Supporting the development of future sensor technology

10th February 2020

Alex Lynn

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Murata has inaugurated a new factory in Vantaa, Finland, increasing the size of its existing production and product development unit by one-third. The company’s investment of €42 million has brought the total area of the new plant to around 16,000 square metres.

The microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS) manufactured by Murata in Vantaa are most often used in car safety systems, industrial equipment and health technology applications such as pacemakers. The company also is supporting development of vital positioning and safety technology for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) as well as for autonomous vehicles.

“The market for ADAS and autonomous vehicles is expected to grow in the future. MEMS are used for applications of this type as they provide excellent measurement accuracy and stable performance under varying conditions. With the factory expansion, we are ready to meet the growing demand for MEMS and are also able to build high synergy between our Finnish MEMS technology expertise and Murata's manufacturing capabilities,” said Yuichiro Hayata, Managing Director of Murata Electronics, a Finnish subsidiary of Murata.

Norio Nakajima, Senior Executive Vice President, Module Business Unit, and Representative Director, added: “With the progress of connectivity, autonomous, sharing/subscription and electrification (CASE), the automotive market is increasing its demands for higher performance in electronic devices. Particularly in the area of autonomous driving, MEMS technology can be used to detect the behaviour of the vehicle body and also sense the surrounding environment.

“By strengthening our production capabilities, we are very pleased to contribute to the development of a safe and secure mobile society and to the development of healthcare fields through sensors.”

The factory expansion has benefited from advanced building technology. The production of sensitive sensors has been considered in the design of the building’s frame structure, which is very rigid, mitigating against disruptive soil vibrations. The sensors are made in ‘cleanrooms’, the demands of which are reflected in the building’s advanced ventilation solutions.

Murata acquired the Finnish company VTI Technologies in 2012, after which the company’s name was changed to Murata Electronics Oy. The site hosts product development and office space as well as one of the largest cleanrooms in Finland – in total about 33,000 square metres.