Suntory Beverage & Food, Suntory Products in cooperation with Group companies (Suntory MONOZUKURI Expert and Suntory System Technology), and Hitachi have come together to create an IoT platform.
The platform will help to realise precision traceability, and the digital transformation of factory management and work styles at the new operational Suntory Kita-Alps Shinano-no-Mori Water Plant located in Omachi through collaborative creation, and operations of this platform have begun.
Digital transformation utilising IoT platform at new factory (ID for each product required for tracing (left), and a dashboard displaying various information (right)
Prior to the platform, data was collected and utilised by each processing, and production line was individually optimised. The developed IoT platform at the new factory incorporates Hitachi's Lumada solutions and quickly collects and integrates a variety of data from the overall factory production facilities and equipment – including the IT systems for procurement, production, quality management, and shipment.
Moreover, with stringent production and quality management, rapid responses and explanations for the various inquiries on the overall product supply chains are necessary for beverage manufacturers to realise safety and security.
New work styles are also necessary to respond to the New Normal, given the rapid development of digitalisation in recent years and the impact of COVID-19, further emphasising the need for transformation in factory management and labour that utilises factory data and the latest digital technology as well as improvements in employee safety that avoid conditions prone to the spread of infectious diseases.
Suntory plans to utilise and evaluate this next-generation factory model created with this project and plans to expand this model to its other factories. They will continue to offer safe, secure, and high quality finished goods to customers by further strengthening production capabilities through this model.
