Fujitsu announced that it has become a Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing Partner in July 2023, launching its Digital Factory solution on Microsoft commercial marketplace. Fujitsu’s Digital Factory solution is designed to optimise enterprise operations and enhance availability, performance, and quality for customers in the manufacturing industry
By aligning all operations with end-to-end business value chains, the solution addresses challenges including craftsman shortage and labor enablement at manufacturing facilities. Leveraging Fujitsu’s skills in manufacturing end-to-end processes, the solution utilises Microsoft Cloud Services as the foundation to enhance manufacturing processes, streamline data collection, analysis, visualisation, and operations management, enabling real-time decision-making and improving productivity.
Fujitsu’s Digital Factory solution incorporates IT/IoT/OT information technology / internet of things / operational technology) technologies to achieve higher levels of productivity and sustainability. It also leverages AI to provide right processes, assisting craftsmen and offering clear visibility through back-end solutions and real-time information on the factory floor while ensuring factory cybersecurity.
Through this solution, factories can achieve data-driven decision-making to address manufacturing site issues such as productivity, quality, and cost. This improves the efficiency of human work, standardises processes, and enables shorter labor enablement periods through AI assistance. It creates an attractive work environment for the younger generation and supports the goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
The Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing relationship between Microsoft and Fujitsu aims to help customers expand their businesses by delivering impactful, human-centred solutions to the market. By combining advanced technologies and know-how from both companies, we are launching offerings that will have an impact on the market.
“We are honored to announce that Fujitsu has joined the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing partner program with the launch of our Digital Factory solution available on the Microsoft commercial marketplace. During Microsoft Inspire, where Fujitsu was recognised for its accomplishments in 2023 as the Microsoft Partner of the Year and Microsoft Japan Partner of the Year, we showcased our manufacturing solutions, including Digital Factory on the Microsoft commercial marketplace. These solutions contribute to digital transformation for the global market. Going forward, we are excited to leverage these capabilities and strengthen our relationship with Microsoft to accelerate customers’ sustainability transformation (SX) and create a sustainable society through digital innovation,” says Yoshinami Takahashi, SEVP, head of global business solutions business group, Fujitsu Limited.
“Microsoft Azure helps Fujitsu deliver solutions that allow customers to focus more on their factories and less on managing servers,” says Dominik Wee, corporate vice president, manufacturing and mobility, Microsoft. “The Digital Factory addresses a variety of issues related to the manufacturing industry and allows customers to take advantage of the flexibility and enterprise-grade reliability that Azure provides.”
Fujitsu will continue to foster partnerships with manufacturing customers and business partners, focusing on new technologies. As a partner, Fujitsu’s “Sustainable Manufacturing” solutions support sustainable growth and the coexistence of nature and humankind through improvement in manufacturing and across the supply chain. We will collaborate with customers to address environmental challenges and expand businesses to realise sustainable economic growth, in line with our vision for “Fujitsu Uvance” new solutions that tackle customers’ business challenges and solve societal issues.
In the near future, Fujitsu will be launching an offering based on market demand: the MS HCI EDGE solution, which enables existing factories to become digital factories. HCI EDGE serves as a single point of contact for PLC (programmable logic controller), sensor, and application data intake, harmonising various PLC data models into OPC UA (open platform communications united architecture). It enables on-site data-to-information conversion, local virtual Linux and Microsoft applications, and visualisation. Fujitsu conducted proof-of-concept with a customer two years ago, and after transitioning to HCI hardware, agreed to perform two different pilots in a real factory environment.
Fujitsu PRIMEFLEX for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI is based on Fujitsu’s design, has been validate by Microsoft . It is available to customers as a managed service. By integrating HCI EDGE with Fujitsu’s Azure-based ISO 22400 OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) dashboard offering, customers can enhance factory operations and benchmark different factories against each other.
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