SWCC SHOWA CABLE SYSTEMS CO.,LTD. (SWCC, Headquarters: 1-14 Nisshin-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Cube Kawasaki, Board Director: Yukio Kawase) has announced that its Aichi factory, which manufactures special high-voltage cables, will is handled by Macnica (hereinafter referred to as Macnica, President: Kazumasa Hara), a total service/solution provider in semiconductors, networks, cybersecurity, and AI/IoT. , we introduced the automatic cleaning robot "Neo" from Avidbots (Headquarters: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, CEO: Faizan Sheikh) to automate cleaning within the factory.

SWCC Group 's mission is to continue to be a company that supports society and contributes to people's lives with reliable products and services, and has implemented the medium-term management plan [Change SWCC2022] Rolling Plan (2019) to become an even stronger corporate group. ). Under these circumstances, at the Aichi Factory, we selected solutions that can contribute to "work style reform through improved operational efficiency and production innovation using AI/IoT," which is being promoted by SWCC Group. In order to solve this problem, we introduced an automatic cleaning robot.

Macnica began handling the automatic cleaning robot "Neo" in 2018 in order to solve the issue of labor shortages in cleaning work, and has so far provided it to shopping malls, airports, distribution centers, etc. Cleaning work at manufacturing factories is often carried out by employees during work hours, and many companies are faced with the problem of becoming a workload other than their original work. Masu. "Neo" can automatically clean a wide range of floors using autonomous driving, reducing the burden on employees involved in cleaning, allowing them to focus on their core work, and making effective use of human resources, contributing to customers' businesses. I am thinking of doing so.

In factories, there are generally two major issues to consider when introducing automatic cleaning robots. Because storage locations for stored items and forklifts change daily, it is easy to get lost in an environment in which to operate an automatic cleaning robot. Two reasons are that coarse garbage such as sand and dust is generated within the factory, so dust removal work is required before cleaning.
In response to these challenges, the automatic cleaning robot "Neo" uses software to recognize and judge the surrounding environment based on information acquired from its advanced sensors, making it highly autonomous even when dealing with layouts that change daily. Being able to demonstrate driving performance. Additionally, since it is the only system in the industry to use a vertically rotating cylinder brush system, it is possible to clean the floor while collecting bulky waste, which was a deciding factor in the Aichi Plant's adoption.

Furthermore, "Neo" can automatically clean a wide area by simply starting automatic cleaning in the area you want to clean. In addition to automating 70% of the cleaning area within the Aichi Factory and saving labor without imposing any operational burden, the cleaning work is always performed with uniform quality compared to conventional manual cleaning. This led to improved aesthetic appearance.

In addition, when the state of emergency was declared due to COVID-19 that began in April, we implemented minimum operations by greatly reducing the number of production and office staff who came to work, but "Neo" did most of the cleaning. By taking on this role, I was able to greatly contribute to maintaining productivity.

Even after the introduction of "Neo, Macnica will continue to provide software, maintenance, and maintenance support as an accompanying partner to ensure stable operation within the Aichi Plant based on the knowledge it has cultivated over the years.

SWCC Aichi Factory was able to automate the cleaning of 70% of its cleaning area by introducing Avidbots' Neo, which is handled by Macnica.
-Benefits gained from cleaning automation-
・Automation of 70% of cleaning area, realizing labor savings
・Achieved a labor saving rate of 68% in terms of cleaning staff ratio for the entire factory.
・Contribute to minimum operations in the event of an emergency
・Improve the aesthetics of the factory

[Overview SWCC Aichi Plant]
Location: 1-10 Sawakihama 2, Mitsu-cho, Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture 441-0304
■Total floor area: 55,000㎡
■Neo cleaning area: Inside the Aichi factory
■ Number of units introduced: 1 unit