Fujitsu Limited, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., SAP Japan Co., Ltd., Skillnote Corporation

TOKYO, Nov 22, 2022 – (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) – Fujitsu, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., SAP Japan Co., Ltd., and Skillnote Corporation plan to collaborate on the development of platform services supporting digital transformation (DX) in the manufacturing industry, with a focus on the manufacturing of aircraft, railways, ships, and large machinery.

The four companies will combine their experience and know-how in DX, system construction and engineering to create manufacturing platform services that strengthen the supply chain.
DX in manufacturing for a more resilient supply chain.

Finding ways to respond flexibly to rapid changes in the global economy, including a dramatic reduction in the working age population in many developed countries, represents an ongoing challenge for the manufacturing industry. To this end, the demand for measures to ensure business continuity throughout the supply chain and to standardize and systemize technologies and skills is gaining increasing importance.

Many on-site production management tasks still rely on manual labor, however, and especially small and medium-sized manufacturers often face barriers to DX adoption, including trouble securing skilled workers and difficulty in calculating the return on investment. There also remain concerns that the local digitization and systematization of individual companies may create organizational silos that hinder overall optimization of the entire supply chain and operations linked to the engineering chain(1).

To address these challenges and to provide a basis for efficient, continuous high-quality manufacturing by using common data and information, Fujitsu, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, SAP Japan and Skillnote plan to develop manufacturing platform services “co-created” with users.
Moving forward, the four companies aim to provide subscription-type platform services for user lead system implementation, unified business and unified data that combines high-quality manufacturing management processes already in operation with the community infrastructure among users.

1. Features of the platform services

(1) Provision of a one-stop business process from the design department to the manufacturing site
In order to drive the development of the manufacturing industry in the global market, linking the “value” created in the engineering chain to the frontline manufacturing sites in the supply chain, real-time monitoring at the manufacturing sites and feed-back of information to the design department in a fast manner represent important challenges. To achieve this, businesses need to realize tight data coordination between the design department and the manufacturing shop floor, accurate change control as well as visualization of activities.

Under the name “Smart-K Project”(2), Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. Aerospace Systems Company, one of Japan’s leading aircraft manufacturers, has standardized the manufacturing process of aircrafts that requires high quality and transparency, and has realized digitization of its business by introducing SAP’s “SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for Production Engineering and Operations (PEO)”(3) provided by Fujitsu and SAP Japan.

Within the Smart-K Project, the PEO solution links the manufacturing site with the ERP and PLM systems and the engineering and supply chains in a one-stop manner, enabling real-time understanding of the strict flow down of technology requirements and the current state of the manufacturing site.

The four parties aim to leverage the high-quality and efficient business processes cultivated through the Smart-K Project to offer users new platform services that provide value to a wide range of manufacturing supply chains.

(2) Helping users to implement systems and improve their DX Skills
The new platform services aim to provide Fujitsu’s system application know-how and contents as a service to enable users to take the lead in the implementation of new systems. It shall further help customers to improve their DX skills to proactively change their operations and continuously improve system operations.

(3) Participatory platform services
In the area of system implementation, current approaches including “Fit to standard”(4) increasingly aim to reduce the burden on users. While this is an effective method to promote DX and to align business with standard functions, concerns remain that users’ requests for system improvements might not be reflected. The new platform services aim to create a new standard by enabling users to share their improvement requests and development priorities.

Business operations after the implementation of new systems, especially the role of engineering in the manufacturing industry represent another highly important factor. To this end, the services aim to enhance the value of the platform by providing engineering services such as master creation support necessary for businesses. To maximize the value of the new platform services, the four companies will work on leveraging data on the platform and linking it with various SaaSs.
Skillnote provides a SaaS-type service that supports human resource development through skills management, qualification management and training planning at manufacturing sites. With Skillnote’s support, the companies will contribute to the further development of the platform services and enable users to link skills management with manufacturing execution of the manufacturing site via the new platform services.

2. Roles and responsibilities (including plans)
Fujitsu – Construction and operation of platform services
Kawasaki Heavy Industries – Provision of business processes
SAP Japan – Provision of applications and platforms
Skillnote – Provision of skills management, qualification management and training management solutions for manufacturing sites

3. Overview and schedule of the collaboration
Moving forward, the four companies plan to build platform services and develop a variety of support services based on hearings with user companies and various organizations. Starting with AeroEdge Co.,Ltd.(5), a manufacturer of components for aircraft engines, the four companies will conduct trials with several companies through the first half of fiscal 2023, with the aim to launch the new services in July 2023.

(1) Engineering chain:
Work centered on the design department in the manufacturing process.
(2) Smart-K:
Aircraft manufacturing innovation initiative promoted by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Fujitsu and SAP Japan introduced SAP’s solutions to help streamline aircraft manufacturing business processes.
(3) PEO:
“Production Engineering & Operation.” A method of integrating information on engineering departments and production site management in a one-stop manner to quickly respond to changes in the customer market and quality management at production sites to strengthen competitiveness.
(4) Fit to Standard:
A method of adapting business operations to ERP standard functions without additional add-on development when implementing ERP systems.
(5) AeroEdge Co.,Ltd.:
Head office: Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan; President & CEO: Jun Morinishi.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, our 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: Computing, Networks, AI, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$32 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. Find out more: www.fujitsu.com.

About Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Kawasaki) is a technology company that is internationally recognized for developing and offering leading technologies and comprehensive solutions for the design and construction of transportation equipment, industrial plants and energy machinery, and manufactures and sells leisure products such as motorcycles. In recent years, the company has also focused on PCR testing services and carbon neutrality with an eye toward the With Corona era, and has addressed a wide range of social issues.
https://global.kawasaki.com/en/

About SAP Japan

SAP Japan was established in 1992 as the Japanese subsidiary of SAP SE. SAP’s strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent, sustainable enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: SAP customers generate 87% of total global commerce. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices.

About Skillnote

Skillnote Corporation (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takafumi Yamakawa) was founded in 2016 and is a global company providing the Skillnote skill and training management system focused on manufacturing sites. With the vision of “Realize a world where all workers can grow and have a fulfilling career” the company is aiming for the realization of a society where everyone involved in manufacturing works energetically by scientifically analyzing the growth of people working in manufacturing. See www.skillnote-global.com/ for details.

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