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Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the establishment on this date of Yokogawa Digital Corporation to provide management consulting services to manufacturers that will cover everything from business management to plant operations. Yokogawa Digital will leverage Yokogawa’s operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) knowledge and capabilities to provide not only consultation but also cloud system implementation, operation, and maintenance services that connect business management and manufacturing operations, enabling the integrated administration of global operations and facilitating digital transformation (DX). The company will start operating on October 1, and will initially provide its services to customers in Japan.
In recent years, manufacturers all over the world have been striving for sustainability transformation (SX)*1. While dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and the need to contribute toward the SDGs and implement ESG management, companies must also optimize all of their business activities operations, from management and the supply chain through production, to increase competitiveness and achieve a sustainable society. To accomplish these objectives, DX including the utilization of AI will be essential.
However, as each organization has its own individually optimized systems and processes, integration is not simple, and in many cases the current DX initiatives go no further than partial optimization. To achieve more significant results, it is necessary to globally integrate the management of systems and processes at factories and offices, wherever they may be located, and aim for enterprise-wide optimization. By doing so, companies can ensure that their business strategy takes root throughout the organization, and achieve SX in the truest sense.
To achieve this comprehensive optimization, Yokogawa Digital will provide its customers with consulting services that span the entire range from business management to site operations. As well as making proposals for highly viable actions and creating roadmaps, Yokogawa Digital will undertake system implementation and maintenance together with Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation, providing customers the support they need to deliver results.
Solutions introduced by Yokogawa Digital will include subscription-based software as a service (SaaS) services that run on Yokogawa Cloud, an industrial transformation and Internet of Things platform, giving customers immediate access to the latest technologies.
Yokogawa already has experience helping its customers improve their operations by offering comprehensive consulting services covering everything from business planning to information systems and manufacturing. Under its own DX plan, the company is currently working on initiatives such as the conversion of all 18 Yokogawa manufacturing plants around the world into digital factories, which has already delivered results in areas such as the transfer of production technologies and skills, improvement of quality and productivity, and optimization of supply chains.
In addition to the forming of alliances with and investment in IT companies, Yokogawa has been conducting research and development on how to leverage digital technology in the control field. At a chemical plant that had not been able to apply existing control technologies and had relied on manual control techniques, in February of this year the company tested an AI solution that autonomously controlled operations for 35 consecutive days, a world first*2. The company is now working to commercialize other cutting-edge technology such as a 5G and cloud-based AI solution for remote control that also has been successfully tested*3. And through the remote monitoring of plant operations and other activities, Yokogawa has developed advanced cybersecurity technology that can protect systems from unauthorized access, viruses, and other threats.
Through the establishment of Yokogawa Digital, Yokogawa is bringing together under one roof personnel with expertise in management/operations consulting and digital technology, and in so doing is enhancing its consulting capabilities that will help its customers in the process industries and many other manufacturing domains increase their competitiveness. Yokogawa Digital will provide management consulting services alongside DX, IT, and maintenance services with a view to expanding this business to the global market in the future.
Hitoshi Nara, president & CEO of Yokogawa Electric Corporation said,“Yokogawa is pushing ahead with industrial automation to industrial autonomy (IA2IA) and smart manufacturing initiatives to provide greater value to our customers. We have established Yokogawa Digital to drive the utilization of digital technology and the connection of processes and organizations that leads to comprehensive global optimization. Based on the system of systems (SoS) concept of combining systems to accomplish purposes that lie beyond the capabilities of any individual system, we see a path forward for society. Through integration, digitalization, and autonomization, Yokogawa Digital will lead the way toward overall optimization, and thereby offer new value to our customers.
Company Overview
Name: Yokogawa Digital Corporation
Location: 2-9-32 Naka-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan
President & CEO: Hiroaki Kanokogi
Capital: ¥100 million (100% funded by Yokogawa Electric)
Established: July 1, 2022
Start of operations: October 1, 2022
Overview of business:
1. Management consulting services for manufacturers
2. DX/IT services using AI, IIoT, the cloud, cybersecurity, etc.
3. Development and provision of software services
4. AI research and development (including training programs), etc.
*1. A management approach that takes sustainability into consideration while seeking to enhance the company’s strengths and business model
*2. In a World First, Yokogawa and JSR Use AI to Autonomously Control a Chemical Plant for 35 Consecutive Days
*3. Yokogawa and DOCOMO Successfully Conduct Test of Remote Control Technology Using 5G, Cloud, and AI
About Yokogawa
Yokogawa (yokogawa.com) provides advanced solutions in the areas of measurement, control, and information to customers across a broad range of industries, including energy, chemicals, materials, pharmaceuticals, and food. Yokogawa addresses customer issues regarding the optimization of production, assets, and the supply chain with the effective application of digital technologies, enabling the transition to autonomous operations. Founded in Tokyo in 1915, Yokogawa continues to work toward a sustainable society through its 17,000+ employees in a global network of 122 companies spanning 61 countries.
The names of corporations, organizations, products, services and logos herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Yokogawa Electric Corporation or their respective holders.
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