Macnica provides Yamabiko with "DSF Cyclone," a manufacturing site digital transformation service - Shifting from decisions based on on-site experience to data-driven decision-making

Macnica (headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter referred to as Macnica) announced today that it has provided DSF Cyclone ^{* 1}, its original manufacturing site DX service, to the Yokosuka facility of Yamabiko Corporation (headquarters: Ome, Tokyo; Representative Director and President Executive Officer: Hiroshi Kubo; hereinafter referred to as Yamabiko).

■Background
Yamabiko is a comprehensive manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for forestry, agriculture, and green space management. Its Yokosuka Plant is highly regarded as a core factory that handles integrated production from engine casting to assembly. The company adopted a company-wide policy of "IT infrastructure development" in 2021, prompting the company to fully promote digitalization at the Yokosuka Plant. Until now, the company had been working on visualization, led by field staff, through daily report compilation using Excel and manual measurement of setup time. However, data analysis and utilization were limited due to a lack of manpower and expertise. Furthermore, due to the large number of production lines, there were challenges in expanding these operations across the company. As a result, the current system, which relied heavily on manual labor, placed a heavy burden on resources and was unsustainable.

■Why DSF Cyclone was chosen
This was because the philosophy of YAPS (Yamabiko Production System) ^{* 2}, Yamabiko's unique company-wide production method, and the features of DSF Cyclone were highly compatible. YAPS aims to "improve management efficiency by eliminating waste" and has long been at the core of the company's culture of improvement. Its activities do not rely solely on on-site intuition and experience; rather, it is a system that thoroughly eliminates waste and improves productivity and quality through continuous improvement. Meanwhile, DSF Cyclone visualizes the status of production sites and equipment operation status in real time, and has the functionality to instantly grasp discrepancies between production plans and actual results and equipment downtime information. This makes it possible to promote autonomous improvement activities based on data. The philosophy of YAPS and DSF Cyclone's concept of "data-driven autonomous improvement" are in agreement, providing a common language to further deepen Yamabiko's culture of continuous improvement, which was the deciding factor in its adoption.

■Effects of implementation
1. Shift to data-driven decision-making:
By backing up decisions that previously relied on on-site intuition and experience with real-time data from DSF Cyclone, it became possible to make decisions with solid numerical evidence, improving the accuracy and effectiveness of improvement activities.

2. Real-time monitoring ensures rapid response and stable operation:
We have created a system that allows us to instantly check the discrepancy between production plans and results, equipment stoppage information, production volume per unit time, etc. on a monitor next to the production line at the Yokosuka Plant. This has shortened the time from detecting an abnormality to responding to it, resulting in more efficient production management and stable operation.

3. Raising worker awareness and fostering a sense of fulfillment:
We have created an environment where field workers can easily take the initiative in utilizing data and proposing improvements. Being able to see the results has increased their sense of accomplishment and motivation, and a culture of thinking has taken root in the field.

4. Building a digital infrastructure with an eye on overseas bases:
DSF Cyclone is suitable for small starts and is designed to be easily expanded. By establishing a digital infrastructure that covers not only the multiple lines at the Yokosuka Works but also overseas bases, this marks the first step towards realizing a "visible factory" that connects regional production systems.

■ Future outlook
Macnica will support Yamabiko in promoting its smart factory concept, which aims to reduce manpower and strengthen competitiveness, and will contribute to the establishment of a sustainable improvement culture and the optimization of global production systems by creating a common digital infrastructure that connects domestic and overseas bases.

*1: Manufacturing site DX service "DSF Cyclone"
DSF Cyclone is a manufacturing performance system that connects the manufacturing site and production management with performance data to optimize factory production efficiency and productivity. It enables data-driven decision-making for factory operations. Data collection, normalization, and utilization are all in one package, and it has functions that make it easy to deploy to the entire factory. DSF Cyclone was developed by Macnica and is being introduced to a wide variety of manufacturing processes. At manufacturing sites where it has been introduced, efficient manufacturing is being achieved based on daily performance data.
For further details, please visit our website.
https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/ai_iot/products/service/137029/

*2: YAPS (Yamabiko Production System)
YAPS is Yamabiko's unique company-wide production method that aims to "improve business efficiency by eliminating waste," and has been a core initiative that has supported the company's improvement culture for many years.

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URL: https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/ai_iot/cases/147793/

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Macnica DSF Cyclone Contact Point
TEL: 045-470-9118
E-mail: consulting-iot@macnica.co.jp

*Company names and product names mentioned in this text are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macnica and each company.
*The information published in the news release (including product price, specifications, etc.) is current as of the date of announcement. Please note that the information may be subject to change without prior notice.