Partner Roundtable: Engineer Edition Part 2Engineers’ talk

Everyone has various implementation experiences, but if there is anyone who has been in charge of overseas projects, I would love to hear about it.

MSI Oba

I have experience in the United States, Thailand, and Taiwan. All the factories were Japanese companies. I also held a seminar in Dalian, China once.

KSI Ogura

I also implemented it in Thailand five years ago. And currently, although it is still ongoing, I have been to China as well.

During the implementation work, do you end up going back and forth between the local site and Japan?

KSI Ogura

I stayed in Thailand for two weeks to complete the setup. I just went to China for a week recently, and I will be going again soon.

MSI Oba

When I was in America, I went for a total of three days for a presentation, and after the delivery was decided, I stayed for about a week twice.

Are there any special elements or obstacles in overseas implementation?

MSI Oba

The language issue is significant. We have interpreters, and specialized terms are rather common and easily understood, but teaching locals to use it proficiently is difficult. FLEXSCHE has foreign language versions, but explaining it was challenging.

KSI Ogura

Language is indeed a struggle. In China, I had to operate the customer's computer, which was in Chinese OS, making it difficult to understand the settings. Also, due to strict internet regulations in China, I was not allowed to install necessary tools on the customer's computer, which was troublesome.

Are there any distinctive parts in overseas implementation that differ from Japan?

MSI Oba

In America, the factory lines were unique. The land is vast, so they can create very simple, streamlined lines. They called it a "super line" over there.

It seems like planning production wouldn't be too difficult, but was FLEXSCHE effective?

MSI Oba

Once it becomes a super line, planning itself is not that difficult, and it doesn't become a matter of efficiently using resources like in Japanese factories. Because of that, unfortunately, they couldn't utilize it well in that factory.

Not limited to overseas projects, please tell us about the challenges you face in FLEXSCHE projects.

JCS Matsuo

Speaking of challenges,training engineers involved with FLEXSCHE is a major concern.That's right.

I see, you all are in leadership positions for engineers, so you naturally also guide your subordinates. How is the training of successors going?

UIS Hisaka

I had no successors for a long time, but recently a new engineer in charge of FLEXSCHE joined, so I have started training.

YJP Fukami

Honestly, those who can handle difficult tasks can do it on their own without much guidance, and engineers who can't get used to FLEXSCHE struggle indefinitely. It's a system based on logic, not something that can be assembled with cut and paste.

MSI Oba

We are also struggling. In my department, as part of new employee training, everyone learns how to use FLEXSCHE and participates in training courses conducted by FLEXSCHE. Engineers who seem to have a good intuition can quickly create add-ins with scripts, but in a local small and medium-sized enterprise like ours, securing such talent is always difficult. In the future, I would like to have one or two more staff members who can be entrusted with various aspects of FLEXSCHE.

KSI Ogura

We also have candidates for FLEXSCHE in charge, but they are not able to be involved in actual projects and are not being trained. Therefore, currently, I have to visit all the clients for every project.

JCS Matsuo

We have staff who can be entrusted with most of the implementation, but it is difficult to train people who can be entrusted with upstream processes such as pre-sales, order receipt, and requirements definition.

MSI Oba

You also need to understand the circumstances of the manufacturing industry well, and that's the most difficult part.That's right. People with knowledge of the manufacturing industry can grasp things quickly, but just having knowledge of the system side doesn't work well.

UIS Hisaka

It's quite different from ordinary system design.

JCS Matsuo

When my subordinates go for hearings, I sit with them, restraining myself from interrupting and quietly taking minutes. They are starting to understand the customer's story, but they are still not good at drawing out the conversation. As they gain more experience, the quality of the hearings will improve.

KSI Ogura

I myself am not confident in teaching clearly. I've been handling FLEXSCHE for 10 years, and I've never made the same thing twice, so I can't say, "Refer to what we did before." Would it be different if we narrowed down the industry?

YJP Fukami

Not really. Our company has many customers in the chemical manufacturing industry, but it varies greatly from company to company. In the end,you have to learn while handling actual projects.That's right. The speed of growth varies greatly from person to person.

KSI Ogura

In the case of ERP, there is an implementation manual for each ERP that you can follow without any mistakes. However, I feel that it's not possible to create something like that for FLEXSCHE that solves everything by just following it.

YJP Fukami

We are also being told to create templates within the company, but it's quite difficult.

MSI Oba

We need to think about something for each one to nurture the younger generation, don't we?

From your experiences, are there any points you pay attention to or consider as challenges to successfully implement FLEXSCHE?

YJP Fukami

I believe that everyone involved with the system needs to think about the whole picture, not just their own part. We can't just think about the scheduler. If you only think about your own area, you will definitely fail.We need to consider what the ideal form would be as a whole, including the production management system and MES that work with FLEXSCHE.A system without that will clearly fail.

UIS Hisaka

Also, the degree of understanding of the production scheduler by the customer becomes a key factor. It's not a dream tool that automatically creates a production plan with the push of a button. I think there is an understanding that it's actually difficult, butunless you concretely identify the issues the factory faces and how FLEXSCHE can be used to solve them, it's hard to achieve good results.That's right.

KSI Ogura

Often, the issues themselves are not organized, and we want to clarify where the essence of the problem lies through thorough discussions. It's unfortunate if, even after creating according to the requirements and receiving acceptance, the customer is not satisfied because it was different from what they imagined.

JCS Matsuo

No matter how well you create it, if it ends up not being used, that project is a failure. I've had a few such cases myself.

KSI Ogura

Projects where the production management system is being implemented in parallel with FLEXSCHE are troublesome, aren't they?

MSI Oba

In the projects I've been in charge of, FLEXSCHE usually progresses first, but there are cases where it can't move forward because the specifications for the information that needs to be linked are not decided. There have been times when a period of time passes, and even when we finally reach the stage of comprehensive testing, issues arise during integration. It's a typical example of taking time until operation.

KSI Ogura

Also, there are times when the ERP implementation is positioned as the main focus, and the production scheduler is treated as an afterthought. It's like being told, "Just build a shed next door!"

YJP Fukami

It's still better if they say to build it. There was a case where it was decided to start the FLEXSCHE implementation after the ERP was operational, but then they said, "We don't need FLEXSCHE because the budget ran out."

KSI Ogura

It's not uncommon for orders to never come because the ERP implementation doesn't go well.

MSI Oba

Yes, that's tough...

KSI Ogura

In factories, they aim to refresh the system with goals like "inventory reduction" or "throughput improvement,"right? Butit's the production scheduler, not the ERP, that should deliver those effects.Yet, they become so focused on the ERP that the original purpose seems to be lost.

MSI Oba

What's tough about proposing FLEXSCHE is that because they somehow manage with handwritten production plans, it's treated as something they can do without.

JCS Matsuo

It's a shame and unfortunate to think that way.

KSI Ogura

Another personal issue is the pattern of making something unnecessarily complicated. It's partly self-inflicted. Also, even though we diligently implement constraints according to the requirements, it becomes clear only at the testing stage that it's different from what the customer wanted, leading to various reworks.

JCS Matsuo

It's better for customers to interact with FLEXSCHE as early as possible and confirm it.That's right.

YJP Fukami

Sometimes they say, "It's not finished, so don't touch it," but we want their cooperation to avoid such situations. Speaking of our side's structure, everyone has a lot of work they do alone, right? If you suddenly become unable to handle your work, is it in a state where someone else can take over?

KSI Ogura

Ah, it's difficult. If you're not going to the site together, it's not easy to hand over.

YJP Fukami

That's right. It's quite difficult. For example, if we were told to take over someone's project here...

JCS Matsuo

It would be quite challenging. It might be faster to reset the progress once.

YJP Fukami

Customers who want to introduce FLEXSCHE aim to eliminate the dependency on individuals in planning tasks, don't they? But ironically, the development side can't escape from dependency on individuals. However, recently, the ability to add comments to formulas on FLEXSCHE has made it easier for other engineers to understand.

UIS Hisaka

Indeed, if it's written in C++ in a way that only the person who wrote it understands, it causes trouble even within the company. With formulas, handover is relatively easier.

KSI Ogura

It would be great if we could incorporate AI technology, not just rely on engineers' skills. A customer once asked me, "Nowadays, doesn't AI schedule in multiple ways and choose the optimal result?" I said there's no such thing, but I also imagine that such a time might come someday.

UIS Hisaka

Current AI mimics what humans have taught it through deep learning, right? So, scheduling rules would also mimic what humans have done, and it can't exceed the production plans made by the original planner. Moreover, if that planner retires, the data to teach is lost. I think that's where the current technology faces problems.

MSI Oba

It's about whether the original rules are really valid, isn't it? If we can provide a wide range of information, not just the factory's unique rules, maybe we can achieve better results. At least, there's a future.

Finally, when do you feel joy while being involved with FLEXSCHE?

JCS Matsuo

It's definitely gratifying when we secure a project. It makes me feel needed by the customer. At the same time, that's where the hardships begin.

UIS Hisaka

It's tough when a project doesn't conclude, butit's really rewarding when, after going live, the people on the ground tell us it has become convenient.Yes, even during development, there's a sense of accomplishment when we can perfectly complete something that meets the customer's requests.

MSI Oba

There was a customer in Miyagi who suffered significant damage from the 2011 earthquake, and the factory took a big hit, stopping the line, and the main system framework also stopped. When they were about to revive, it seems that only FLEXSCHE was operational. I was happy when I heard, "We used FLEXSCHE to get the line running." Once again,I felt that we were contributing to manufacturing, and at the same time, I wanted it to be used in more places.It was a moment I thought that.

YJP Fukami

Every project is memorable for me, but I particularly remember one implementation where I struggled a lot. It was a tough job, but the person in charge on the other side was very supportive, and when we finally completed it together, I was truly happy.

Thank you for your time over a long period. How was this first attempt at a roundtable discussion among partners?

UIS Hisaka

I realized that everyone is struggling in their own way. Recently, there seems to be a tendency to avoid facing work head-on. I felt that it's okay to be more hands-on after talking with everyone.

KSI Ogura

More than anything, I was happy to have the opportunity to share my struggles and concerns, as I've been hitting walls at work recently.

JCS Matsuo

Since everyone is from larger companies than ours, I believe I got to see the work style that JCS should aim for through our discussions. I hope that in the future, we can work together and help each other more as partners.

MSI Oba

It was encouraging to realize once again that there are colleagues working hard in various places. I feel that it would be great if we could establish a more solid cooperative system among partners. It would be nice to have regular discussions like this one in the future.

YJP Fukami

It was a good experience to learn from the methods of other partners this time. Next time, I would be happy if we could gather more engineers and have a meeting where we can discuss in-depth technical and scheduling rules.