Release of EM1 Series High-Capacity Relays for Automotive Electric Applications: One of the World's Most Compact in the 40A-Class Range NEC TOKIN Corporation is pleased to announce the development of the EM1 Series of high-capacity relays (40A-class) for automotive electric applications. Mass production and shipment of the series, one of the world's most compact, is underway. In the past, automotive control boards were grouped by function and located at different parts of the car body. With motor vehicles increasingly reliant on electric components, it is now common to use a junction box to integrate the different functions. Many conventional junction boxes, especially high-current models, incorporated large plug-in relays designed to be inserted into sockets. With an increasing number of electrical devices in the average car, there is growing need for smaller junction boxes. In the European market, in particular, a move is underway to adopt board-mount relays to enable downsizing and higher density. Demand for these relays is likely to rise in the future. In the past, power steering systems, brakes, and engine fans, among other components were constantly hydraulically powered, using part of the drive force generated by the engine and transmitted by the belt. To achieve better fuel efficiency, there is now an accelerating trend towards using electric motors to operate these functions only when they are needed. This in turn should mean growing demand for 40A-class relays to control the motors for these systems.   NEC TOKIN's EM1 Series is a family of board-mounted 40A-class relays to meet the needs described above. It is one of the world's most compact, with a mounting area of 180mm2, and boasts one of the smallest volumes, at 29 ml, reducing the size and weight of junction boxes. EM1 Series relays also help resolve the heat problem arising from increased density of junction boxes, since they generate less heat when in operation than 40A-class relays from competitors. In the Philippines, NEC TOKIN completed work on mass production facilities for the EM1 Series in May. Products in this series have begun to ship to customers. Production capacity will be increased in step with growth in demand, to 1.5 million units per month by the end of 2010.