking changed in response to these technological shifts? The extent of the change depends on the industry and the application, but speaking specifically about fuses, there has definitely been a major transformation over time. In the past, the common approach in circuit protection was to complete the electrical design first and then decide where a fuse could fit afterward. In many cases, engineers would simply look for whatever remaining space was available and place the fuse there at the final stage of development. That was a very typical design process years ago. However, as circuits became more sophisticated and systems became more integrated, the requirements surrounding protection also became much more complicated. The specifications for circuit protection became stricter, more difficult to satisfy, and far more important to the overall functionality and safety of the system. As a result, customers can no longer think about protection at the very end of the process. Today, they must consider protection from the earliest stages of design. This means customers are now evaluating protection architecture alongside circuit architecture itself. They are thinking about thermal behavior, system integration, packaging constraints, current density, and fault conditions much earlier than before. In many cases, the protection strategy influences the overall system layout. Another important change is related to cost and efficiency. A fuse essentially acts as insurance within a circuit. Under normal conditions it does nothing, and it only proves its value when a fault occurs. Because of that, customers naturally want to reduce protection costs as much as possible. In the past, they may have used ten fuses within a system, whereas now they may try to reduce that number, for example, to five. At the same time, the role of protection devices themselves has evolved. Circuit protection is not limited to fuses alone. There are many different types of protection devices, and each one has strengths and limitations. Every device has certain areas where it performs very effectively and other areas where it cannot provide complete protection. Previously, a fuse might have been used independently, or a pyro switch might have been used independently. Today, however, the industry is increasingly moving toward coordinated protection strategies. For example, fuses are now combined with pyro switches or relays so that different protection technologies work together as part of one integrated protection system. I believe this is one of the most important shifts taking place today. Circuit protection is no longer viewed as an isolated component function. It is increasingly becoming part of the overall system engineering philosophy. One of the most unique aspects of the fuse industry is that the product demonstrates its value only at the precise moment it operates. Unlike many technologies that continuously show visible performance, a fuse must remain stable and inactive under normal operating conditions, yet respond instantly and accurately during abnormal events. That creates a very different relationship between engineering precision, reliability, and customer trust. How do you build confidence with customers in a product that is designed to fail safely, and what does reliability mean in that context? This is one of the most difficult and unique challenges in the fuse industry. A fuse is required to satisfy two completely opposite requirements at the same time. Under normal operating conditions, current may continue flowing through the fuse for very long periods, sometimes continuously for years, and during that time the fuse must not operate. It must remain completely stable and reliable. If the fuse opens unnecessarily, that is considered a malfunction. At the same time, when an abnormal condition occurs and the circuit must be protected, the fuse must operate accurately, reliably, and immediately within the required conditions. It cannot fail to react, and it cannot react unpredictably. Achieving those two opposing requirements simultaneously is one of the most technically difficult aspects of fuse design and manufacturing. This challenge comes from the fundamental characteristics of the fuse itself. The product must remain inactive or invisible during normal operation, but when a fault occurs, it must perform perfectly. Because of this, we believe trust is built not only through the product itself, but also through the relationship we establish with customers. Before customers trust our products, it is extremely important that they first recognize us as a reliable and trustworthy partner. We place great importance on communication and technical support. Through discussions with customers, we help them better understand the challenges surrounding circuit protection and work together with them to solve those problems. In many cases, customers are not simply purchasing a component. They are looking for a partner that understands their system level challenges and can support them over the long term. Of course, product quality is extremely important, but trust is also built through responsiveness, consistency, technical expertise, and the ability to support customers when they face difficult engineering problems. Another important factor is our long history of innovation. Customers gain confidence when they know they are working with a company that has accumulated decades of experience and technical knowledge in protection technologies. Ultimately, reliability in our industry means much more than simply manufacturing a component. It means consistently delivering accurate performance under critical conditions while maintaining long term trust with customers around the world. Since 2020, manufacturers around the world have faced a series of major disruptions, including pandemic related supply chain instability, geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, global conflicts, logistics challenges, and rapid changes driven by the expansion of AI and electric vehicles. Across many industries, companies are now placing far greater emphasis on supply continuity, resilience, and long term stability when selecting manufacturing partners. In this environment, what do you believe differentiates your company as a trusted global partner? One thing we can clearly say, in this regard, is that we manufacture solely in Japan and source our materials mostly in Japan. In short, “Made in Japan. Protecting the world.” Because of this structure, we believe the geopolitical risks related to procurement and supply continuity are relatively limited compared with some other global supply models. Of course, every company today faces some level of external risk, but our manufacturing and sourcing structure allows us to maintain a relatively stable supply chain. In recent years, many customers have become increasingly concerned about continuity of supply. They are not only evaluating product performance anymore. They are also evaluating whether a company can continue supplying products consistently during periods of global instability. In that sense, I believe one of our strengths is the ability to provide stable and continuous supply with relatively low geopolitical risk. Customers today value predictability and reliability very highly, especially in industries such as automotive, energy, industrial systems, and advanced electronics where interruptions can create major consequences. I think this reliability and stability have become an increasingly important part of our value as a long term partner. Sustainability and environmental accountability are becoming central priorities across global manufacturing. Governments, customers, and investors are increasingly demanding greater transparency regarding carbon footprint visibility, lifecycle assessment, and environmental impact throughout the supply chain. Your company approved a roadmap toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050 in February 2024. How are these global sustainability expectations influencing your operations, manufacturing processes, and long term business strategy? If you look at our company history and philosophy, environmental responsibility has actually been an important focus for a very long time. For example, even decades ago, before sustainability became a widely discussed global topic, our company already had policies related to environmental responsibility. One example is that even around 60 years ago, when shredders were not commonly used, there were already internal policies stating that paper should not simply be burned because of carbon dioxide emissions. This reflects the fact that environmental awareness has been deeply connected to our corporate culture for many years. In that sense, our approach to environmental contribution did not begin with the SDGs or recent sustainability trends. It has been part of the company philosophy since much earlier. At the same time, it is true that modern sustainability initiatives involve additional costs. Activities such as environmental reporting, carbon footprint visibility, lifecycle assessment, and compliance with global environmental standards all require investment and operational effort. However, particularly among European customers, expectations regarding sustainability responsibility are becoming increasingly clear and demanding. Customers now expect manufacturers not only to provide high quality products with reasonable prices, but also to demonstrate responsibility regarding environmental impact and long term sustainability practices. Because of this, we do not want to view sustainability related costs simply as a negative burden. Instead, we want to transform these efforts into opportunities for growth and stronger customer relationships. We believe environmental responsibility is part of our contribution as a manufacturer, and we want to approach it positively as an important part of our future business strategy. Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming industries around the world, including manufacturing. Many companies are now trying to determine how AI can improve productivity and efficiency while still preserving human creativity, technical expertise, and workplace culture. As your company looks toward the future, how do you see AI influencing your organization over the next several years, and what role do you believe people will continue to play within manufacturing? The use of AI is clearly becoming a major trend, and our company as a whole is actively working to utilize AI more effectively. Our specialist staff are focusing on how AI can be applied within the company in practical and meaningful ways. However, what I personally hope is not simply to replace people with AI. Rather, I hope AI can help improve and upgrade the work that people are already doing. I believe AI should support employees by helping them work more efficiently, reducing unnecessary burdens, and allowing them to focus on more valuable and creative tasks. At the same time, we want to maintain an environment where employees can work happily and positively while also preserving the competitiveness of the company. Manufacturing still requires people. At least for now, AI itself cannot physically manufacture products. Manufacturing continues to depend on human creativity, practical experience, craftsmanship, and the ability to solve unexpected problems in real world production environments. For that reason, I believe the future is not about replacing people with AI, but rather about finding ways for AI and human expertise to work together effectively. Finally, for readers around the world across industries such as automotive, AI infrastructure, advanced electronics, and manufacturing, how would you describe your company’s mission and identity in the simplest possible way? “Making the world better through safety and security.” For more information, visit their website at: https://www.socfuse.com