Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd
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Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd. Auto parts manufacturer installs production line remotely during travel ban with Dynamics 365 Remote Assist Musashi Seimitsu Industry is an automotive parts manufacturer with production Customer and sales facilities in 14 countries and 35 hubs worldwide. The global brand slogan, Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd. Power to Value, has represented its innovative manufacturing style since 1938. This (http://www.musashi.co.jp/) can-do spirit has protected corporate infrastructure amidst COVID-19. By merging the real and digital worlds using HoloLens 2 with Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, Product or Service the company launched a new production line in Mexico without a single engineer - Microsoft Dynamics 365 leaving Japan. Musashi Seimitsu is embracing the post COVID-19 new normal with Mixed Reality its swift digital transformation. - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist - Microsoft HoloLens 2 - Microsoft 365 New product launch almost delayed due to - Microsoft Teams COVID-19 Industry Musashi Seimitsu, manufacturer of powertrains and other parts for 2- and 4-wheeled autos for more Manufacturing than 82 years, engages in every stage of the process, from development to sales. Originating in Japan, the company’s plants now reach 35 countries and global regions, including the European Union, Asia, Organization Size and the Americas. Musashi Seimitsu is a firmly established global supplier, with overseas markets Over 10,000 accounting for approximately 85 percent of sales. Country Japan In early 2020, COVID-19 began its global advance and by late March, overseas business trips had been cancelled. Things worsened as plants in each country scrambled to prevent the spread of infection and by April, most production lines were shut down. Hiroshi Otsuka, President and CEO of Musashi Seimitsu explains, “As a business intent on global expansion, we were hard hit by the pandemic. In April and May, operational status slumped for all production lines in Asia (except China), the EU, and North America compared to the previous year’s results. The situation was dire. In June, companies started on the road to recovery, but we couldn’t let Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd. down our guard.” That said, Musashi Seimitsu continued its work. Even after March, when travel bans made it impossible for Japanese engineers to visit overseas worksites, the company facilitated setup of manufacturing lines for mass production of new products in Mexico, Indonesia, Hungary. Akira Eto, group manager in the Power Train Business Division, says, “Just as we were about to build a mass production line in our Mexico plant for a new product that had been in development since 2019, Akira Eto, Hiroyoshi Kato, overseas business trips were completely halted. If things had gone PT Gear 2 Group Manager, PT Business IT Solutions Division, Global as planned, our unit and an equipment supplier team would have Division, Infrastructure & Service Group Manager, Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co traveled to Mexico to oversee local engineers and fine-tune the equipment. Obviously, that did not happen. Since we could not simply shut annotated digitalized data can be shared with the remote team via down the project, we began investigating how to provide remote support Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Teams, facilitating communications from Japan.” based on shared virtual views. At this point, Musashi Seimitsu sought a communication method that could Eto recollects how communications improved, “I find HoloLens 2 to eliminate the inconvenience of working remotely. Video conferencing be an excellent product. Needing to set up a production line remotely could not bridge the gap between local engineers embarking on mass and quickly was a challenge. HoloLens 2 enabled participants in both production of a new component and Japanese engineers who knew the countries to see the same equipment simultaneously, with those in component but needed to adjust the equipment and process to the local Japan drawing arrows on the equipment image as we guided the environment. An additional challenge was the language barrier between Mexican team. The level of detailed communication was amazing the Spanish and Japanese teams, which rendered smooth and accurate and wonderfully convenient. All necessary information appeared in communications difficult. the user’s view, leaving the Mexican engineers’ hands free to handle equipment. The HoloLens 2 is a lightweight headset which adjusts The company needed new communication technology that would easily to fit anyone’s head, facilitating stress-free work. You could say eliminate these challenges, one that could enable Mexican engineers to this was the only choice for us!” share documentation and the local environment, equipment, and status quo, with participants in a Japanese conference room. Selecting from the suggested options, with Eto as prime decision maker, went quickly. Consultations with Microsoft Japan started in After comparing options, the company chose Microsoft HoloLens 2, early April 2020, and by month’s end, Eto settled on HoloLens 2 and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, and Microsoft Teams. Otsuka supporting systems. The HoloLens 2 arrived in early May following selected this combination based on “the zenith of product quality, Japan’s spring holidays. It didn’t take long to create a demo area and excellence, usability, and flexible functions supporting multiple languages.” then adjust for a workable communication environment. By late May, Eto and team had sent HoloLens 2 and a simple user’s manual to the Remote communication tools enabled Mexican plant, where teams were building the new production line by set up of new production line early June. Within two months, Musashi Seimitsu had implemented an entirely new communication method and returned to work. HoloLens 2 achieves augmented reality by projecting digital information into the user’s field of vision. For example, by overlaying Hiroyoshi Kato, Global Infrastructure & Service Group Manager in blueprints created with 3D computer graphics atop manufacturing the IT Solutions Division, oversaw creation of the communications equipment, the user can view operating manuals and other environment and attributes the speedy process to “immediate documents in the peripheral view, while annotating arrows pointing to compatibility with Microsoft 365, which was already deployed as our specific places on the equipment. This eliminates the back-and-forth internal information-sharing platform.” information comparison between the operating manual and the actual equipment. The result is smoother performance of maintenance and “Since about 2012, we have used Microsoft 365 as our email and related work. document-sharing infrastructure in Japan. In 2018, we began expanding implementation of that infrastructure to our Asian plants. Furthermore, video from the embedded HoloLens 2 camera and This solid background made it extremely convenient to bundle usage Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd. of Microsoft 365 with HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist “ Remotely establishing the new Mexican under a single license. Microsoft 365 also included Microsoft Teams, production line saved some 2.2 million which we activated as our communications window with overseas yen in travel costs, equivalent to 264 work facilities,” says Kato. hours. Devoting those savings to new Kato emphasizes another key element within this combined technical and system developments will infrastructure̶the multi-lingual support. “This project enabled the enhance our competitiveness. This is a scheduling of new line development for the Mexico plant, which huge merit!” started in June, as well as for Indonesia, Hungary, Canada, and another Hiroyoshi Kato, IT Solutions Division, Global Infrastructure in Mexico. Switching the system’s user interface between Spanish and & Service Group Manager, Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co English was essential for stress-free communications with each facility. HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Remote interfaces include multi-lingual completed, along with a new line in Hungary. A new line in Canada and an support. This was a key point for us.” additional line in Mexico are also slated for completion in 2020. Cost savings and unexpected benefits Eto and Kato noted two major unexpected benefits while implementing this project to comply with the overseas travel ban. First, the company saw Implementation of HoloLens 2 has received high praise from engineers major savings in travel time and costs normally incurred with overseas working at local sites in Mexico and elsewhere, according to Eto. business trips. Additionally, HoloLens enhanced technical skills and motivated engineers in overseas facilities. “The most typical feedback on HoloLens 2 from overseas engineers is that it not only supports intuitive operations, but also affords user-friendly As Kato explains, “Once the pandemic subsides, we will most likely start interface in their mother tongue. Engineers in Mexico and Indonesia flying to various overseas worksites to help develop new production lines. love new gadgets and seemed to thoroughly enjoy this new form of However, now that we have accomplished this much with remote work, communications. Currently, Japanese headquarters is letting facilities we won’t be able to give up the convenience we have enjoyed. Remotely borrow its HoloLens 2 devices, but Mexican staff were so satisfied with the establishing the new Mexican production line saved some 2.2 million yen in technology