Veteran Interview

Since our founding, our management philosophy has been to "aim to create a company that satisfies customers and delights employees." We conduct customer surveys once a year and employee surveys once a year, and one of our prides is that the results show very high customer and employee satisfaction.

We also focus on 'Human Development' and engage in various initiatives. For example, we have daily radio calisthenics and morning meetings that everyone participates in, as well as weekly cleaning by all employees. Communication within the company is also close, and I think it is a company with strong horizontal connections and unity. We aim to nurture bright, energetic, and proactive employees as a company.

I worked for a computer-related company in Tokyo for five years, but I decided to return to my hometown, so I left that job and joined MSI, which had just been founded. I was in charge of system development for government agencies and distribution wholesale industries, but I took on my current position when a department specializing in manufacturing was established within the company.

I am from Kaminoyama City, next to Yamagata City. I've lived here all my life except for the time I worked in Tokyo.

Mr. Watanabe is amazing. He's like a pro.

My hobby is billiards. Recently, I played with your company's representative, Mr. Urano. Recently, my presbyopia has been getting worse, so I need to practice more.

Even now, many manufacturing companies do not have what you would call a proper system. At that time, it was probably only some large companies. Moreover, the number of product types was not as large as it is now, and the need for systemization was not as great, which is one reason why the manufacturing industry was an untapped market.

We felt that the interface was excellent. The data format being in CSV files made it easy to handle. Additionally, the graphical operations that other companies didn't have were also attractive. As a result, we were able to have that customer select it, and it became our first project handling FLEXSCHE. This made it clear that there was such a need within the manufacturing industry, so we put more effort into expanding it.

Also, when we convey customer requests to FLEXSCHE, they quickly absorb them and reflect them in function enhancements during version upgrades, which is great.

There have been several instances where customers have said that operating it is difficult. One of the objectives is to eliminate the personalization of planning tasks, but if a dedicated person is assigned to the system, that issue isn't resolved. If the production method changes, the system must also be changed, and it's challenging to enable customers to handle that themselves. Many customers considering the introduction of FLEXSCHE are also concerned about this. However, we can support them, and there are cases where customers have successfully integrated it into their operations over a long period and even change scheduling rules themselves.

Regarding the technical aspects, it shouldn't be too difficult. If someone has a basic understanding of systems, they should be able to model simple cases quickly. However, in reality, there are no customers who can be satisfied with a simple model. Ultimately, without experience with FLEXSCHE and knowledge of the manufacturing industry, it is difficult to make good arrangements.

Technical exchanges might also help solve such problems. By sharing know-how, we can work more efficiently and with higher quality.

That is likely a factor, and the recognition of production schedulers has also significantly improved.

Yes, I did it in Thailand, the United States, and Taiwan.

No, they were all Japanese global companies, but there was a track record of implementation at a subsidiary's factory, which led to proposals to related companies, resulting in overseas implementation.

I believe it is because the product is good that it has been recognized.

Overseas factories often have large land areas and can create simple lines or only manufacture mass-produced products, so unlike Japan, FLEXSCHE may not be useful in all factories. However, from another perspective, it could be used as a tool to control local companies from Japanese factories. In fact, we have received inquiries about such usage.

I believe FLEXSCHE can play a role in advancing the automation of factory operations. As an actual example, we have integrated ERP, FLEXSCHE, and a performance management system, achieving complete automation of planning operations. When FLEXSCHE schedules, work instructions are displayed on the terminals on-site, and as production progresses, the system automatically collects results and reflects them in FLEXSCHE. With IoT, all production information can be linked with the system, and FLEXSCHE can be used as an engine to circulate that information. In the near future, I want to strive from the integrator's standpoint to ensure that FLEXSCHE can also bear the value as such a tool.