Elevators and escalators are vital components of urban infrastructure, facilitating access and efficiency in urban areas. To ensure stable operations, Mitsubishi Electric provides maintenance services worldwide. Meanwhile, enhancing maintenance operations and improving operational efficiency are common challenges across all regions.
In light of these developments, Mitsubishi Electric has decided to invest in and collaborate with Singapore-based startup FTV LABS PTE. LTD. The company has been working on the verification and implementation of "KEGMIL," a field support app for maintenance technicians.

Ms. Kawanaka, the Business Innovation Group's manager, provides an explanation of the background of the investment.
"Maintaining elevators and escalators is essential for safety as well as for ensuring the smooth functioning of daily operations and enhancing the user experience. Concurrently, we confronted challenges such as an aging workforce and inefficiencies in our existing operational processes."
KEGMIL features a system that enables technicians to receive work instructions, confirm progress, and manage dispatch assignments all within a single app. Ms. Kawanaka reflected, "We sensed its potential to streamline field operations and increase speed."

She explains that FTV Labs was chosen among numerous startups because of its track record in Southeast Asia, its industry understanding, and the team's capability to drive digital transformation for multinational corporations. Specifically, their emphasis on ongoing communication with the business division established the foundation for collaboration.

Mr. Azuma of Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions, who served as the liaison between Mitsubishi Electric's Building Systems business and KEGMIL, emphasized the importance of on-site communication when advancing collaboration with the local subsidiary.
"We prioritized progressing by rationally communicating the benefits and effects to stakeholders with differing positions and securing consensus."
Despite repeated on-site discussions, there were instances where customer expectations conflicted with technical challenges. Progress was driven by acting as a balancer, communicating mutual benefits while seeking compromises. Mr. Azuma notes, "We invested a considerable amount of time in discussions to identify the shared objectives of all parties."

Mr. LEE JENN JAI, who is responsible for maintenance operations at the local sales company in Singapore, provided the following insights on the implementation process:
"Reporting formats and requirements differ between the private and public sectors. The addition of new management functions has also introduced complexity to the system, exceeding the initial anticipated level."
Consequently, multiple discussions, workshops, and prototype tests were conducted with FTV Labs to refine the design for operational suitability.
The Proof of Concept (PoC) confirmed that the man-hours required for creating maintenance worker assignment plans could be reduced by up to approximately 90% in the optimal scenario observed during testing, and about 50% for related tasks, depending on operational conditions. Furthermore, the utilization of technician location data was highly regarded, as it facilitated enhanced resource allocation comprehension among managers.
After extensive trial and error, we have developed a form that meets operational requirements.

Mr. Kelvin Ong, CEO of FTV Labs, Mitsubishi Electric's co-creation partner for this project, shared insights gained through the collaboration:
"Partnering with Mitsubishi Electric has led to a substantial improvement in our operational standards. Supporting mission-critical operations at an enterprise scale demands high discipline throughout design, testing, and implementation."

Mr. Kelvin Ong also commented on open innovation:
"True co-creation is achieved when both organizations deeply engage and take responsibility for shared outcomes. When confronted with challenges, it's essential to place your trust in each other and maintain the resolve to keep solving problems."
By combining Mitsubishi Electric's engineering capabilities and global business infrastructure with FTV Labs' software and operational design expertise, they aim to achieve more reliable field service operations.

With respect to future developments, Ms. Kawanaka states, "The collaboration is not limited to Singapore; we are also considering expansion into other regions." Furthermore, they are exploring potential applications beyond elevator and escalator maintenance into other field service areas.
Mitsubishi Electric is spearheading a new paradigm of value creation by integrating insights gained from its global network of sites with the technological expertise of its partner companies. This project exemplifies that approach.
Open innovation is not merely technology adoption; it is a process of identifying challenges alongside field teams and seeing implementation through to completion. Mitsubishi Electric will continue leveraging its global business foundation to pursue sustainable value creation through co-creation with partners who share its vision.