Renewal of Central Technical Research Laboratory

Construction of a new research building on the site

At our Central Technical Research Laboratory in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, we are engaged in a wide range of R&D activities with the aim of realizing a carbon-neutral society. These activities cover not only our current businesses such as fuels and lubricants, but also next-generation energy sources, such as hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and biofuels, and cutting-edge digital technologies such as plant automation, energy management, and materials informatics. To accelerate these developments, a new research building is currently under construction on the Laboratory’s premises.
The new four-story building, with a total floor area of approximately 20,000 m², will house laboratories and offices of the Laboratory, and it is scheduled to be completed in FY2026 and commence operations thereafter.

Promoting innovation through diverse work styles and active communication

Based on the concept of “bringing people together to create new value through the fusion of their knowledge,” the new research building has been designed to facilitate work and promote communication both inside and outside the company. The building not only houses laboratories with flexible layouts to suit the researcher’s purposes but also provides an environment—with spaces for concentrating on desk work, spaces for team communication, and spaces for presentations—in which individuals can choose how they work to suit their own style. It also provides spaces where people from other companies or research institutions can get to know our company as well as spaces where people can relax and communicate inside and outside the company in a manner that promotes open innovation.

A day in the life of an ENEOS researcher

8:30	Arrive at work “I check my email in the large office on the second floor. I’ll then consult with person A, the team leader, about how to proceed with today’s experiment. It looks like that person B, in charge of analysis, has arrived at the office too, so we’ll get together at one of the shared desks in the middle of the office for a quick meeting.”
9:00～12:00	Experimentation “Many laboratories are located on each floor, but today, I’m in one on the third floor. We reorganized the layout of the lab this year to match the new equipment, so our work is going smoothly. It looks like we’ll be able to get the data we’re looking for.”
12:00～13:00	Lunch “When I got back to the office, I met up with some of my colleagues and we had lunch together in the cafeteria. After the meal, surrounded by greenery, we took a relaxing break on the terrace on the 4th floor. I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the afternoon’s tasks.”
13:00～15:00	Desk work “I work in the office space on the first floor, compiling the data from the morning’s experiments. Thanks to a quiet booth reserved for one person, I can work so smoothly that my report will come together nicely.”
15:00～16:00	Meetings with external people “We had a meeting with engineers from a well-known startup. Chatting in the collaboration space on the first floor, the engineers were very interested in the introduction of our research. We decided to share ideas for collaboration between our two companies at our next meeting.”
16:00～17:00	Discussion “I had a discussion in the “Communication salon” on the first floor with a senior colleague from my department. As we were relaxing and talking, ideas came to me that I would not have come up with on my own.”
17:00	Go home “I was able to switch smoothly from one area to another in each place, and the day went smoothly. I also got the experimental data I needed, so tomorrow I’ll telework and focus on compiling the data.”