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EcoBalance Machine, an Optimal Solution to Both Energy Conservation and Productivity Improvement

Daisuke Ichimaru

Manager
Control Development Section
Control & ICT Development Dept.
Development Division
CITIZEN MACHINERY CO., LTD.

After joining the company in 2010, Ichimaru had been involved in electrical design and software development
until he was assigned to his current position in 2024. He is currently responsible for the mechanical control of machine tools.

The CITIZEN Group’s Machine Tools Business has been growing to become a core business of the Group, second only to its Watches Business. Machine tools use a large amount of energy at customers’ sites, so we are required to produce sustainable machine tools that immensely contribute to reducing the environmental impacts of customers’ operations. A lead developer of mechanical control talks about the EcoBalance Machine, a solution to energy conservation.

A "Mother" Machine That Supports Manufacturers around the World, Growing from Equipment Produced In-House into a Core Business

The machine tools manufactured by CITIZEN MACHINERY CO., LTD. are automatic lathes for computer-controlled automated machining.
The automatic lathe business started with the in-house production of automatic lathes for use in the manufacture of watch parts, but our automatic lathes now can manufacture items other than watch parts as well.
In recognition of the high accuracy of our proprietary machining technology, our automatic lathes are used in a wide variety of industries worldwide, including the manufacture of automotive parts, semiconductor-related equipment, and complex-shaped parts of equipment used in the medical and aerospace fields.
Our automatic lathes are versatile in terms of materials as well, capable of machining titanium, brass, copper, aluminum, iron, and even resin.

Among those machine tools, the EcoBalance Machine is even more energy effective than conventional models.

Hoping to Provide Solutions to Problems in the Field of Manufacturing

Sales staff listen to customers to receive their requests concerning machine tools and share them with developers, who incorporate those requests in product improvement and development.

Since machine tools are B2B products, one of the characteristics of our business is the long-term relationships we have with our customers.
Our sales staff at the front line of those business relationships visit and listen to customers to receive their various requests, including requests for minor and model changes, which we as developers incorporate into the development process.

Against the backdrop of recent rises in prices, energy costs, and labor costs, many customers have requested that we develop machine tools that can help reduce electricity costs and energy use.
In addition, many customers in different industries have mentioned the same problem they face while using machine tools: lathe scraps.

Imagining what happens when you use a pencil sharpener helps you understand the situation easily; the continuous shaving of a material generates long ribbon-like scraps, which eventually wind around the remaining mass of material. Then, tangled long scraps not only disturb the shaving process but also make scratches on the product surfaces, resulting in defective items.

It would be ideal to keep the machine running 24 hours a day, but it must be repeatedly stopped in order for staff to remove scraps, decreasing production efficiency. Taking care of each and every machine demands hard effort.

LFV Technology Described as "Highly Addictive" by Customers

Keeping machine tools running directly leads to better energy efficiency and increased productivity.
The solution we provided to the problem of lathe scraps winding around the mass of material and stopping the machine was to shred those scraps.

The LFV-technology-based method prevents scraps from winding around the mass of material and extends the lifespan of machining tool blades.

CITIZEN’s proprietary LFV technology enables machining of a material while shredding scraps, so it provides an ideal machining method for materials whose lathe scraps are difficult to handle. CITIZEN was the first in the industry to apply this technology to machine tools, and the technology is now used in all of our EcoBalance Machine models.

We have received favorable feedback from our customers using LFV-technology-equipped EcoBalance Machine models, with some saying that workers at manufacturing sites now can sleep with peace of mind because these machines keep running without any problems while those workers return home at the end of their workday, sleep, and come to work the next morning.
The EcoBalance Machine eliminates the need to stop machines repeatedly, resulting in a dramatic increase in productivity.

Click here for details about LFV technology.
A palm-sized carousel machined from a metal rod

Furthermore, shredding reduces the volume of scrap, which significantly decreases the necessary frequency of cleaning the inside of those machine tools, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions from waste transportation.

We have received encouraging feedback from EcoBalance Machine users who have been satisfied with its user friendliness and high energy efficiency, who say such things as "This is a highly addictive machine!"

Many of CITIZEN MACHINERY’s current main models are compatible with LFV technology, and a total of approximately 8,900 LFV-technology-equipped units were shipped from April 2016 to March 2026. We take pride in having built robust customer trust and a proven track record as a pioneer in scrap shredding technology.

CITIZEN’s proprietary technology optimally controls air discharges;
intermittent discharges help reduce the amount of air used and consequently electricity consumption.

In addition to LFV technology, we have also succeeded in optimally controlling air blown from pneumatic equipment. Air plays an essential role in always keeping lathe spindles clean to ensure stable production and in removing scraps to prevent scratches on product surfaces.

Air is mostly discharged continuously, but intermittent discharges help curb air consumption. Therefore, the EcoBalance Machine, which can optimally control air discharges, contributes directly to reducing electricity consumption at factories.

Moreover, its function of automatically ceasing operation when it is not used is another energy conservation feature that significantly contributes to reducing CO2 emissions.
Similar to a car engine automatically shutting down when the car temporarily halts at a traffic light or in a traffic jam, the EcoBalance Machine stops the electricity supply to the servomotor, fan motor, pumps, etc. when the machine halts, thereby curbing unnecessary electricity consumption.

We can proudly say that The CITIZEN Group has great strengths in reducing electricity consumption, automation technologies, and precision machining.

Further Growing and Evolving Together with Customers

The CITIZEN Group’s Machine Tools Business is its second largest business after the Watches Business, with a sales target for FY2027 of 100 billion yen, which will account for approximately 30% of the Group’s consolidated net sales.

In the world of technology development in which I am involved, feedback from customers who actually use our machines is of paramount importance.
As someone who works closely with customers, I particularly hope to contribute to "Expanding market share through creation of customer value" among the Machine Tools Business’s three key strategies.
I feel my work is rewarding when I can make a meaningful contribution to our customers’ automation and labor-saving efforts through product development.

To ensure that our customers can manufacture their products with peace of mind, I hope to continue to have dialogue with them and to make many more people aware of and experience The CITIZEN Group’s excellent proprietary technologies. I believe that listening carefully to our customers and taking their feedback seriously will allow us to increase our productivity, provide solutions to labor shortages, and ultimately, achieve business growth.

To increase its manufacturing capacity, CITIZEN MACHINERY CO., LTD. completed an additional factory at its Kitakami Works in Iwate Prefecture in October 2025 and will put it into full-scale operation in September 2026. In conjunction with the expansion of its manufacturing capacity, the company will continue its efforts to reduce its environmental impact with the aim of taking further leaps forward.

Click here for details about EcoBalance Machine.

(This article is entirely based on information as of June 2026.)

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