Mar 12, 2018 Fuji Machine Manufacturing Corporation (headquarters: Chiryu, Aichi; president & CEO: Mr. Nobuyuki Soga; hereinafter referred to as "Fuji") has been working on an initiative titled the “factory in a box” concept as a member of a Nokia-led group of 12 electronics industry players.
The “factory in a box” concept aims to provide an agile production system that can be packed, transported, and then set up with operation running in a matter of hours by building a single electronics manufacturing line (hereafter referred to as "SMT line") using cargo containers. Fuji's NXT III mounter was nominated for this project based on a number of factors. Its high valuation by Nokia can be attributed to being the smallest mounter in the world while placing with high accuracy, as well as the fact that Nokia has used Fuji machines for many years.
Potential uses for this concept include:
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Response to changes in demand - The container can be driven to a location, run production for the required volume, and then be moved again as needed.
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New product introduction - With new products, time to market is a competitive advantage. By moving the “factory in a box” to partner companies, prototyping can be done quickly, and fixes quickly performed and tested.
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Disaster recovery - When a site is hit by a natural disaster, business continuity plans kick in but can take time. With a spare portable factory, critical customer orders can still be achieved in a timely manner.
Fuji has been promoting Fuji Smart Factory, which makes having high-quality and highly efficient SMT lines a reality. Joining the “factory in a box” group enables Fuji Smart Factory to be connected to a cloud-based Manufacturing Execution System. We aim to achieve Industry 4.0 by providing Fuji Smart Factory along with this agile production system which is designed to bring production close to consumers anywhere in the world.
