Featured article

3 Featured article“GF Fun Case
Collection”

5 Power shovel
7 Dump truck
9 Sport fishing
10 Golf
11 Miniature Flip-Flop Chuter
12 Pedal-free tricycle / Kick scooter
13 GF Zoo
17 Production Site INNOVATIONS
19 【Intro to Improvement Examples】

DENSO CORPORATION,
Kota Plant

27 Takano Company Limited,

Shimojima Factory

33 【Cross-Industry Exchange Meetings】

DENSO FUKUSHIMACORPORATION×
Akebono Brake Fukushima
Manufacturing Co.,Ltd.

41 【USA Local Report】

Sometimes try
changing yourpoint of view
Yasuo Ishida,
Representative Director ofThis proved a fine opportunity to explore

production lines by combining multiple

new combinations of parts and ideas on new

Karakuri devices. We created this featured

products that are not usually made elsewhere.

article with the intent of sharing such new

Here we took “toys” as our theme which issuggestions with our customers. By all means,something we don’tplease see the results for yourself!

usually make.
Besides that,SUS Corporation"Karakuri", a word

What isKarakuri?

In June 2017, SUS took part in an event called,"Amazing! Shizuoka" organized by Shizuoka

coined in the 17 th
century of Japan, isa term used todescribe mechanicaldevices. The most

Science Museum adjacent to its main offices.

common example isthe "Karakuri puppet" 一 a moving dollThis was a workshop where companies andwhich utilizes the principles of gravity,

organizations in Shizuoka Prefecture introduce

movement, and levers to move.
"Karakuri Kaizen", a movement that is gaining

their own technology to children. SUS usedground in the Japanese automotive industry,aluminum pipe structural material GF (oraims to utilize the principles of karakuri to make
improvements to the manufacturing workplace

Green Frame) to let children experience thewithout the use of power. Real-life factoryinteresting features and user-friendliness ofworkers are working together to create "Karakuri"
that improves production efficiency and createsaluminum pipe structures and made various

worker-friendly stations at low costs.

exhibits to learn mechanisms such as pulleys

Karakuri Kaizen is a registered trademark of the Japanand links in a fun way. This current issue ofInstitute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM).

Sing summarizes the "GF Fun Case Collection"
while focusing on what was used at this event
and it is given as a special feature.
What we are covering here is "toys" that
we made for children. However, these toys
incorporate many different mechanisms andshowcase the varying shapes that can becreated by combining existing parts. You mightcall it a kind of basic prototyping.

this magazine also shows Miniature
Karakuri which reproduces the
Karakuri mechanism already usedat the site in desk size. These may
be useful for layout examinations
and so on when constructing

Geiger Automotive
DENSO Manufacturing
Michigan Inc.

45 【SUS Chiba Factory Report】

Toyota Motor North
America

Cover shows the “new model aluminum waterproof controlbox” using aluminum welding.（Release date is undecided）
This booklet is based on what abridged edition of FA
Magazine “Sing” originally issued in Japan in Feb. 20181

SUS Corporation

SUS Corporation

2

ate
Recreinti

GF

GF Fun Case
Collection
Though GF aluminum pipe structural material isnormally used at manufacturing sites,
we also made them into toys that are fun for children to play with.
Who knows? Perhaps a new idea will emerge from all thesegadgets that excite kid’s curiosity and creativity.

3

SUS Corporation

SUS Corporation

4

Making a heavy vehicle
with GF

Power shovel

Recreate it in GF
A "heavy vehicle" including all kinds of mechanisms
is recreated with a combination of GF movableparts used for Karakuri. Here, an arm using alink mechanism can fold, extend and be freely
manipulated.

Put theseparts to use!

Put theseparts to use!

I want the arm to move stably
Tension Spring

Spring Post Connector Connector Piece S
Top（GFJ-B70）（GFJ-B10）

Change shovel angle
freely to any angle
you want
Link Connector S V（GFJ-041）
Put theseparts to use!

Pulling back thelever with yourright hand makes
the spring expand,so that a balancing
force stabilizes thedump car shoveling
operation. Mounting
i s a l s o e a sy w i t hthese installation
parts.

Adjust the hand angle
Hinge Connector（GFJ-A04）

Arms are built tobe slim using GF-S.

To link the shovel parts together,use 4 Link Connector SVs whoseangle is freely changeable even after
fastening. Pull the lever right in front
to lift the dump truck shovel upwards.

Put theseparts to use!

Base of the arm
rotates smoothly
Rotary Connector（GFJ-A94）

5

Arm folds like thisPassing the base of the arm
through the Rotary Connector
allows sliding it in any direction
you want.

Left hand

Lowering it forward raises
the near side of the arm.

Right hand

Pulling towards you
raises the shovel.

Lowering the arm to the seatside stores it compactly as
shown here.

Specifications

So how do you use it?

Image shows a recreated power shovel with baking-finished yellow frame used as
an area guard etc. The design that has feet on the front part and a bumper on therear as shown gives it fully playful feeling. The weight was dispersed with multiple
frame pieces on the upper seat surface to give plenty of sitting support. To move
forward just push off with your feet.

Operate the arm with the levers at the
2 locations and scoop up the balls while
adjusting the position and angle.

SUS Corporation

SUS Corporation

6

Making a heavy vehicle
with GF

Dump truck

Recreate it in GF
This dump truck with load bed lets you play with italong with a power shovel in one set. After loading
the ball and moving it, you can tilt the load bed
with a single lever tounload it.

Put theseparts to use!

To maintain strength

Put theseparts to use!

To link tilting of the load bed withejecting the load
Hinge Connector（GFJ-A04）
Load bed lid isfastened with two
Hinge Connectors so
it opens naturally
when tilted.

You can store
items inside theseat.

Point Connector（GFJ-A15A）

Put theseparts to use!

I want to convey lever operation to theload bed
Rotary Connector（GFJ-A94）

Point Connector is a convenientpart for strengthening the frame
connected at a right angle.

T

t
ilt

he

lo

b
ad

Rotating parts usedin the joints of thelink mechanism,
convert the "lower
lever forward"
action to a "tilt theload bed" action.

ed

Lowering the leverforward tilts theload bed and ejects
the balls.
Load bed is normallyheld horizontally.

7

SUS Corporation

Specifications

So how do you use it?

The structural design around the steering wheel and seat follow up
on the power shovel contour and attaches the load bed at the rear.
Once you scoop up balls with the power shovel, you can carry themwherever you want to play!

First back up and approach the ball pooland then use the lever to tilt the load
bed with the lever. You can do all thiswhile still sitting in the dump truck.

SUS Corporation

8

Desktop game madewith GF

Sport fishing

Desktop game madewith GF

Golf

Recreate it in GF

Recreate it in GF
Simple but surprisingly difficult golf game.
Aim for a hole-in-one!

Catch fish with a fishing rod and fishing pond made from
GF! Then lift the fish out with a strong magnet.

Put theseparts to use!

Make a reel winder mechanism
for the fishing rod.
One Way Clutch（GFJ-C19）
This mechanism
only allows movement in one direction so you canclamp the fishingline at theraisedposition.

Put theseparts to use!

I want to join the fishing line tothe fishing rod
Eye Bolt M6（GFW-247）

Put theseparts to use!

Connector Piece
S Side（GFJ-B71）

Freely choose the club position and swing downwards.
Hinge Connector S（GFJ-A64）
A single Hinge Connector as one partthat can both rotateand slide allows
easily shifting rightor left and swinging
the club downwards.

Pass the wire through the Eye Bolt ring andguide it in the movement direction.
Lift up towards
you and releaseso the club moves
downward.

We made maximum useof GF-S in order to makeit more compact.

Turn the handle
to wind up thefishing line.
We use a weight tomaintain balancewith the fishing rod
weight.

Put theseparts to use!

I need to stabilize
the tilt of the fishing rod.
Tension Spring

Spring Post Connector（GFJ-B10）

Like the power shovel arm, it stabilizes the operation of
the fishing rod by balancing the force with a spring.

Specifications
9

SUS Corporation▼ Motion of the clubPut theseparts to use!

Put theseparts to use!

I want to hit theclub with a hefty,strong force
Weight Frame

I want to move the fishing rod
left and right

I want the ball in the hole
Put these to return to its original position

parts to use!

Multi Connector
S R Inner（GFJ-244）

Corner Bracket S（GFJ-C53）

Slide Connector S Free（GFJ-C18）
Unlike the Hinge
Connector, it does
not rotate and can
only slide. Making it
longer will stabilize
it when a load isapplied.

Adjust the tilt of the rod and the left and right positions and move it so that thefishing line is directly above the fish. To lower (wind out) the fishing line, release
the One Way Clutch. Once you have hooked a fish, set the lock and wind in thefishing line.

We use a Weight Frame in
the head of the club with aweight that allows hitting
the ball with plenty offorce within just a limited
movement range.

Specifications

The rail can be mounted diagonally below the bed by using an R
type connector that can clamp the inserted frame while rotatedto a desired position under the table. Using Corner Brackets
allows you to clamp the frame even in a very small space.

Once you set the ball in place decide the club’s position, swing downward and hit
the ball. If you take the grass lawn resistance into account, the ball might stop
halfway. So the position where you set the ball is also important.

SUS Corporation

10

Miniature Karakuri made from GF
Miniature Flip-Flop
Chuter

Vehicle made by GF 1
Pedal-freetricycle

Recreate it in GF-S

Recreate it in GF

The Karakuri is made in a compact desktop size.
This makes it ideal for hands-on
learning and training.

A tricycle for children to move forward by kicking against
the ground. This
arrangement allows
maintaining strength
Tool Bracket
yet has a simple profile.
（GFH-003）

parts to use!

Approximately 30cm

Links the table
Put these and separator
Link Connector S V（GFJ-041）

It also moves freely evenafter coupling so theseparator automatically falls
under its own weight when
the table rises.

Put theseparts to use!

Designaround the seat
Bent frame

Rotary Connector（GFJ-A94）

Expresses real vehicle lines.
Hinge Connector S（GFJ-A64）

Tension Spring

We use Hinge Connectors, springs, andother items to make a mechanism to slide
and rotate the frame.

※ Does not come with brakes※ Do not use on public roads

Specifications

The separator drops.

Vehicle made by GF 1
Kick scooter

It is stopped by
the bar.
The tablerises

The red frame at the bottom of the table lifts to release
the bar by pushing the left and right blue frames upward.
At the same time, the separator mechanism operates sothat only one container moves along the line.

When the table tilts, the bar lowers due to the forceof the spring, and the container that was stopped
at the top rack proceeds to the front of the bar.
Containers within the table flow to the lower rack.

made a “Flip-Flop Chuter” that proved highly popular even among otherSpecifications IKarakuri.
It uses a GF-S series having external dimensions of 19mm.

※ Not subjected to durability test

The shape of a tricycle is recreated by making full use of Free Connectors and Bent
frames to allow freely deciding the mounting angle. A Rotary Connector is used for thesteering wheel and front wheel shaft and easily rotates with just the strength of a child.
The grip of the handle is slightly bent at the center and clamped with a Tool Bracket.

Recreate
it in GF
A toy for moving forward byusing your feet to kick off theground.Good for acquiring a
sense of balance while standing.

Put theseparts to use!

Maintains strength
Rotary Connector（GFJ-A94）

Point Connector Long
（GFJ-B80）※ Does not come with brakes※ Do not use on public roads※ Not subjected to durability test

Raising the return table separates out one upper container and when tilted, it is ejected to the lower rack.
It is also loaded with features that all fit into a compact package.

Miniature Karakuri assembly kit
Now on sale!
The miniature version of Karakuri also sells with a kit thathas the essential parts needed for assembly. Currently,
there are 5 lineup types including a “Flip-Flop Chuter”, “Tote
Separating Chuter” and “Horizontal Turn” type. Please try
experiencing Karakuri assembly for yourself and have fun!
※ The color of the kit frame is silver.

11

SUS Corporation

Corner Bracket（GFJ-032）

Comes with assembly
instructions

We will deliver
frames（ pre-cut）
along with thenecessary parts
as a set.

×3
The coupling section of the base where a heavy load is applied is carefully reinforced for safety.

Specifications

To reinforce the grip part of the handle using compact Corner Brackets for a neat
appearance. Because a large momentum load is applied to the connection between
the steering wheel and board section, it is reinforced with a Point Connector Longand multiple Rotary Connectors joined together.
SUS Corporation

12

Living creatures
made with GF

GF ZooWhen you gaze at the GF parts, you can see that they have
many different shapes.
Here, I focused on this "shape" and tried to create various
animals. Maybe not so useful but slightly cute don’t you
think? This is for the opening of the GF Zoo.

Elephant
Recreating an elephant with GF

Bird
Recreating a bird with GF

GF-G with an outer dimension
43 mm is utilized as the body ofa large elephant. The protrusion
size is the same as the GF-N
with an external size of 28 mm
so installation is easy. The
Point Connector N-S utilized forreinforcement when connecting
GF-N and GF-S is focused on
the point where the narrownesschanges along the way and can bethought of as the elephant’s face.

We utilized a Base Stand for clamping
partitions as the bird’s face, and utilizeda Flexible Arm with freely changeable
angles as the neck. The angle of thewing and other items are adjusted withan R type connector that can rotate theinserted frame in any desired direction. Loosening the bolts allows you tochange the bird’s pose as you like.

GiraffeRecreating a giraffe

Put theseparts to use!

13

SUS Corporation

Base Stand（GFN-E08）

Flexible Armwith GF

Horse
Recreating a horse with GF

We changed the frame
length to make a giraffeparent and child.
Corner Bracket bolts
became the eyes and thenarrow Multi Connector
S Inner on the frame
insertion side expresses
the slender legs.

A horse where we were particular about movement
as well as shape. The joints of the leg are coupledwith a Link Connector SV and movement suggests
a kind of wavy motion. We tried to imitate animage of a horse galloping around. The face andhooves are created by different sizes of external
type 45-Degree Connectors. It cannot stand on its
own so we added a stand and it rotates round andround via a Rotary Connector.

Corner Bracket/S（GFJ-032/GFJ-C53）

Multi Connector S R
Inner（GFJ-244）

45-Degree Connector Outer / S Point Connector N-S（GFJ-B89）（GFJ-007/GFJ-035）

Link Connector S V（GFJ-041）

Rotary Connector（GFJ-A94）

SUS Corporation

14

Controller
This controller is designed for people who
are using electric automation on the factory floor
for the first time.

SiO2, a slim and compact
karakuri controller.
The new SiO controller is centered around ourcommitment to simplifying electric automation. Byutilizing the world standard e-CON connector, you
can join input/output devices simply by plugging
them in. The programming software’s multiple-choice
format makes navigating the operating system easierthan ever. Anyone can use the SiO2 controller.

15

SUS Corporation

SUS Corporation16

Production Site INNOVATIONS

These highly popular production site innovations will prove really useful for a broad spectrum of business and industries. This
time we cover case examples of improvements at two customers and "Cross-Industry Exchange Meetings" which are a place toexchange information between staff from different industries working on production site improvements. The first improvementcase we present is from the DENSO CORPORATION Kota Plant which is a global automobile parts manufacturer providing
advanced automobile technology, systems and products. The second case is from the Takano Company Limited Shimojima
Factory which mainly manufactures office chairs. Takano Company Limited which started out manufacturing springs is also

active in many other fields ranging from health and welfare-related items to exterior and electronics-related businesses. We
were also able to ask about a Cross-Industry Exchange Meeting held in response to a request from Akebono Brake Fukushima

Manufacturing Co., Ltd. with the cooperation of DENSO FUKUSHIMA CORPORATION including what happened in the meetingand impressions the members had after it ended. These introduce case examples and special measures crammed with ideas
custom-tailored to the characteristics and challenges of the actual work site, so please be sure to check it out!

Intro to Improvement Examples

DENSO CORPORATION, Kota Plant・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ P19〜
Takano Company Limited, Shimojima Factory・ ・・・・・ P27〜
Cross-Industry Exchange Meetings

DENSO FUKUSHIMA CORPORATION × Akebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing Co., Ltd. ・・・・P33~

17

SUS Corporation

SUS Corporation18

Production Site

S 35

DENSO CORPORATION,
Kota Plant

What is the essence ofeasy-to-use?
Achieving a workplace withsmooth workflow throughengineering that blends electricaland mechanical technology.
DENSO CORPORATION, Kota Plant will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. At this plant, thesemiconductor manufacturing division 1, IC1 plant is introducing improved equipment that since last year

Making effective use of motorizedparts to safely convey heavy
workpieces with no wasted effort

lifting things up and moving them." The problem here
is weight. Our products are small one by one, but
we carry some of them in bulk amounts so they canFirst of all please give us an overall view of thebe quite a heavy weighing from 10 to 40 kilograms.

Kota Plant.

This situation makes it difficult to build facilities byordinary means without motorized power, and at theHere at the Kota Plant we manufacture wafers forsame time, there were safety problems. We heard

semiconductor materials, and assemblies using them,that in such cases information that using Power Unitsand manufacture electronic components mounted

from the electronic manufacturing division couldon PCB or IC substrates. Among all these operations

improve things so we got them to give us some

we handle semiconductor or namely IC fabricationequipment and started using electrical power-driven

at Semiconductor manufacturing division 1, IC1 plantparts.

that does semiconductor or IC assembly. Completed

Nonetheless, the Power Unit (rod type), which

sensors and other components are incorporated into

was first released, only had a maximum stroke of

automotive parts such as engines, air conditioners,

300 mm so was only useful in a few situations. We

head lights. These components are essential fortherefore repeatedly requested new products fromdevice and mechanism operation and control.

the salespeople. We finally started making full use of

We have been using SUS products such as GF

such tools when the Power Unit (slider type) finallyaluminum pipe structural material in this field forappeared. It had a maximum stroke of 500 mm, andabout 8 years now, and are working night and day

we began to think we finally had something suitable

to improve them to obtain maximum use of theirfor the situation at our work sites!

combines electrical or motor-driven parts along with Karakuri (mechanical-contrivance) mechanisms.

best features. Since GF（also called Green Frame）iseasy to handle, improvements can be quickly madeWe heard that you also started using thework that transform requests from the work site into actual items that meet production needs.

and the price is reasonable. At the actual work site,

SiO Controller. Is that right?

Please take advantage of our years of experience and knowhow by checking out some samples of ourbesides production efficiency and ease operation,
we are also extremely careful and particular about

The great thing about the SiO was that it allowed

creating a clean environment since we deal withcoupling electric parts with sensors etc. The

extremely fine and intricate products such as ICs andcost could be kept low and we could motorize

electronic components.

the operation. We think that the SiO had many
I/O points to allow making improvements and it

Device Manufacturing Div. 1,
IC1 plant manager
Mr. Masahiro Hanji

COMPANY DATA19SUS Corporation

Manager of semiconductor
manufacturing division 1,
IC1 plant 3rd Production
SectionMs. Kimie Kimura

Semiconductor
manufacturing division 1,
IC1 plant
Mr. Naoto Ikeda

Semiconductor
manufacturing division 1,
IC1 plant
Mr. Shouji Ura

Semiconductor
manufacturing division 1,
IC1 plant
Mr. Akira Sano

We heard that you have been incorporating manyeffectively widened the range of tasks we could now

motor-driven parts into your operation since lastaccomplish.

year. What is the reason behind that?

On the other hand, because there are more
opportunities to utilize it, the skill level required

Throughout the years, DENSO has been conductingfrom the work site grew higher. In some cases, thedaily improvement activities led by the plant

number of I/O points available from one SiO unit

manager in which everyone takes part. These are

might be insufficient but the work scale keeps on

DENSO CORPORATION, Kota Plant

called EF or Excellent Factory activities. This is notsteadily expanding. Another issue is that it takes a

5, Aza-Maruyama, Oaza-Ashinoya, Kota-cho, Nukata-gun, Aichi 444-0193, Japan
https://www.denso.com/global/en/

a partial effort on a line-by-line basis but may takelonger time to actually start using it at the work site.

place throughout the entire factory. Last year for

Yet there is also the positive fact that it gives rise toexample, the IC1 plant started a policy "to minimize

steadily expanding dreams for the future.

SUS Corporation20

Production Site

CASE

1

S

Level lifter using Power Unit & SiO

Motor-driven

This is a level lifter that easily extracts and stores molded parts. Placing a case holding the molded part onto
the left side of the work table advances the Power Unit rod until an upper edge sensor turns on, bringing up
the molded part to extraction position. After taking the topmost molded part, the rod again advances until the
sensor turns on while maintaining a specified height. After inspection, the product is stored in a case on the rightside. Here, the rod repeatedly retracts until the sensor turns off. The first of these units was made by combining
switches with a Power Unit which has a pitch-feed function. It saved us 70 hours a month of work time so wethen put 3 of these units on the line. From the 4th unit onwards we got more sophisticated and started using
the SiO Controller and were able to handle different molded part sizes with just a single unit. Besides the Kota
Plant, we laterally expanded use to include the DENSO Takatana Plant.

Global Corporate Improvement
to Assist Cutting Edge Auto
Manufacturing

supplying power to a moving trolley is a hard task. In

How do you incorporate Karakuri into your work?

You need to use motorized power in order to

We never stop trying to improve the workplaceequipment just from Karakuri mechanisms thenbut we think it was about 5 years ago when we
first started using Karakuri at our IC1 plant. It was
still in the early period when we learned about the③ Move it to thecase at right side
after inspection② Takes out topmost
molded part and puts iton the work table

SensorSensorstructure and assembly of motion units that we hadfound out about from SUS through their catalog(Japanese version). However, as mentioned before
we ran into issues such as the “Weight” problem andeven if everything looked okay it still wouldn’t work
the way we wanted on the work site. But we kept
on trying and finally raised quality levels in what was④ Rod retracts until
sensor turns OFF① Rod advances
until sensor
turns ona step-by-step process.
Though without a regular schedule, we set about
educating our start on-site. We gave safety
instructions in a so-called “Karakuri Koubou” which※

is an area where anybody who registered could get
instruction. Here in part of the IC1 plant, thosemembers normally in charge of production lines can
get advice on making improvements from Mr. Sanoand Mr. Ura who are central figures in kaizen
improvements. Lessons start out with simple carts

Power Unit
(rod type)

and work tables and gradually transition to Karakuri
mechanisms, and then learning by experience about
SiO Controller

Power Unit (rod type). Rod
tip extends to assist Karakuri
movement.

Level lifters moving in opposite direction are placed on the left and right side of the work table. Extraction and storage can always take place at an
identical position, reducing the risk of scratches and impacts.

CASE

2

pulley movements and the like. Fabricating evencomplex items just as you envisioned them leads toa feeling of achievement and even enjoyment that
also energizes improvement activities where the

Triangular bulletin board with nogaps on display

mechanism made from a Karakuri mechanism onto
the cart.
get complex tasks done. If you make large-scale
you’ll experience more and more breakdowns andmaintenance will take much more time and effort.
If dealing with heavy workpieces, tough operating
conditions will cause rapid deterioration. Ultimately
it will stop working and be a pain for the worker
to deal with. Those are the times where you apply
motorized operation on sections where Karakuri
mechanisms alone can’t handle the task. Karakuri
mechanisms can be fun and interesting like artwork
but when the people in charge of it are transferredelsewhere you now have no one available to fix
problems that occur. Motorized or power-driven
parts may seem expensive when you buy them but
the operation will be stable, minor adjustments areeasy, and they will seem cheap later on in view ofthe man-hours saved after installation. Also once
you have motorized power, the repeatability andextendibility to other situations will improve. In thecase of Karakuri mechanisms, even if one device
looks like another there will be slight differences in
specifications depending on who actually made it.
Simplifying complex mechanisms by motorizing them
can also save time and expenses when using theequipment elsewhere. Before trying this, select thebest method to use after considering what you want
to do and how it will be used later on.

emphasis is on experiencing things for yourself.
Normal work duties prevent spending a lot of time
persons can take charge of making simple
improvements at the work site while pursuing highquality as taught by Mr. Ura and Mr. Sano.

instead of the previous square shape. Bulletin※Koubou means workshop.

boards do not hit each other even if there are no

Is there some special point that separate Karakuri

gaps between displays.

mechanism from motorized devices?
For example, when you want to deliver work pieces
Folding
Connector

SUS Corporation

motor power to the chuter and installing a shutter

here but it does train students correctly. These

Rotating bulletin board has a triangular shape

21

such cases, you can divide up the task by supplying

conveyed by way of a linked cart and a chuter,

Miniature Karakuri mechanisms that students will learn are on display
in front of the Karakuri Koubou.

SUS Corporation

22

Production Site

S

Tell us about the process up to mounting theone wrench and we feel that the speed of making these

improvement mechanism.

improvements gets faster. The work site now looks
better due to the aluminum color. The fact that it is

CASE

3

Rack with stopper stays stableeven during earthquakes

Rack with stopper eliminates the risk of heavy

Stoppergoes down

jig falling over during earthquakes or the like.
Foot-operated lever means you can take out
objects with both hands and removing yourfoot from the lever makes it return to thestopper so it is fail-safe.

CASE

4

Step onlever

Movement range is set
to a minimum to prevent
pinching fingers. Stopper
mechanism was added
afterwards.

After (Motorized version)
Elevator recreated from a
Motor-driven
Karakuri mechanism to a
motorized power mechanism

Elevator unit sends empty containers fromthe top stage of the chuter (pick-n-place)and when full, ejects them to the bottom
stage. This was usually made from ordinary
Karakuri mechanisms but they broke down
and no longer functioned normally so theboxes were replaced by manual labor.
After motorizing the operation, problems
disappeared and just pressing a switch
automatically ejected the boxes so waitingtime was eliminated.

When making a machine or a device, we rely on

recyclable is a very big appeal point and you can also

opinions from the work site but at first everything isreuse frames after disassembling them. There are now

really vague. We hear comments such as, “I want tomore parts and usability is vastly improved as well.

be able to do this” or “It would be great if it is like this”

Although aluminum has the advantage of being easy to

and we think how to actually make those thoughts

machine and process, it also has the problem of softness

a reality. Once we build a prototype, then everyone

when using it with a harder stainless steel jig. We areagain gives their opinions and the device is graduallyusing it carefully since foreign matter is the big enemy oftransformed to match people’s needs. This process ofsemiconductors. Rub marks from jigs and other items canstarting from a state with no solid concepts is toughbe a source of foreign matter. Cleaning up the cutting chips

yet is linked to the fun of “How do I make it happen.”after cutting and machining costs both time and trouble so

Besides what you were asked to build you may also

we need some kind of solution to these problems.

have your own ideas to propose. To figure out how to

Whether a request is for new products or requests

streamline operation and save man-hours you have tofor design and assembly, we believe that our current

arrange things and get the workplace involved.

relationship where we communicate frankly with each

We also share information with other ongoing projects

other has advantages for all of us. In the future, we arewithin DENSO and if we find something good we try

hoping to make even better improvements to create ato laterally expand it. Right now we are doing thebetter work site.

same in the Takatana Plant where semiconductor
manufacturing is done same as the Kota Plant
and preparations are proceeding for installing our
improvements and Karakuri there (example on P.19,
case 1). Though there is somewhat of a difference
in measures taken at each plant, work is proceeding
while jointly sharing information.
We also ultimately seek the opinions andneeds of SUS.

Before（Karakuri version）

It has been nearly 8 years since we first started using
Green Frames. We can assemble them quickly with
Container
movement

CASE
Power Unit（slider type）

Rated by those at theworkplaceGroup leader Mr. Hiroyuki Nishida At IC1 Plant, Semiconductor manufacturing division 1
Full containers carried by the motorized elevator may weigh as much as 8 kilograms each. Somework sites have many female workers so having these workers replace the boxes by hand is a big
load and is also hazardous. However, after starting to use the motorized elevator, lifting tasks
involving heavy loads were eliminated and the members were satisfied. Moreover maintenancework up in the past was a hassle but since the first unit was installed from summer last year up
to now there have been no problems whatsoever and no trouble.

23

SUS Corporation

5

New devices are currently being fabricated and new products arebeing actively adopted. Many items are being designed developed
for GF movable parts and motorized parts based on opinions andrequests from DENSO staff.

Automatic camera adjustment!
Visual external
Early model
Motor-driven
appearance device

This is an inspection device that
automatically adjusts the camera andlighting above the workplace to an ideal
position to match the stacking height.
At first, the Power Unit (rod type) was
pulled by a wire to raise and lower it
but the wire was found to stretch during
use and there were height deviations.
However, on the improved model, thecamera and lighting are directly mounted
on the Power Unit (slider type) so thisproblem was completely eliminated.

Improved model
Pull wirePower Unit

（slider type）

Linear Slider

Operation of the early model is now alsostable by using the wire while fully stretched.
The name “Kiyonaga” on the nameplate wasgiven by the local site staff members.

SUS Corporation24

Production Site

CASE

6

S

Product
introduction

i-ART is a product for clean diesel engine offering theworld’s top level of clean exhaust gas, quietness, andimproved combustion. By embedding a compression sensor
inside the injector (fuel injection device) within the engine,
it enables to measure changes in the fuel compression andtemperature inside the engine. This also regulates the fuelinjection timing to a 10,000th of a second. This technology
from DENSO is the first of its kind in the world and is aflagship product of the Kota Plant that earned the “Nikkei
Sangyo Shimbun Awards, Excellence Award” as part of the2013 Nikkei Superior Product and Service Awards.

Karakuri signal notifies ofprevious process status

When the finished product is loaded on
a cart and placed in the gate, the upper
flag rises. From the next process at aremote location, we can see at a glancethat the product was sent out, so nouseless walking is needed.

In this arrangement, pressing thetrigger with the cart within thegate pulls a wire strung on thegate and the flag on the upper
section rises. After the cart moves
out, the flag returns to the original
position by spring.

CASE

7

i-ART

CASE

8

Trigger

Automatic Handover from Cart to Chuter andeven in remote locations is also OK

Fail-safe mechanism prevents total
number error even if too many or
too few trays
Trays stack
up afterinspection

Motor-driven

Separating the installation positions of the chuters lined up along the production line from the AGV path
position is required for safety reasons but causes problems with the automatic handover. To fill this gap at
the worksite we tried fabricating a new means for making handovers without manual labor.
Step 1Bad

AGV cart has slide mechanism built into jig loader section

Power Unit

Roller conveyor
slides and tilts tothe chuter side

Electric
Stopper

The jig loader is the movable type but only slides during handover. During handover, the roller
conveyor stores inside the cart and so can then swivel and return to the jig acceptor location.

Movable chuter moves back and forth to handover position
Electric
Stopper

Power Unit
（slider type）

Karakuri is utilized
between cart andchuter※mounts on therear side
Chuter movement
achieved by Power Unit (slider type)movement

This case shows that automatic handover is possible by having the chuter on the acceptor side moveto the cart position. Stopper utilizes both Karakuri and motorized devices.

25

SUS Corporation

× When not enough trays...

Moves to next process
after the specified numberof trays are available

After the handover, theroller conveyor moves
back within the cart

Linear Slider

Step 2This Karakuri device prevents having the wrong numberof stacked trays when sending trays to the next process
after completing the external inspection. The worker
stacks the trays in the lane next to the inspection table
and when the specified number of trays is reached hepresses on a bar to send them to the next process. The
position of the tray press-out bar matches the height ofthe specified number of trays. If there are too few trays,
the bar passes over them so they can’t be pushed. If
there are too many trays, they catch on the height limiterbar so in this way, only the specified number of the trays
can reach the next process.

CASE

9

Automatic resin thawing
device cuts 90 minutework loss to zero

Press-out bar

Bar hits nothing so can’t push trays

Good○ When the number of trays is correct
Height limiter bar

Passes below height limiter bar andonto next process

Motor-driven

Resins and adhesives used in semiconductor
manufacturing are stored at minus 35˚C or less sothey must be left at normal temperature for about 90
minutes to thaw before using. Normally, on a 2-shift
day-night system, members from the previous shift
take these materials out from the freezer but there
was a problem of a 90 minute work loss at the startof work on Mondays.
To handle this problem we fabricated a device toopen the freezer lid 90 minutes before the startof work by starting up a Power Unit by way of acalendar timer. By letting resin and adhesives droop
down the rear of the lid we can complete the process
in one movement. When the lid opens, the Power
Unit and power to the freezer turn off and the clock
operates so everyone knows how much time has
elapsed since the lid opened.

This improvement based on comments from workers saying, “We want toeliminate that 90 minute loss!” and though simple, it is extremely effective.

SUS Corporation

26

Production Site

Highly skilled employees workwithin the sewing process inthe chuter which is a uniquespecialty of Takano.

S 36

Takano Company Limited,
Shimojima Factory

Becoming a worksite that
responds to seasonalchanges in market needs
with a multi-productvariable quantity
production.

Please tell us about special features of Shimojima
Factory and where you place your major effort.
The number and type of chairs to be assembled
at the Shimojima Factory can range from 3,000
to 4,000, including features such as the color andTakano seems to operate a wide range ofmaterial of the fabric and whether there are parts

businesses!

such as armrests. Moreover, office chairs tend to bepurchased in groups and by the end of March, andYes, we were first founded in 1941 as a company

the volume of the orders varies greatly depending onthat manufactures springs. Precision springs are

the season. We also have to flexibly respond to all

the origin point of Takano and are currently being

types of production variations. These circumstances

adopted into various products such as automobiles.

mean there is a lot of manual assembly required.

Takano Company Limited started out as a spring manufacturer and is now active in many fields including

The office furniture business started out from

Meanwhile, it is getting harder to secure a sufficient

office furniture and health and welfare. The Shimojima Factory belongs to the Takanao Office Furniture

designing and manufacturing folding spring chairs

number of staff so streamlining the operation andOperation and mainly designs, develops and manufactures rotary chairs for offices. Here we report on-

in 1962 which made full use of spring technology.

improving productivity is essential.

going progress in improvement at the worksite incorporating both the latest technology and human effort.

Since that time, we have also expanded into areas

So, what we are emphasizing now is the 5-yearsuch as health and welfare-related businesses

medium-term management plan, “Innovation 68” forand building exterior business. Furthermore, thethe year 2020. That is the year of the Tokyo Olympic

challenge of creating a new business is not limited

Games. We gave it this name since Takano will

to using existing technology. We also operate anreach its 68th operating term in 2020. As part of thiselectronics business based on LCD or liquid crystal

plan, the manufacturing division of the office furniture

display inspection equipment developed andbusiness is promoting “multi-product variable

commercialized through joint industry-academic

quantity production.” This is essentially a TSS

research, and this is one of the current pillars of our(Takano Seisan System) activity based on the Toyota

company.

Production System. Each department is required to

The Shimojima Factory where we work is part ofachieve a one-year goal by improving productivity,

the office furniture division and mainly involved insaving expenses, and reducing quality defects. On

assembling office chairs. There is another plant

the manufacturing site, each employee is working towhich is the Ina Factory where we handle sheetchange the layout and to build and improve the

Takano Company Limited, Shimojima Factory

metal which is one type of office chair material

workbenches and so on with the aim of building an

3587-1, Kodaira, Nishiharuchika, Ina-shi, Nagano 399-4431, Japan
https://www.takano-net.co.jp/portal/en/

and does welding pipe bending, painting, etc. The

optimum production line. Under these circumstances,finished parts of the Ina Factory are shipped to the

all employees are making improvements by utilizing

Shimojima Factory and assembled into chairs.

Green Frame (GF) aluminum pipe structural material.

Office Furniture Operation
General Manager
Mr. Toshiaki Kobayashi

COMPANY DATA

27

Achieving high quality and highefficiency manufacturing to meetdemand that drastically changes
with the season

SUS Corporation

Office Furniture Operation
ManagerMr. Toru Hashizume

Office Furniture Operation
Assistant Manager
Mr. Makoto Ozawa

SUS Corporation28

Production Site

S 36

1
The AGV advances
and its momentum
uncouples the stopper
and takes in thecontainer.

handled by human workers.

assemble than an iron pipe. Also, the AGV cart andWhen parts completed in the sewing process arechuter I described earlier were my first Karakuri

loaded into a container and placed in a chuter,devices but these were easy to use because there

the AGV cart automatically accepts and conveys

are a lot of those kinds of parts around. Since theit to the assembly process. The AGV cart delivers

Shimojima Factory has many women workers,

the container holding the parts, then automatically

being a lightweight gadget also has a lot of appeal.

picks up the empty container and returns to the

Improvement proposals such as shelves andsewing process. When making it we looked at thecarts using GF are ongoing and these seem to bemechanism that we saw at SUS showroom andhighly rated. Also, the appearance of the finishedunits that are listed in the catalog. We installed anequipment is stylish and these don’t get dirty easily

elevator at the same time as installing the Karakuri
so that the AGV cart can automatically move backand forth between the first floor and the second
floor, and so in this way we were able to automate
the transportation.

2

Cart table tilts andejects the empty
container.

3

Once the sewing process is ready, turning on a switch runs the AGV cart. A mechanism links the cart and chuter together to automatically deliver
containers. The cart goes back and forth between the sewing process and the assembly process up to four times per hour.

What was the trigger for the adoption of GF?

using it almost everywhere at our company insteadof iron pipe which was the mainstream at the time.

The trigger was a factory tour we made to an

The first serious improvements we made using GF

automobile manufacturer. I was curious to seewere AGV carts and chuters incorporating Karakuri

GF carts and workbenches being used in large

mechanisms. At the Shimojima Factory, we build anquantities at the production site. At the same time,assembly line for each type of chair, but it takes as

I received an introduction to GF from within themuch as 3 to 4 years to become really skilled oncompany saying things like, “We offer these kinds ofit, and the sewing processes that require veteranproducts”, I liked the look of it and it was lightweightlevel skills are concentrated into one location. So

and easy to handle so I decided to try it for the first

we made equipment to automatically transport

time. What then happened was that we started

materials to the next process which was previously

Everyone works to make theimprovement activities
Succeed through steady efforts
and the latest in technology

Set up the parts for one
chair and load onto the
production line.
Return theempty tray fromthe rear side

It seems that everyone is going ahead withimprovement activities but how are these rated interms of ease of use?
I actually tried using it, and I felt it was easier toAt the far side of the photo, workbenches for assembly are lined up.
The worker assembles the parts on the tray in order.

A parts shelf of a work table installed to tilt so
the operator can easily take it out. Parts aresupplied from outside to the line, and then theemptied containers are ejected from the feet.

A see-saw type table capable of easily inserting the finished chair by tilting toward the worker side and returning it to the conveyor by lifting up fromthe front when packing is finished.

29

SUS Corporation

This line at the current site was constructed by
the working members with their own hands. This
new product line is made during the September October period and production then starts up.

SUS Corporation30

Production Site

S 36
checks the operating rate using the in-house system,

report meeting on TSS activities once a month forand records the frequency and cause of shortstops

two days. The Shimojima Factory on the first day

due to breakdowns. For the AGV introduced earlier,and the Ina Factory on the second day and based

not only the operating rate but also the location

on reports from each section, we share the content

at that time can be confirmed. We will check theof the initiatives and progress on improvement.

situation on a daily basis so that we can utilize itto the fullest. If we do actually start using it, wePlease tell us about activities you have planned andinvestigate the cause if any problem occurs andwhat areas you are aiming for from hereon.

make improvements.
To achieve the medium-term management plan
How do you approach fostering new humancalled Innovation 68, we will continue to streamline

resources and information sharing, etc.?

production and make high quality products. Evenin the new product lines for this fiscal year, we

In this arrangement when the finishedparts catch on the Linear Slider, they areautomatically sent to the next process bybalance achieved by weights.

Automated processes can utilize common parts to assemble for various officechairs with just a small number of parts. Dual-arm robots assemble the partsin sequence. Equipment is installed and put to use by in-house engineers.

which makes them very popular. Another greaterrors requires not only efficiency but also extreme

benefit is that they are easy to recycle.

care regarding quality. What we are doing now is

One request we got was that, it would be nice tomanaging the total number of parts to be put on thehave a cutter that generates no chips. Our current

assembly line after arranging the parts for one chair

handy cutter requires power, so we are using

in the tray. If the tray is not empty when it returns

electric tools but these require time and effort tothen you can assume something went wrong during

clean away the chips that come out during use. Also,

assembly. If summertime for example is set to 1

since an electric cutter can be hazardous I thought itor namely our baseline, then the volume of winterwould prove more convenient if there were a handproduction will likely triple, so we are trying totool available that was easy to use.

create an arrangement that maintains quality even if
experienced workers are not available.

Tell us what points you are fussy about and special

At the same time, we are using robots and IoT. In

contrivances when building a production line.

the past, equipment dedicated to one type of mass

There is an organization called the “TQM Promotion

are incorporating new ideas aiming at quality

Office” at the main office that oversees company-

improvement, so we think that we can improve itwide fostering of human resources. The informationeven better as we actually implement it.

exchange centers around the JIT Promotion

We are also currently building new equipment

Committee and we visit the factory every month tousing the SiO Controller. We anticipate that the SiO

share what we learned from the visit. Once a year

Controller can be applied to motorized tasks even

there is also a JIT (Just In Time) meeting that reports

if the workers don’t have a detailed knowledge ofimprovement cases at each factory to the president.

electricity, and we are very thrilled about this. Until

In those cases, that information is circulated

now, moving mechanisms could not be actually

throughout all the plants.

introduced at the work site without help fromEven still, the products that Takano handles coverproduction engineering staff but if this could bea wide range, and the information required byaccomplished on the worksite at the worker level

departments is often different, so operations arethen it would save time and we could open up many

more active within the department. For example, inmore new possibilities. The capability for the worker

the case of the office furniture business, we hold ato do this by themselves is a big appeal point for SUS
products. In the future, we will continue to work at
creating workplaces capable of high productivity tomake it easy for workers themselves to accomplish
things.

Use Electric Stoppers,
sensors and SiO
Controllers to mark out
the process steps on theworkpiece.

production was the mainstream approach, but

31

Approximately 50 parts are used per one rotary

now we are promoting the introduction of general-

office chair, which is where we pour most of our

purpose machines that are compatible with multi-

efforts. The mechanism that swivels and raises andproduct small volume production. In the assembly

lowers the chair is what uses the most parts and theprocess, we also use a double-arm robot, which canlatest products have functions that allow the seatbe used for different varieties of tasks if you re-teachsurface to move freely. Assembling them without

it as needed. The robot equipment also constantly

SUS Corporation

Equipment under construction by using SiO
Controller. It is planned to use multiple Electric
Stoppers for use at their favorite positions along
the long distance chuter.

Everybody at Takano listens to the controller's explanation. Training
sessions by development staff at SUS were also held later on.

SUS Corporation32

Production Site

Akebono Brake Fukushima
Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

S 37

Cross-Industry
Exchange Meetings

DENSO FUKUSHIMA

× CORPORATION

Make daily improvements
by listening to what people
say at the actual worksite!
Aiming to make it easy tomove around the worksite bytrial and error attempts andcreative arrangement.

We overcame our toughfounding period and are currently
introducing new equipment into
our evolving factory at a
non-stop rate.
DENSO FUKUSHIMA was established in April 2008as a production base in East Japan for the DENSOGroup. Despite the impact of the Great East Japan
Earthquake, DENSO began production of car air
conditioners, which was the mainstay product in2011. Even after that they still continued expanding
while increasing the number of product items

The Akebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing staff all listen toa description of the manufactured products from Mr.Taguchi,
plant manager at DENSO FUKUSHIMA. They not only learn about
Karakuri improvements but also the history and measures taken by
the entire plant.

and in the year 2018 are now near to completinga new factory. This is a huge factory exceeding
30,000 square meters and along with large
injection molding machines, the latest robots andthe equipment that was designed to streamline
production and to lighten the burden on the worker
as much as possible. In the cross-industry exchange

On November 9, 2017, four people from the Akebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

visited DENSO FUKUSHIMA CORPORATION to hold a cross-industry exchange meeting. This resulted

meeting, case examples centering on Karakuri
mechanisms were introduced.

from cooperation with DENSO FUKUSHIMA in response to a request from Akebono Brake Fukushima
Manufacturing staff saying“We want to know about efforts made by other companies and apply
them in our future improvement activities”. Here we will give a number of examples describedthat day, as well as how this exchange went and the impressions of the improvement staff, etc.

COMPANY DATA33

SUS Corporation

DENSO FUKUSHIMA CORPORATION

Akebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

26, Kouyoudai, Funehiki-cho, Tamura,
Fukushima 963-4318, Japan
https://www.denso-fukushima.co.jp/

10 Aza-Shinjuku, Oaza-Narita, Koori-machi, Date-gun,
Fukushima 969-1652, Japan
https://www.akebono-brake.com/english/

Excerpt from AGC (Automatic Guided Cart) interviewed in the Sing 33
issue (Japanese version only). A mechanism to automatically handover
the workpiece by way of a Karakuri mechanism was introduced.

SUS Corporation34

Production Site
⦿Cross-Industry Exchange Meetings

S 37▼ Product movement.
90 degree turnStore by each partnumber

CASE

1

Automate the sorting work whichusually takes a lot of time andtrouble by manual labor to achieve

Sequential
shipping
shelf“sequential delivery”by placing the item
on a sequential shipping shelf.

Products flowing along the production line are automaticallysorted according to the part number.

Currently, automobile makers are doing mixed
car manufacturing by making multiple models on
one production line. DENSO FUKUSHIMA mustthen deliver their products so as to correspond tothat car maker’s production sequence. In order to
respond to demand, they created a system to store
products produced in lots, onto shelves by eachpart number and then take them out from storage
in the order that the products are needed. After a
product flowing on the line changes direction witha 90 degree turn, its QR code is scanned and it isautomatically conveyed to the corresponding shelf.
While still turned 90 degrees the stroke is too large and it cannot fit within the shelf width, so we added a
motion to shift the table after rotation. The parts were originally stored or removed from the shelf manually by ahuman worker. Now however, automating that step using electrical motor drive saves man-power.

CASE

2

Take out in order of shipping sequence▼ 90 degree turn motion① Detect product flowing onto the tableby way of a sensor.

② Swivel the table 90 degree to change
direction product faces.

③ Shift the table position.

④ Release the Electric Stopper.

⑤ Return the shifted table back to theposition back in ③.

⑥ Swivel back 90 degrees to return tothe initial position.

Don’t reduce workability, reduce the number of drivers!
Idea workbench that uses Linear Sliders

CASE
Attach Linear Slider to bothsides of the frame from which
driver hangs, to make it slide
outwards and inwards.

3

Streamlining long-distanceconveying by AGC capable ofsimple coupling and decoupling

Clamp a Spring Balancer to the
Linear Slider and hang a driverfrom it.

Decoupling section is foldable so as not to interfere with unloading items. Justpressing slightly inwards unhooks the center section to allow rotation and storage.

We made use of a Linear Slider (GFW-440) to allow freely
moving the driver hung from overhead in the X and Y
directions. This was an idea we came up with to reduce
the number of drivers, and just a slight force is all you needto move the driver to the required position. There is also atype that slides on a bent frame, and because the standard
item cannot be used here, we cut the Linear Slider of length
100 mm by half. We also do the pipe bending in-house.

35

SUS Corporation

Easy coupling just by lowering
part attached to rear of cart.

The AGC moving back and forth from the parts
warehouse and production line is the type thattows by way of sliding under the cart and hooking
it by way of a pin. The operator conveys the cart
loaded with items to sequentially predetermined
positions and makes the AGC leave when thenecessary number of items is loaded. The hauling
distance is about 130 meters each way and it
moves so as to vertically cross the interior of thefactory. Up to five carts can be connected.

SUS Corporation36

Production Site
⦿Cross-Industry Exchange Meetings

S 37

CASE

4

AGC with elevator function
handles different height chuters
on just 1 unit

Q &A
Time

Shown here with table raised, the AGC battery
provides power for motorized up-down
movement.

▼ Empty tray ejection state

After the tour, we held a question and answer
session for everyone from Akebono Brake Fukushima
Manufacturing. Here is an excerpt from the
Q&A session.

DENSO
FUKUSHIMACORPORATIONThe AGC complying with its program conveys the full tray loaded from the chuter in the floor to the assembly process and ejects the recovered tray.
When the cart is empty, the table tilt changes.

▼ Supply to assembly process and recovery

Mr. Akiba and Mr. Ariga from DENSO
FUKUSHIMA Production Division
Production Engineering Department,
who fabricated the equipment shownat the exchange meeting.

Mr. Taguchi, thermal plant
manager for the DENSO
FUKUSHIMA Production
Division, who took charge ofthe exchange meeting.

×

Loads full tray into
an upper rack of
the chuter.

▶

Akebono Brake Fukushima
Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Recovers empty
tray from a lower
rack of the chuter.
View of the assembly process. Worker starts
assembly using the workpiece supplied fromthe upper rack and ejects the now empty tray
to the lower rack.

A new AGC whose operation started just before the Cross-industry exchange meeting. A full tray is loaded
from a high position relative to the chuter in the assembly process and the empty tray is recovered from thelow position. An elevator function was added to the cart table to allow loading and recovering from a different
height with just one unit. In the assembly process, assembly starts from the loaded trays flowing in from the
top rack and the empty trays are sent one after another to the lower rack. Next, when the worker releases thelock, the table automatically falls due to the balance with the weight, and after the tray is discharged it rises to
accept the next tray. This new AGC will be adjusted at the site for about one week until its operation is stable.

37

SUS Corporation

The four members of Akebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing mainly
involved in making improvements took part in the session.

SUS Corporation

38

Production Site
⦿Cross-Industry Exchange Meetings

S 37

We plan to introduce AGC from hereon
and are making an assessment. You
showed us various ways of using these at
the work site, but what kind of criteria
did you use for selecting a standard model?

Q1

We also learned a lot from the DENSO
plants and found that the right machinemodel differs according to the application.
A type that only moves forward is cheap topurchase but just as you might expect a machine withplenty of functions is what offers real value. Moreover,
the ability to move directly sideways after moving
forward is a feature offered by some manufacturers.
We are trying to assess what will work best by
judging the balance of cost and functions.

A

I was surprised to see female workers
removing the aluminum pipe structural
material GF parts from the parts
drawers. Do the on-site staff also handle
upgrading and improving the equipment?

Q2

Here in the Production Engineering
Division, we are working on improvement
activities that boost productivity whileconstantly listening to comments fromthe workplace but just doing that is not enough. So
we talked to the members of actual work sites who
said,“We want to get hands-on experience withthe equipment as much as possible” and in fact are
making improvements with their own hands. Our
work site has a stock of frames and parts such as GF
and cutting machines and one can pretty much use
them any way they want. This easy handling is oneof the great features of SUS frames.

A

I feel GF or namely Green Frames offer
widely diverse items and allow making avariety of shapes by combining standard
parts. But do you employ custom
methods such as your own unique frame and parts
processing techniques?

Q3

Though based on structural parts
when you fabricate a Karakuri there isalways some section that never works
as planned. When that happens we try
to machine the part ourselves or tell SUS “Hey,we need this kind of part.” We don’t place limits
or restrictions but work on the task without any
restrictions and try to make it easy to use.

A

Finishing up theexchange meetings
We asked their feelings about theexchange and measures to incorporate theimprovements.
You took part in the
cross industry exchange
meetings, what did you
think about them?
Learning what approaches
other companies weretaking was an extremelyrefreshing experience.
What left an impression
on me was the proactive
approach those on theactual work site were

Akebono Brake Fukushima
Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
APS Section, APS Group
Group Leader
Mr. Kazuya Satotaking towards making improvements. When awoman at the factory took out some GF partsand started work I thought,“I wonder what she isdoing?” and got extremely curious. At the Akebono
Brake Fukushima Manufacturing, those like us incharge of production there were involved with tasks
from assembly through repairs after installation andso I really sensed a different company climate there.
I was also surprised that they were also adding
touches by bending GF pipe and cutting Linear
Sliders. The machining itself is not difficult but
coming up with the ideas is where they excelled. At
our company, we had just started using GF about 3
months before and whatever the material we used I
again realized how important our own ideas are andwanted to learn from these people. I was able toknow how parts were used and found it to be a truelearning experience.
So how did you generally go about amassing
information about improvement activities?
Including Fukushima, the Akebono Brake Industry
Co., Ltd. has manufacturing operations in six
places throughout Japan and those in charge ofimprovements all get together once a month toshare information. Here, we are also beginning to
introduce Karakuri improvements but for now at thesupervisor level. Whereupon, starting just this year
is an effort made by the members of Saitama City
Iwatsuki Ward who assembled a miniature versionof the Karakuri improvements. The mini version
circulates to each factory so the members at each
worksite can also learn about these mechanisms.
This system aims at teaching what Karakuri is,in order to get ideas from the actual work site.
Ultimately it would be great if they became able tofabricate these improvements themselves.
In addition, since about four years ago, we also got
the opportunity to once a year select an outstanding
prize from the best Karakuri produced at eachfactory in the company. The judges oversee

members who are not engaged in manufacturing
work and we ask them to view it with simple andunprejudiced eyes. One condition for exhibits is thatthey are items actually used on the production line.
In addition, as an information gathering activity, we
may visit the Karakuri improvements at the Karakuri
KAIZEN® exhibition sponsored by the Japan Instituteof Plant Maintenance or also participate in othercompany Karakuri events. We would like to put
something of our own on exhibit at the exhibition
someday.
Please tell about some issues you encounteredwhen working with Karakuri.
After listening to the feedback from people at thework site, saying that “It would be convenient
if it worked like this”, we then make what theywant, however the equipment we made might not
actually be used. I think that this is caused by thegap between one image and another. How one
actually reflects the view of people from the worksite is the big issue. Even the improvement activity
supervisors have different approaches so I think
what is important is to give and share opinions andthen solve problems that arise after installation one
at a time as they appear.
Though there was some talk at the exchange
meeting, transport does not produce added value
just by itself, so we also want to automate thisas much as possible and are also considering
including introducing AGC. I was impressed with theautomated workpiece exchange on AGC at DENSO
FUKUSHIMA but on asking the supervisor about it, I
also realized that this was achieved through trial anderror. I will absorb opinions from the site and thenwant to create equipment that will prove useful for along time.
※Karakuri KAIZEN®is a registered trademark of the Japan Institute of
Plant Maintenance.

Unit No. 1: GF Karakuri device from Akebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing!
Gravity Operated Flip-Flop chuter
Lastly, we took a tour of GF Karakuri just starting to put to work at the factory.

Hinge Connector
Supply empty box.

Raises thetable.

The stopper andtable elevatormechanism arelinked by a wire.

Eject full box.

Linear Slider

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SUS Corporation

WeightRotary Connector

WeightWe adjusted thebalance of theweight so thatwhen an empty
box is loaded thetable goes down,
and when the box
is placed the tablerises.

When an empty box enters from the top rack, the table moves downward due to the weight of the container. At this time, the stopper
attached to the top tilts along with the mechanism to stop the second container from flowing. A Hinge Connector is used as the movable
portion of the stopper. The completed container is then pushed by the operator and ejected to the lower rack.

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Production Site
⦿USA Local Report ①

S

Name：Masatomi（Max）Sato
Title：Engineering Manager
Company：Geiger Automotive
Experience：Sanoh Industrial Co., Ltd.（19 years）,
Geiger Automotive（1.3 years）

Geiger Automotive

USA
Local Report⦿USA Local Report ②

⦿USA Local Report ①

DENSO Manufacturing
Michigan Inc.

Geiger Automotive

Industrialization Team. Mr. Sato on the far left.

How did you first hear about SUS?

Tell me about your current projects with SUS.

When I was working at our parent company, Sanoh
Industrial Co., Ltd.
What have been the greatest benefits of using SUS
products?

We were working on a parts project for [anautomotive supplier]. Mostly carts for transferring
items from one machine to another. We also haveanother design which we are calling a “rack” for asimilar purpose.

It has easier and faster assembly than other rack
suppliers.

Was there a specific problem you were trying tosolve?

What specific features do you like the most?

Not really. The old carts and racks weren’t visually
very nice. The SUS ones look nicer and easier. After
we assembled them, we noticed that they wereeasier to assemble, too. The previous products weused would take three hours and three people to
make one cart. With SUS’s products we can do it in
two hours with two people.

The components arrive “Ready to Assemble,” sothere is no need to look for specific screws or nuts.
SUS sends all the parts so we don’t have to search
for anything. This helps us save time. The way theconnectors bite onto the frame is much easier thanthe other products we were using.
I like how SUS makes drawings. If I ask for a drawing
in the late afternoon, I can still get the drawing thenext morning. SUS’s overseas office is working while
we are asleep and this decreases the lead time. We
just sent SUS the designs we used with our past
supplier and SUS’s engineers redesigned them with
SUS products.
What is it like to work with SUS and its people?
It is very accurate and there is fast correspondence.
Even though SUS is in Illinois, the staff still cameto our site about four times. I didn’t expect that. I
thought that they might come once. This meant that
we can get good face-to-face communication.

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SUS Corporation

What feedback do you get form your teammembers about these products?
Everybody’s liking it. It’s easy to build which is
helpful for us. It looks cleaner. We usually buy lightgray and blue structures. The raw aluminum iscleaner in terms of image…. Our team members arereally happy that I pushed for SUS’s products.
Do you have anything you want to tell the SUS
community all over the world?
The SUS staff is very reliable and they are always ontime with the right solution.
We can trust SUS in quality, lead time, and support.

SUS Corporation42

Production Site
⦿USA Local Report ②S

DENSO Manufacturing
Michigan Inc.

on what we can do.
Of course, SUS isn’t as strong as the resin coatedsteel piping, and there are some adjustments tomake and remeasure because the brackets aren’t
perfectly 90°all the time, but even with thoseadjustments, it’s still a lot faster.

Name：Bob Baker
Title：Manager of Industrial Engineering Department
Company：DENSO Manufacturing Michigan Inc.
Experience：15 years

What has it been like to work with SUS?
It seems like there is a high turnover of personnel,
and it’s hard to retrain the SUS staff as to what,
exactly, DMMI needs for its orders. At first, when
SUS was new in the States, keeping and getting
stock was a problem… backordered parts were a
problem... It’s a lot better now, but delays on parts
still occur. Overall, it’s been a good experience. SUS
is really responsive to our inquiries.

How is it that SUS saves so much time?
One of the ways SUS’s products save time is thatthe bolts and accessories come partially assembled.
The bolts and nuts are already in place. With othersystems, you have to twist and twist to get the bolt
tightened, but with SUS it’s just one and a half turns
and you’re done.
What have been the greatest benefits you’vereaped from using SUS?

The shooters are for a line that assembles radiators and fan shrouds.

How did you first hear about SUS?

What were the main reasons you switched to SUS?

Through a trip to the company’s home plant inJapan, witnessing them using the products anddeciding to bring it into the plant.

There were two main reasons. One: it’s easy to
do karakuri with SUS products. Two: it’s easy toassemble.
We did our own internal test with one of ourworkers who was skilled with the resin-coated steel
piping system. We had him build a table with thesteel piping and then a table with SUS’s products. I
think there was a difference in time of about 30%.
SUS’s products were faster to assemble, even though
he wasn’t as familiar with them.

When did you make the switch to SUS?
About 3-4 years ago. We were using resin-coatedsteel piping at first. It worked well, but it was limited
in a lot of ways. There was a limitation on reducing
incidental work time (time spent pushing carts backand forth, etc). Not enough types of brackets...
We wanted to increase productivity and reduce
assembly time.
How did you do that?

The greatest benefits have been the two points
which I just mentioned, it’s easy to do karakuri andit’s easy to assemble, but also that SUS’s products
allow us to continually improve. With the variety ofbrackets and versatility, there’s really no limitations

How has using SUS made your job, specifically,easier?
Our team implements a lot of kaizen and SUS helps
us to think differently about improvements. SUS gives
us more opportunities for cost savings.
If you could send one message out to the entire SUS
community all over the world, what would it be?
A few years ago, wetold SUS about anidea we had for aswivel bracket andthen it showed up
in the catalog. I’m
not sure if it was
directly because ofus, but it happened.
I’d want people
to know that SUS
is willing to listen.
Don’t hesitate togive your ideas to
SUS.

We saved time by having a dedicated team. We
have two fabrication teams, kaizen technicians, anda smaller group of three people dedicated to thefinal assembly area that does a lot of work withkarakuri. I’m in charge of the kaizen support teamand it was my idea to form it. I wanted to reduce thestress on my staff and it worked.

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SUS Corporation

SUS Corporation

44

Production Site⦿SUS Chiba Factory Report ③

S

Toyota Motor North America
representatives visit SUS Chiba Plant

Gain deeper knowledge of SUS products
and Karakuri, for application to
Kaizen in the workplace

CAD Lecture on GF and Karakuri

Assembling Karakuri and completed Returm Table.

Share technical information and raise the standardof technical skills

Introduction to new SUS products including GF, SF, and ZF

Broaden imagination by actuallyassembling Karakuri

Practice Assembling Karakuri

Hoping to gain a broad knowledge of Karakuri
for use in Kaizen activities
On June 19th, sixteen members in charge of Kaizen(continuous improvements) at Toyota Motor North
America visited the SUS Chiba Plant to take atour of the factory and participate in a seminar on
SUS products. Toyota Motor North America is an
important customer of SUS America. They havepurchased many SUS products, including mainly GF
aluminum pipe structural material. However, they
wished to know more about SUS products thatcan be used for Karakuri (non-electric mechanicaldevices), understand aluminum frames besides GF
such as SF and ZF, and apply this knowledge tofuture Kaizen activities, so SUS decided to hold thisseminar. The program was as follows.

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SUS Corporation

1. Introduction to new SUS products including GF,
SF, and ZF
2. Factory Tour
3. Practice Assembling Karakuri
4. CAD Lecture on GF and Karakuri

Factory TourOf all the parts of this program, practice assembling
Karakuri evoked the greatest response. Three
Karakuri assembly tasks were given: 1) Moving
Pulley, 2) Self-Braking Trolley, 3) Return Table.
Participants split into three teams, each of which
was assigned one of these Karakuri to build. Even
SUS employees were surprised to see how quickly
the teams were able to make the Karakuri. Perhaps
this should have been expected, as the participants
were familiar with GF and use it for Kaizen activities
on a regular basis. While it was originally plannedfor each team to assemble just one Karakuri, eachteam was able to assemble two in the allotted time.
Participants responded favorably to the tasks. They
told us that the seemingly simple assembly processoffered much to learn when they could actually see
and touch the parts used, and that it gave themgreat new ideas.

The most common response from participants who
experienced this seminar was satisfaction with
understanding the mechanisms of new SUS products
and Karakuri. One participant told us “I found newmeans of solving problems on various manufacturingsite.” Another participant commented “I will sharewhat I learned and the knowledge I gained with myteam members to spread it horizontally throughout
my organization.” In fact, there is some disparity
in technical skills for conducting Kaizen activities
among Toyota Motor North America engineers.
Their desire to share technical information and raise
the average skill level in order to standardize thesetechnical skills was a major factor in the decision to
hold this seminar. Another participant shared theiropinion on the CAD lecture, saying, “I would like it if
you converted the basic units of Karakuri into CAD
data. That would enable me to adjust the size anddevelop Karakuri for each production line, so I don’t
have to design each one from scratch.” From thesecomments it seems the seminar was very meaningfulfor deepening the relationship between Toyota
Motor North America and SUS.

SUS Corporation

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