2025.02.07
Panasonic Group People
Aiming for a Clean, Decarbonized Society with Panasonic HX: Shigeki Yasuda

This is a CG image symbolizing the Panasonic HX. It is not a facility that actually exists.

In December 2024, Panasonic introduced its first overseas demonstration facility in the UK, leveraging 25 years of expertise in fuel cell technology to supply factories with electricity and thermal energy using hydrogen. This facility serves as a showcase for co-creation with partner companies, governments, and business customers to pursue a decarbonized society while laying the foundation for Panasonic’s hydrogen business. Utilizing hydrogen as a clean energy source is crucial in addressing global environmental challenges through decarbonization. This demonstration, which enables factories to be powered by renewable energy, marks a significant step toward broader social implementation.

We are also working to apply the data and know-how gained from the demonstration in the UK to future projects. The main challenges we faced in this initiative were: (1) a lack of knowledge about construction processes in the UK, requiring us to navigate everything from scratch and quickly resolve various unforeseen issues, (2) difficulties in discussing with the design firm regarding safety design, highlighting the need to raise awareness of hydrogen safety, and (3) the complexity of collaborating with local partners, as failing to align expectations at the contract stage made it difficult to proceed as planned.

In overcoming these challenges, the most invaluable support came from the persistence of our colleagues, especially the assistance from Japan. With only three core members leading the launch, we sometimes found ourselves stuck in rigid thinking and faced moments of isolation. However, the strong support from Japan reassured us, allowing us to stay positive even when obstacles arose. Everyone was united in the determination to see it through, and even the faintest glimmer of hope helped us find a path forward.

Leading the Way Until Success is Achieved

Staying at the forefront is important when it comes to enhancing competitiveness. Doing so lets us quickly gather customer feedback and gain an advantage through our products and services. In this process, it is essential to embrace the Customer Focus principle of always thinking from a customer’s perspective, as advocated by PLP^*2.
Having spent my career in technology, my work often remained within that sphere. However, stepping outside and engaging directly with customers made me realize how vastly different cultures can be. From my experience in the UK, I am convinced that the key to enhancing competitiveness lies in rapidly iterating the PDCA cycle to integrate customer feedback into business development. Recently, I have also come to appreciate the importance of a two-way approach—effectively communicating the value of hydrogen while actively listening to our customers.

＊2: Panasonic Leadership Principles are a set of behavioral guidelines for each and every employee to follow in their efforts to put the Basic Business Philosophy into practice.

Our top priority is to enhance the competitiveness of the three-battery integration, make it a unique, industry-leading solution and develop it into a robust product and service. We are dedicated to advancing Panasonic’s strengths and will first introduce it to the environmentally advanced European market before expanding it globally in the future.