Okuma Corporation (President and CEO Yoshimaro Hanaki) today announced the completion of the company’s new Dream Site 2 (DS2) parts factory in Oguchi, Japan. It is billed to evolve further "Next-generation Monozukuri/Manufacturing," and achieve more efficiency as well as higher value-added production at the head office plant.

■ The background to setting up DS2

Around the world as part of the wave of activities related to Industry 4.0, the evolution of IoT, big data, AI, and other intelligent technologies have thus accelerated the transformation of manufacturing. While maintaining production efficiency equivalent to that of mass production, achieving high-mix low-volume (HMLV) production by building smart factories is underway.
Okuma was one of the first to operate a self-contained start-to-finish production facility using IoT for high efficiency and high value-added production with its Dream Site 1 (DS1) built at the headquarters plant in May 2013.
Okuma is building its smart factories based on the goal of building futuristic factories that interweave automation with skilled techniques. These smart factories combine cutting-edge automation, technologies for unmanned operation, advanced IoT, and workplace know-how to achieve HMLV while maintaining production efficiency equivalent to that of mass production.
Okuma's second smart factory, the DS2 Parts Factory, has been completed and operations have started. DS2 will process small/medium sized lathes and grinders through a self-contained start-to-finish production system.

■ Overview of the DS2 Parts Factory

1. Location: Oguchi-Cho, Niwa-gun, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
2. Building area: 11000 m²
3. Operations from: March 2017
4. Investment: 10 billion JPY
5. Application: Machining parts for small/medium lathes and grinding machines

■ The Goal of DS2

By thoroughly using advanced IoT to achieve an accurate grasp of the situation and with agile work instructions to perform super HMLV production of machine tools at high efficiency

■ DS2 Highlights

• More Advanced Automation by Using Smart Machines and Robots That Consolidate Processes:
  Traditionally it had been difficult to use robots in machining systems for heavy HMLV parts. At the DS2 Parts Factory robots are utilized in advanced ways to build a completely automated parts machining system.
• Accurate and Quick Work Instructions Using IoT:
  All parts have workpiece identification tags (IDs) attached so the locations of the parts can be accurately known and controlled. This allows quick instructions to be given in machining and logistics.
• Progress and Operation Monitoring That Promotes Improvements for Overall Optimization:
  The progress of production throughout the entire factory and the operation status of machines are all visually controlled, and data analysis is carried out in real time.The goal is a factory that evolves on a daily basis through the ability to improve in the work place.