The company has also developed its own unique technology, the “Multi-wire Board,” which uses copper wire to achieve high-density wiring through cross-linking. By supplying reliable, high-performance wiring boards to sectors including smartphones, automotive and robotics, the company is committed to bringing added value to such manufacturers.

In a drive to shorten lead times, the company has been working to visualize its production status. Previously, operational data was collected from machines by scanning work slips as each task was completed on site. However, manually compiling data one day at a time did not provide sufficient information to understand the production status in detail.

Lincstech manufactures multi-layer and high-density wiring boards for manufacturers of smartphones, vehicles, and robots

“We could have simply subcontracted everything to an integrator, from the development to the implementation of the system, but it would have been difficult for a third party to understand and meet our specific requirements. However, if the system failed to align with our requirements, it's likely that we would not have utilized it. That is why we wanted to build it ourselves, and at the same time enhance our in-house skills. GENESIS64™ allowed us to do that,” explains Hideaki Kawashima, General Manager of Facilities Section, Technical Division at the Shimodate Plant.

Hideaki Kawashima, General Manager of Facilities Section, Technical Division at Lincstech Co., Ltd. Shimodate Plant

In contrast with other SCADA systems that require installation in combination with hardware, GENESIS64™ can function as a stand-alone software solution. This means it is possible to start small, without requiring a major initial investment. “It may have taken some additional time for our in-house team, but I think it was good that we could install and run it ourselves, trying out different ideas,” says Naoyuki Matsumoto, Senior Engineer in the Facilities Section, Technical Division at the Shimodate Plant.

Naoyuki Matsumoto, Senior Engineer, Facilities Section, Technical Division, at Lincstech Co., Ltd. Shimodate Plant

When using a SCADA system such as GENESIS64™, it is important to design dashboards and screens so that they are intuitive and easy-to-understand. By deciding to develop the system by themselves, the team at the Shimodate Plant also took the design and development tasks in-house, too. Tsuneo Kato, an engineer from the Facilities Section, was responsible for the development. “There is a high degree of flexibility in screen design, making it simple to create your own dashboards. I can now develop a dashboard screen in a single day,” he says. GENESIS64™ includes wide-area monitoring functions that can utilize maps, and if combined with data such as the production status or alarms, easy-to-understand visuals can be created. “By using CAD data of the factory layout, we were able to create screens that met our requirements,” says Kato.

Tsuneo Kato, Engineer, Facilities Section, Technical Division, at Lincstech Co., Ltd. Shimodate Plant

Another major advantage is the ability to check data from anywhere. The Shimodate Plant has several cleanrooms for manufacturing precision parts. Previously, staff working in these facilities would have to leave them to check the status of equipment located outside the cleanroom, however, now, monitors displaying GENESIS64™ screens have been installed inside these workspaces. “We can check the operation status of equipment from inside the cleanroom, which has improved work efficiency,” says Ryuichi Murakami of the Manufacturing Division at the Shimodate Plant. Monitors strategically placed in the corridors connecting buildings help create an environment where data can be checked from anywhere, resulting in faster response times – another important benefit.

Ryuichi Murakami, Manufacturing Division, Shimodate Plant