Shape to the Future with The Leading Japanese Machine Tools Maker

Machines are an important mechanism to determine the capacity to manufacture products in the world’s industry, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Technologically advanced machines will give a competitive advantage to manufacturers, especially in the age of technological changes at the Mega Trend level such as Internet of Thing, Automation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, 3D Printing and Electric Vehicle, to name a few.

This issue of MEGA Tech will wrap up the end of this year with a special interview session with 4  manufacturers from Japan, the first gathering as the manufacturers of machinery which keep up-to-date with the world’s Mega Trend—MAZAK (THAILAND) CO., LTD., MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC AUTOMATION (THAILAND) CO., LTD., OKUMA TECHNO (THAILAND) LTD. and TAKAMATSU MACHINERY (THAILAND) CO., LTD. These 4 companies will reveal their Core Technology and their latest products to be presented at the end of this year together here.

Core Technology Solution: The Way Forward to the World’s Industrial Trends

The INTEGREX Series has now become a synonym for multitasking machines. “Multitasking” as we refer to here means merger of lathe manufacturing and machining. Recently we have been proceeding with the development of a hybrid multitasking machine which, hybrid merging the next-generation manufacturing technology into such cutting-type multitasking, further evolves the DONE-IN-ONE (process aggregation) concept. We will, as a pioneer in multitasking machines, further continue to address the development of even more advanced multitasking machines which merge into cutting-type multitasking the next-generation manufacturing technology encompassing metal additive manufacturing technology, friction stir welding technology, gear manufacturing technology, etc.

Our company, being engaged in a wide variety of businesses from home electrical appliance to space, is one of the leading general electrical appliance manufacturers in the world. It is deploying businesses on a worldwide scale in the 5 business areas of heavy electrical system, industrial mechatronics, telecommunication system, electronic device and home electrical appliance. Under such circumstances, our company’s FA system business has been supporting the world’s manufacture of things for over 90 years since the manufacture of general-purpose motors. Cultivating its skill in control technology, mechatronic technology and production technology thus accumulated, our company has been fulfilling a wide range of product lineups one by one.

In our latest apparatuses, we offer, using the MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC AI technology (Maisart) and the latest control apparatus (D-CUBES), next-generation functions which combine high precision and high productivity. Offering without delay not only product components but also solutions to renovate the manufacturing site, for example, e-F＠ctory and IQ Platform, furthermore, we will, as a total supplier of FA, continue to send to the whole world products to respond to our customers’ voices.

Process combination to complete with 1 unit of multitasking machine the manufacture which has hitherto been divided into multiple processes is becoming the mainstream. OKUMA has been developing the leading-edge technology which advances further the conventional process combination such as the super multitasking machine capable of, as a single unit, additive manufacturing, turning, machining, grinding and quenching of metal to contribute to improving our customers’ production efficiency.

We always offer products of Japan quality bearing in mind “profit-earning machines”. The “X Series” being our main product, we have been delivering loading systems to the automobile-related industries, which account for over 90% of our company’s users.

In response to the world’s trend and evolution as well, we enable to improve the quality by proposing apparatuses of other than the production process and other-company-linked systems in response to the customers’ requests assuming, not to mention achieving higher speed of our own company’s auto loading systems, a mass production process control system to be the core.

Key Success: Performing the World’s Leading Machine Tools Maker

In Thailand, just as in Japan, shortfall in human resources in the near future is expected amid the tendency towards declining birthrate and aging population. Voices that youths are leaving the manufacturing industry being heard recently, also, we think that the awareness of automation will increase in Thailand too. So, in METALEX 2019, we will show our new product of automation system TURN ASSIST (TA) for the first time in Thailand. The TA features needlessness of robot teaching, which is complicated and difficult. We hope to contribute to the promotion of automation in Thailand with such a renovative automation system.

Our company’s sales policy is improvement in customer satisfaction by means of high service power. We think that, while it is a matter of course that we should continue supplying the latest high-performance products, to keep the product’s operability high will connect to improving customer satisfaction. Therefore, we aim at, as well as renovating the machine’s manufacturing performance by mounting new functions, introduction of a centralized control system by making a call center, real-time operation information ascertainment utilizing IOT technology or production process improvement / running cost down / maintainability improvement by remote diagnostic functions.

Also, we wish to improve customer satisfaction by, to further improve our customers’ machine performance, implementing regular guidance on manufacturing. In the guidance on manufacturing, we wish as well to introduce Japan’s latest manufacturing technology to the customers by realizing visits of engineers from Japan.

In 2020, OKUMA TECHNO (THAILAND) LTD. welcomes its 20^th anniversary of foundation. It has been very highly evaluated by the customers in that it, with its over 20 skilled service engineers, has been providing fast service responses and manufacturing support in the Thai and Japanese languages.

We consider that a manufacturer’s most important responsibilities are, after all, not to mention providing proposals on the leading-edge technology and machines, not to stop the customers’ production and, if there is a problem in manufacturing, to cooperate in its solution as well as to support the customers so that they can fully utilize the OKUMA machines.

A product or system, however excellent it may be, is subject to trouble. In business talk scenes, we always receive questions about response to maintenance. We have 2 bases in Thailand, namely in Bangkok and Rayong, and offices in the ASEAN area, namely in Vietnam and Indonesia, to enable quick response and parts supply when needed. We will establish an environment in which our customers can use our products with peace of mind.

The Advance Technology: to Enhance Thailand’s Productivity in Manufacturing Industries

In Thailand, just as in Japan, shortfall in human resources in the near future is expected amid the tendency towards declining birthrate and aging population. Voices that youths are leaving the manufacturing industry being heard recently, also, we think that the awareness of automation will increase in Thailand too. So, in METALEX 2019, we will show our new product of automation system TURN ASSIST (TA) for the first time in Thailand. The TA features needlessness of robot teaching, which is complicated and difficult. We hope to contribute to the promotion of automation in Thailand with such a renovative automation system.

As for the laser processing machine, we will market the fiber two-dimensional laser processing machine “GX-F”, which mounts our company’s AI technology (Maisart). Thanks to the function being mounted of AI automatically adjusting the manufacturing conditions from the sound and light while manufacturing, which is the first of its kind in the world, manufacturing stability during automatic run was enhanced. Thanks to the high affinity between the new-type fiber laser oscillator manufactured on the company’s own and the manufacturing machine, also, optimal control in response to the manufacturing machine’s acceleration improvement became possible, which contributes to improving sheet metal processing productivity/maintainability.

As for the EDM too, we will market the next-generation machine “SV-P” Series, which combines high precision and high productivity by AI technology (Maisart) and the (D-CUBES) control apparatus. It, automatically recognizing the manufacturing state from manufacturing stability or progress, judges the optimal manufacturing conditions/manufacturing pulse/jump and performs real-time feedback to manufacturing control. As a result, stable manufacturing without doing difficult adjustment became possible.

We propose a new value by, for automation, merging robot technology and machine technology.

In Thailand, just as in Japan, etc., the labor population is becoming old and labor costs are rising. So we intend to continue emphasizing our epoch-making ARMROID Series, which builds robots into machines.

We try to, in addition to saving space, make it possible to operate a robot feeling as if to operate a machine tool. As creation of a robot operation program requires not only a dedicated language but also specialized skill and knowledge, it sometimes became a bottleneck in introduction. The ROID Series, however, enables to operate the robot easily since you just have to input data following the guidance.

While the people’s image of a robot is mass-production manufacturing, we think that our ROID Series is suitable even to companies which produce many kinds of products in small lots of from about several pieces to about several tens of pieces a day as well as to large factories.

Now the world economy is in a downward trend from the boom until last year, it is estimated that the work volume of Thailand will compete with those of the world’s industrialized countries or even advanced countries and, also, shortfall in human resources is expected.

To survive a severe competition, stable improvement in productivity and the latest technology will be required more than ever. In the near future, Thailand will surely come to require automation.

Our company has already publicized loader-mounted machines in Thailand as well. In METALEX 2019, we will exhibit our latest automation system under the theme of labor-saving such as XT-6.