OREANDA-NEWS. Fujitsu announced a new systematic approach to support manufacturing customers in Japan. Named for the Japanese word for "making things," or "manufacturing," "Monozukuri Solutions" is based on the axes of product lifecycle management (PLM) and supply chain management (SCM), giving new structure to the ICT-supported manufacturing offerings announced in October 2012, and other manufacturing products and services of the Fujitsu Group. This approach enables manufacturing customers to select the solutions best suited to the issues they face and the type of task they undertake. Monozukuri Solutions is currently only available in Japan.

Leveraging its manufacturing prowess and resources utilized at its own plants - such as prototyping with 3D printers - Fujitsu will begin offering manufacturing support services, as well as manufacturing-related big data analysis that aids in the smooth operation of manufacturing facilities, and virtual testing solutions that utilize advanced 3D display technology. In this way, Fujitsu is committed to providing strong support to Japan's manufacturers based on the expertise it has gained through its own initiatives in manufacturing innovation.

Among Japan's manufacturers, there is a renewed recognition of the importance of global manufacturing capabilities to cope with a variety of business risks. At the same time, as manufacturers in Japan improve their domestic production facilities, such as by building flexible production systems that can cope with fluctuations in demand, or by reducing the lead time from development and design to production, there is a clear resurgence of manufacturing innovation in Japan.

As a manufacturer itself, Fujitsu has continued to focus much of its production in Japan on shortening the delivery times of products that meet the varied requirements of its customers around the world. The company continues its thorough manufacturing innovation initiatives, such as automating its production lines, so it can reduce production costs to the same level or below that of competing products that are manufactured in emerging market countries.