YAMAGATA CASIO: Digital Engineering Practiced at Injection Mold Plant and Transfer of Technological Information

Abstract

YAMAGATA CASIO is the manufacturing subsidiary of CASIO, a company which manufactures watches, digital cameras, cellular phones, etc. The business activities of the subsidiary include product assembly for CASIO and an independent parts business which includes the manufacture of precise mold and molded parts. The company introduced 3D CAD/CAM into their parts business from a very early stage, to ensure thorough data use via networks and start the complete digitalization of their manufacturing process. By applying XVL to production instructions and as¬sembly instructions, they have been able to improve production efficiency by 30%. They have also integrated XVL into their process management systems. The following sections are from an interview with Mr. Takaya, Deputy General Manager, Engineering Department, Plastic Device Devision of YAMAGATA CASIO, as of May 2006.