Okuma Corporation has completed the construction and started operation of the new Kani Dream Site 3 (DS3) factory, that continues the concept behind the headquarters’ factories, Dream Site 1 (DS1) and Dream Site 2 (DS2).
Dream Sites are parts factories for machining and assembly at Okuma’s corporate headquarters in Japan. DS factories are equipped with many of our own smart machines,an they are the reality of what an Okuma Smart Factory*2 can do. By utilizing IIoT, we can maintain levels of mass production even in small quantities, and thus achieve mass customization. By combining the latest IT and automation systems with “artistic” skills cultivated over a long history, our products are made with high added value.
Evolutionary automation
In the Okuma DS factories, the production schedules of cutting-edge machines and robots, served by automatic guided vehicle systems (AGVS), are all smoothly interweaved. As a result, it became possible to complete material input to final machining, without human intervention. In addition, logistical automation of each process assured continuous operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Front loading
To keep our Dream Sites operating at peak utilization rates, we front load as much as possible. Part programming, as well as machine and robot simulations, can be left to a PC in advance to minimize setups in the machine shop.
Factory-wide optimization
We do take full advantage of IIoT to centrally manage various types of information. By accurately grasping complex process and system operating status, tool information, the location of blanks and finished parts, efficient overall factory control became possible. What’s more, accumulating information and repeating the PDCA (plan-do-check-act) cycle allows us to shorten lead times.
With the DS2 Smart Factory, a second model of a next-generation factory has been built as part of the ongoing “collaborative creation” between Okuma and Hitachi, to achieve factory-wide optimization at highly efficient production levels to deliver mass customization.
