Fujitsu and Fujitsu Systems East have developed a factory system for TOTO Vietnam, to help workers visualize production status and data on quality, starting from raw materials, and continuing throughout the process.
This system, introduced to raise the production efficiency of ceramic sanitary ware produced at the factory, started operations at TOTO Vietnam's first factory on July 1.
The system innovates the production of sanitary ware, which requires extremely sensitive operations, such as the mixing of raw materials and adjusting contraction rates. IC tags are used to not only track the progress and quality of products, but also to collect and digitize a variety of data, such as work procedures and other know-how of skilled workers.
In addition, Fujitsu has a system which emphasizes the operability of tablets that employees use to input inspection information, featuring displays with easy-to-understand graphics and touch input functionality, and proprietarily developed applications.
By implementing IoT, which puts the information created by people and things to effective use, the system enables visualization of trained workers' expertise, which was previously difficult to record as data. It also makes possible analysis with the use of statistical data, leading to stable production of high-quality products.
Through this system, Fujitsu contributes to TOTO Vietnam's efforts to improve sanitation conditions in Vietnam, a country which faces social problems due to the difficulty of securing safe drinking water, as flush toilets have not spread to ordinary households and sewer systems have not been put in place.
TOTO has placed the Asia and Oceania regions at the center of its global supply chain, securing a stable global supply system. In addition to its 29 production-related companies located in the Japan, United States, China, Asia and Oceania regions, TOTO plans to operate a third Vietnam factory beginning in March 2018.