Manufacturing and Distribution Systems
Daifuku provides storage, transport, sorting, and picking systems to factories and distribution centers in fields such as food, pharmaceuticals, and machinery. With labor shortages and aging of societies providing an incentive worldwide for labor saving and automation, e-commerce is delivering a rich source of business opportunities to expand simultaneously across Japan, North America, China, and the rest of Asia.
Kanji Anno
Managing Officer, Factory & Distribution Automation
Business and value: Providing best systems through in-house production
Daifuku is the only company that on a fully in-house basis manufactures all key products ranging from automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RSs), conveyors, sorters and picking systems, to software. Compared to other companies that purchase a range of products from various manufacturers and assemble them into a single system, Daifuku provides complete and highly reliable systems more quickly. Based on the knowledge gleaned from more than 15,000 installations even in Japan, Daifuku provides customers with the best systems (solutions), many of which are industry and world firsts.
Driving growth: Leveraging our leading-edge digital technology
In fiscal 2017, orders and sales from the commerce and retail industries primarily in the e-commerce sector increased by about 50% from the previous fiscal year. From a profitability standpoint, the effect of increased volume worked synergistically with our production restructuring measures focusing on product standardization. Whilst Daifuku has enhanced profitability in Japan each year, also boosting non-Japan profitability is a key issue. Daifuku is striving to win at the local level by enhancing the ratio of in-house production and expanding production capacity. In China, Daifuku’s capital investments in its affiliates are complete, with their expanded facilities already fully operational. In addition, Daifuku’s U.S. affiliate is expanding its factory as well.
Furthermore, by making use of virtual technology including 3D-simulation software, along with enhancing productivity and quality, Daifuku will offer customers one-of-a-kind solutions spanning picking robots and automatic guided vehicles that use such technologies as IoT (Internet of Things), ICT (information and communications technology), and AI (artificial intelligence).
Featured Product
“Shuttle Rack” high-throughput mini load AS/RS
The system operates a shuttling vehicle with a transfer function on each rack level to store and retrieve plastic containers and carton boxes at high speeds. It is used for picking and sorting.
