Mitsubishi Electric Explores Advanced Technologies, Balancing between Speculation and Practicality
Mitsubishi Electric, a leading Japanese conglomerate, has been making significant strides in its U.S. innovation strategy, with a particular focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) sector. The company's efforts, centred around the Mitsubishi Electric Innovation Center (MELIC), have been instrumental in driving growth and new product development.
MELIC, established in Cambridge, Massachusetts, plays a pivotal role in Mitsubishi Electric's U.S. operations. The centre fosters advanced technology integration, collaboration, and digital transformation, accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge solutions.
One such example is the six-week pilot trial of the Guardian Generation 3, an AI-powered vehicle safety system, launched by Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America. This collaboration with Seeing Machines has enhanced the company's safety technology offerings and boosted its market presence in North America.
MELIC also promotes collaborative R&D and strategic investments. Through the ME Innovation Fund, Mitsubishi Electric has invested in startups like Things, Inc., which develops AI-assisted product lifecycle management (PLM) systems. Integrating Things’ generative AI capabilities with Mitsubishi Electric’s manufacturing expertise has accelerated the development of digital transformation (DX) solutions.
Moreover, MELIC supports digital and smart manufacturing transformation. Aligned with concepts like e-F@ctory, Mitsubishi Electric's U.S. innovation ecosystem provides flexible, integrated manufacturing systems that improve productivity and quality. These efforts leverage open networks and partnerships to offer comprehensive solutions that help customers optimize operations and accelerate new product development cycles.
Sustainability and environmental goals are also at the forefront of Mitsubishi Electric's U.S. innovation strategy. The company's commitment to sustainability is evident in its recognition in the CDP Supplier Engagement Assessment Leaderboard for climate action across supply chains. This demonstrates how U.S.-based innovation and supply chain initiatives align with global environmental strategies, supporting long-term growth and responsible product development.
Mitsubishi Electric has taken advantage of collaborative opportunities in the United States with accelerators and startups such as Greentown Labs, MassRobotics, and Plug and Play. The company sees the U.S. as a fertile ground for new ideas due to its vibrant startup culture.
MELIC's investment strategy does not limit investments to technologies that immediately serve business units. AnyMile, a SaaS platform for aerial logistics that manages resources and key activities, is an investment outside of Mitsubishi Electric's core businesses, but was made due to belief in the emerging market. AnyMile, a star project at MELIC, is a testament to the centre's forward-thinking approach.
Zafer Sahinoglu, VP of innovation and general manager at MELIC, discusses the rapid commercial innovation MELIC aims to achieve, following the Silicon Valley formula. Mitsubishi Electric manages a diverse product portfolio including power, space, factory automation, energy, semiconductors, mobility, elevators, escalators, and HVAC. The company is investing heavily in U.S. production.
In addition to MELIC, Mitsubishi Electric has established the Business Innovation Division in 2020 to focus on areas inside their core businesses for innovation and accelerated change. The company also leverages a digital platform called Serendie to collect data across all its business verticals to improve existing products and create new ones.
Mitsubishi Electric announced the creation of a corporate venture capital (CVC) fund in partnership with Global Brain Corporation in 2020. VC investment continues today with collaborations in 2024 with Collaborative Fund, and in 2025 with Blackhorn Ventures and Remarkable Ventures.
Mitsubishi Electric U.S. plans to open Serendie Street Boston, a collaboration center connecting efforts between MERL, MELIC, and MEID, and feeding their data into the Serendie platform. Mike Corbo, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Electric U.S., believes in the convergence of Japanese and American business processes.
In summary, Mitsubishi Electric's U.S. innovation strategy and MELIC facilitate rapid prototyping and deployment of AI-driven technologies, foster strategic collaborations and investments, promote digital manufacturing transformation, and support sustainability goals—all of which collectively enhance the company’s growth prospects and accelerate new product development.
- MELIC's investment in Things, Inc., a startup that develops AI-assisted product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, demonstrates Mitsubishi Electric's focus on data-and-cloud-computing technologies and AI, as these innovations help to accelerate the development of digital transformation (DX) solutions.
- The collaborative R&D efforts between Mitsubishi Electric and startups like AnyMile, a SaaS platform for aerial logistics, showcase the company's commitment to technology and cloud-computing, as it targets future market opportunities and promotes forward-thinking approaches for the development of cutting-edge solutions.
