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Fujitsu Releases Production Planning Software for Manufacturing Industry

Efficient production using simulations calculating target production volumes related to supply and demand

Fujitsu Limited

Tokyo, August 31, 2010

Fujitsu today announced the availability of a software package for the manufacturing industry, including manufacturers of home electronics, high-precision machinery, and automotive components that support companies in increasing the efficiency of their production activities in response to market demands.

GLOVIA/SCP FA PSI Collaborator automatically calculates target production volumes shared by the production, sales, and procurement departments of a manufacturer – production quotas – for a product depending on the number of daily orders received. The software can perform simulations to forecast optimal production schedules, volumes of required components and inventory quantities, as well as production sequencing, related to supply and demand. These features allow customers to quickly share target production volumes internally without the need for individual coordination by the respective departments. As a result, company-wide productivity improvements, including the reduction of excess inventory, speeding up the decision-making process, and making the manufacturing floor more efficient, are thus realized.

In addition, the Fujitsu Group plans to gradually deploy this software within its factories for the production of servers, PCs, and other products. The company will then support its customers' manufacturing initiatives based on this hands-on experience.

GLOVIA/SCP FA PSI Collaborator was developed by Fujitsu Advanced Engineering Limited, which possesses a wealth of experience in developing systems that support the production activities of manufacturers.

Background

In recent years, companies in the manufacturing industry have been deploying production scheduling systems, which manage the optimization of schedules to improve productivity and reduce excess inventory. In regards to target production volumes which are necessary prior to the scheduling of production work, companies are facing challenges associated with increasingly diverse user needs, as well as the emergence of gaps between expected and actual market demand resulting from the difficulty of forecasting daily orders due to the shortening of product lifecycles.

In order to address these challenges, Fujitsu has unveiled GLOVIA/SCP FA PSI Collaborator, a software package equipped with features to control optimal target production volumes based on demand fluctuations and shares them between the production, sales, and procurement departments of a company, while efficiently allocating resources (personnel, materials, and money) on a production line.

Features

1. Improves the efficiency of production activities by sharing quickly-calculated target production volumes between departments

The software automatically calculates target production volumes from the sales plans from each product group. As the system makes the necessary adjustments while analyzing the volume of received orders, it increases the precision of production quotas. According to these set target production volumes, the system will organize production lines for the production department, in addition to adjusting production sequencing and confirming the available components in stock. For the sales department, the system will handle the generation of orders. It will also make arrangements for the procurement department to secure the necessary parts, including those that will be needed in the long-term, to ensure that all components will be in stock. By employing a production process in which precise target production volumes are constantly shared between every department, companies are able to make significant improvements to their production efficiency.

2. Eliminates overburden, inconsistencies, and waste in production through level-loaded production that reflects the actual volume of orders received

In level-loaded production(1), which aims to make daily production activities and volumes consistent, it becomes difficult to adjust production to quickly reflect the actual number of received orders, which change on a daily basis. As GLOVIA/SCP FA PSI Collaborator allows users to quickly check certain indicators—including the production consistency of each model of a product, customer progress, and the inventory status of components—the system enables users to achieve consistent production levels while handling unexpected orders at the same time.

3. Simple and easy-to-use operating environment

In addition to a PSI(2) sheet that is similar to regularly-used spreadsheet software, the program's interface includes an easy-to-read order accumulation graph, as well as a user-friendly ordering list. The interface is simple and easy-to-use, allowing users to handle and check information freely.

Figure: Screenshot of GLOVIA/SCP FA PSI Collaborator

Pricing and Availability

Name Pricing (excluding tax) Availability
GLOVIA/SCP FA PSI Collaborator JPY 12 million Available now

* For a ten-client license. Reference clients can be added free of cost.

Sales Target

Sales of one billion yen by the end of fiscal 2012 (Fujitsu's fiscal year ending March 31, 2013).


  • [1] Level-loaded production

    Production, in which various types of products are produced at a constant rate, that aims to improve efficiency through the reduction of fluctuations in raw material procurement, the inventories of finished products, and workloads.

  • [2] PSI

    Abbreviation for Production/Procurement, Sales, and Inventory.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading provider of ICT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 170,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$50 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com.

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All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.

This press release has been revised as of December 17, 2018.

Date: 31 August, 2010
City: Tokyo
Company: Fujitsu Limited, , , , ,