At the intersection of the digitalization wave and the green low-carbon transition, the global electronic components industry has welcomed a "new force" that carries genes of precision manufacturing while brimming with entrepreneurial vitality.
On November 5, the ninth China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to as "CIIE") grandly opened in Shanghai. Electronic component innovation company Aratas Corporation made its debut with a brand-new image in the Technology Equipment Exhibition Area.
Spun off from Omron's electronic components business division, Aratas not only brought its full range of cutting-edge products in relays, switches, connectors, and sensors but also showcased to the global industry its grand vision for empowering green low-carbon initiatives, digital transformation, and AI computing-power coordination.
Ambition Behind the Name Aratas
Aratas' starting point inherits over 90 years of core technology, quality philosophy, and reliability standards accumulated by Omron in the field of electronic components. This technical history can be traced back to 1933, when the team developed a high-precision timer for X-ray photography to meet the precise control needs of the medical community. Subsequently, in 1943, they successfully achieved the localization of high-performance long-life switches, producing some of Japan's earliest domestically made microswitches. These underlying technologies, which supported the early development of industrial automation and electrification, constitute the current business foundation of Aratas.
In 2026, Omron's electronic components business officially changed to Aratas Corporation, marking the comprehensive launch of a "second startup" for the brand. The new brand name "Aratas" derives from a combination of the Japanese words for "new" and "tomorrow", clarifying the corporate mission of "connecting human aspirations through innovative technology to create a new tomorrow together." Guided by this mission, the company established three core values: Aspire (aim high), Agile (adapt flexibly), and Ahead (foresight), defining how the team approaches challenges in unknown territories.
Yukitaka Kamio, Head of Global Sales Headquarters at Aratas, and Tatsuya Kubo, Head of Corporate Communications in the Transformation Office, both emphasized that Aratas refuses to be a mediocre follower. Instead, it aims to be the "First One"—the first choice customers call for consultation and who delivers prototypes first when facing challenges.
Image | Yukitaka Kamio, Head of Global Sales Headquarters at Aratas, delivering a speech; Source: Aratas
Currently, Aratas holds approximately 2,700 patents, with an annual production volume reaching 2.2 billion units. In terms of sales composition, relays account for 55%, switches for 26%, sensors for 14%, and connectors for 5%, demonstrating an extremely stable industrial base.
A Full-Scenario Sandbox of "Connection" and "Disconnection"
During further discussions, reporters from eefocus learned that Aratas' independent operation is essentially an organizational and management reform aimed at promoting "agile operations." After implementing a new integrated system combining production, sales, development, and planning, the company's decision-making speed and customer response time have accelerated, with business focusing more on rapidly growing markets such as energy management, mobility, digital infrastructure, and intelligent automation.
Image | Aratas full-scenario sandbox display; Source: Aratas
In front of the AI solution area and the full-scenario sandbox at the booth, technicians demonstrated how component products solve the challenge of "connection and disconnection" in equipment power management. They pointed out that current core technical indicators are universally converging towards four dimensions: high frequency, large capacity, low power consumption, and small size.
The explosion of computing power in Artificial Intelligence Data Centers (AIDC) has brought immense technical pressure regarding distribution losses and heat dissipation. In the data center server motherboard and power distribution cabinet solutions exhibited on-site, Aratas uses high-power relays to reduce contact resistance, thereby minimizing heat generation and power consumption; simultaneously, it provides explosion-proof relays for Liquid Cooling Distribution Units (CDU). In the adjacent semiconductor testing sector, signal relays and MOSFET relays handle precise signal switching tasks to support testing for high-frequency interfaces such as PCIe Gen5 or Gen6.
New energy and low-carbon mobility represent another typical scenario characterized by high voltage and large currents. As energy storage systems evolve toward 1500V high-voltage DC architectures, traditional contactors, due to their large size and high cost, are gradually being replaced by onboard high-voltage DC relays, which disconnect high-voltage circuits while reducing equipment volume. In the smart charging pile area, technicians specifically introduced a four-pole relay capable of controlling multiple circuit groups at once, directly reducing the number of components used inside three-phase AC piles. Additionally, the vehicle-mounted high-power relays exhibited on-site are primarily used for the main circuits and fast-charging circuits of automotive battery packs, tolerating vibration and impact within limited vehicular space.
Rooted in the Chinese Market, Deepening Localized "R&D + Smart Manufacturing" Layout
China is a critical global market for electronic components, contributing approximately one-third of Aratas' global revenue. To respond more quickly to Chinese customers' needs regarding Quality, Cost, and Delivery (QCD), Aratas has established a comprehensive localized manufacturing and R&D network in China:
- Shenzhen Factory (Aratas (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd.): Established in 2001, it has long promoted automated production line construction. By 2025, its standard annual capacity reached 1.2 billion units. In 2023, the Shenzhen factory completed its China R&D Center, and its laboratory passed CNAS certification, achieving a transition from pure manufacturing to local R&D and creation.
- Shanghai Factory (Shanghai Omron Control Electric Co., Ltd., renaming in progress): Established in 1993, it has been rooted in China for over 30 years. The factory mainly produces automotive relays and switches for the global market. Currently, based on digitalization, it has achieved real-time visual monitoring from order acceptance to shipment and quality status.
Zhang Li, Managing Director of Aratas (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd., stated that Aratas will continue to deepen its localized development in the future, combining global technological accumulation with the real pain points of local customers to contribute to China's industrial upgrading and the development of new quality productive forces.
Practicing Green Low-Carbon Initiatives, Quantitative Data Supporting Sustainability
While focusing on growth markets, Aratas has also established "achieving decarbonization and reducing environmental load" as a core important issue. According to public data, the company's greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 44 kilotons compared to fiscal year 2021, and electricity consumption has reduced by 32 gigawatt-hours.
Beyond reducing emissions in its own production processes, Aratas actively integrates green low-carbon principles into the full lifecycle management of its products. Currently, the company has provided quantified Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data for 35 product models, aiming to use quantifiable data to help downstream customers clarify supply chain carbon emission situations and jointly achieve carbon neutrality goals.
Conclusion
Starting from a single high-precision timer developed in 1933, to appearing at the CIIE today with a brand-new image, Aratas has traversed 90 years centered on the core technologies of "connection" and "disconnection." Facing industrial transformations driven by electrification, digitalization, and artificial intelligence, this enterprise stands firmly on its solid local smart manufacturing foundation in China, leveraging technological innovation and agile services to welcome a new tomorrow for industry development together with its partners.