Smart Manufacturing: A Case Study of Mitsubishi Electric (Updated 2018)

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is a Japanese electronics and electrical equipment brand, which provides a wide range of products for residential, public, industrial, and military uses. Amid the trend of IoT, the company has long acknowledged that it is imperative to invest in the development of intelligence in factories. In 2003, it introduced smart manufacturing to its production process with the launch of several smart factory solutions, such as e-F@ctory and eco-F@ctory, which have become Mitsubishi Electric's key ingredients in the development of smart manufacturing. The results have been validated at Mitsubishi Electric's many factories, including its Kani Plant Nagoya Works where human-robot collaboration has been adopted. This report discusses Mitsubishi Electric's smart manufacturing developments, major businesses, and applications to explore the company's smart manufacturing endeavor.

Table of Contents
1. Development History
2. Mitsubishi's Acquisitions
3. Major Businesses
3.1 Products and Services
3.1.1 Industrial automation systems:
3.1.2 Energy and electric systems:
3.1.3 ICT Systems
3.1.4 Electronic Devices
3.1.5 Home Appliances
3.1.6 Others
3.2 e-F@ctory
3.2.1 Traceability System
3.2.2 Product Management System
3.2.3 Operation Management System
3.3 Edgecross Platform
3.3.1 Edgecross Features
3.3.2 Use Case Scenario: Equipment Failure Prediction at Production Site
3.3.3 Use Scenario: Equipment Failure Prediction of Oversea Factories
3.4 Maisart AI Technology
3.4.1 Deep Learning, Enhanced Learning, and Big Data Analytics
3.4.2 Maisart Realizes Smart Factories
4. Real-World Applications
4.1 E4 Factory at Nagoya Works
4.1.1 "Component Picking Instruction" System and "Component Installation Instruction" System
4.1.2 Factory-floor Data Collection Optimizes Operational Efficiency
4.2 Intel’s Malaysian Factory
5.Conclusion
Appendix
Glossary of Terms
List of Companies
List of Tables
Table 1: Mitsubishi Electric's Development History and Smart Manufacturing Milestones
Table 2: Companies Acquired by Mitsubishi Electric in Recent 10 Years
List of Figures
Figure 1: Mitsubishi Electric's Revenue and Growth Rate, 2010 - 2017
Figure 2: Mitsubishi Electric's e-F@ctory Processes
Figure 3: Mitsubishi Electric's Edgecross Platform Overview
Figure 4: Equipment Failure Prediction Program by Edgecross
Figure 3: Equipment Failure Prediction by Edgecross at Oversea Plants
Figure 4: Composition and Application of Maisart AI Technology
Figure 5: Application of Maisart in Smart Factories
Figure 8: Assembly Indication System of Mitsubishi Electric's E4 Factory
Figure 9: Marginal Computing Process of Intel's Malaysia Factory

List of topics:

Overview of Mitsubishi Electric's development history and major business, touching on the company's industrial automation systems, energy and electric systems, ICT systems, electronic devices, and home appliances.
Analysis of Mitsubishi Electric's factory automation solutions e-F@ctory, consisting of traceability, product management, and operation management systems, together with its Edgecross platform and Maisart AI technology and correspondingly application.
Case study of Mitsubishi Electric's smart manufacturing application at its E4 factory at Nagoya Works and Intel's Malaysian factory.