TOKYO, May 31, 2018 - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it would distribute approximately 20,000 tablets to all employees in Japan who currently use desktop personal computers under a plan to facilitate more efficient and flexible work styles in the company's domestic workforce by March 2019. The initiative will create a mobile work-style environment for all 30,000 employees who use PCs, which is expected to help reduce work time by seven hours per person per month on average, as well as reduce paper-printing costs by 20 percent through increased paperless work and lower travel expenses by 10 percent through increased online meetings and web conferences.

The digitization of meetings will reduce both printing and record-keeping burdens, as well as the overall time required to hold meetings thanks to accelerated decision-making. Remote meetings can be held anytime and include people based anywhere, thereby eliminating the need for participants to spend time and money traveling just to meet. Thin, lightweight 2-in-1 tablet PCs can be used not only as laptops but also as tablets to perform tasks such as touch-panel operations or recording memos with an electronic pen.

Since April 2016, Mitsubishi Electric has been promoting work-style innovations as a top priority to help employees achieve better work-life balance and maintain their mental and physical health. One of the key initiatives has been to improve business efficiency by shortening meeting agendas, lowering the frequency of meetings and reducing the volume of materials required for meetings. Such initiatives have been carried out with four basic objectives in mind: improve productivity through more streamlined work; raise both performance and efficiency; enhance both work and life; and strengthen intra-workplace communication.