Kawasaki Establishes New UK Subsidiary to Produce Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)

Tokyo, February 1, 2019－Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. today announced the launch in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, of Kawasaki Subsea (UK) Limited, its new subsidiary specializing in the production, sale, and post-sale servicing of AUVs.

With a focus on the growing demand for pipeline maintenance in offshore oil and gas fields, Kawasaki has been developing an AUV equipped with a robot arm for performing subsea pipeline inspections－the world’s first－based on a fusion of submarine technologies and industrial robot technologies fostered in-house over many years.

Kawasaki plans to launch the AUV in fiscal 2020. Prior to that, the company intends to increase its market presence and construct a business network through the new company, which is strategically located in Aberdeen－a hub city for North Sea oil and gas businesses.

Scotland is a global leader in offshore development, innovating subsea technologies for offshore oil and gas development. Following the establishment of this local subsidiary of the company, Scottish Economy Secretary Mr. Derek Mackay stated “I am delighted to welcome Kawasaki Heavy Industries who set up an office in Aberdeen. There have been a number of joint subsea projects between Scotland and Japan, and I am confident that Kawasaki Heavy Industries will play a leading role in this two-nation relationship in the subsea industry,” expressing his strong expectations for Kawasaki’s AUVs.

As further growth is expected in the AUV market, Kawasaki will aggressively pursue business expansion in this sector by developing high-quality, high-performance products, improving levels of customer satisfaction for its post-sale services, and enhancing customer engagement. Kawasaki also intends to launch operations and maintenance services businesses using AUVs in the future, and to apply the AUV to areas other than pipeline inspections.

Overview of the new subsidiary