It has long been said that Internet-of-Things (IoT) should play a key role in the manufacturing industry, but according to a white paper issued in 2019 by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the percentage of Japanese manufacturers that collected manufacturing data was just 51%. COVID-19, however, has had a major impact on manufacturing, and according to Mitsubishi Electric’s own research in 2020, 46.5% of businesses that use FA products have accelerated the evolution of their factories to become smarter. The trend towards smarter factories is closely linked to the increased need for coping with demand fluctuations and new working styles, including remote work.

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a free mobile application, available for iOS and Android platforms, for searching and comparing its factory automation products to make it easier to quickly identify relevant products to aid digital manufacturers.

Mitsubishi Electric’s Nagoya Works, one of the company’s main factories developing and manufacturing industrial automation products and systems, introduced a SCADA system to visualize and monitor utility data throughout the entire factory.

Mitsubishi Electric has established a new FA Center and showroom next to the Shenzhen Branch of its subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric Automation (China) Ltd. The new facility, which is scheduled to open on December 27 in Shenzhen, China, will strengthen servicing and support for Mitsubishi Electric factory automation (FA) products in the South China region and provide visitors with first-hand experience in innovative technologies around FA devices, computerized numerical controllers (CNCs) and machine tools.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced it will launch MELSOFT MaiLab, a data-science tool that uses the company’s Maisart^® AI technology to enable non-specialists to skillfully and easily analyze and diagnose factory data such as current and pressure values for intuitive, high-level management of production operations.

The COVID pandemic has made a drastic impact on society, not only on our health but if we look at the industrial aspects, it has pushed the ‘digital’ revolution forward, from how we have business meetings to the way we learn to operate factories. This sudden digital shift, together with the latest developments in 5G communication is stimulating needs for more cloud-based and online solutions, which in-turn is motivating huge investments in IT infrastructure such as data centers. In this article, Hiroki Nishiyama, global manager of data center marketing at Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, explains further about the challenges facing this important rising industry.

In July 2022, Mitsubishi Electric renewed its ‘East Japan FA Solution Center’ in Akihabara, Japan following four successful and busy years of operation since its inauguration in 2018. The update will expand the number of solution-based demonstrations and strengthen co-innovation activities to help visitors achieve their manufacturing goals using the latest innovations.

Mitsubishi Electric's Nagoya Works Shinshiro Factory, located in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, has manufactured three-phase motors since its establishment in 1974. At this factory, they significantly overhauled the manufacture of a key product range, the SF-PR series. By utilizing e-F@ctory based Digital Manufacturing processes and concepts it is now possible for customers in Japan to choose from 40,000 models available in a five-day delivery window, or for those prepared to wait 15 days, the choice expands to 2.3 billion different product variations covering the majority of customer’s needs and applications. Made entirely in Japan, from material procurement to parts processing and assembly, the number of product variations and the short delivery window demonstrates the factory’s capabilities for flexible, high-quality production with shortened lead times and improved productivity.

Programs robots easily and automatically, without expert input, to work as fast as humans.

In factories, cutting tools as used in machine tools, are almost a consumable part. However, their performance and operational life can have a big impact on production costs, so keeping a close eye on their condition is no bad thing. In parallel, after all the hype around IoT and how it will revolutionize manufacturing, there are still relatively few practical use-cases with justifiable return-on-investment. Hiroshi Nishiyuki, Head of Mitsubishi Electric’s FA System Solutions Department, explains how the above two conditions converged and resulted in solving both problems.