The "Karakuri improvement device" that is active in the Panasonic factory was amazing

From the left, Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. Junkari Tokoshi, Shinichiro Kurosawa, Kenichi Nashimoto, Hideaki Tanabe

The manufacturer's human is not a high -tech facility.

The stage is Niigata factory in Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture.The site area is 144,000 square meters, which is about 4 of Koshien Stadium.It is manufactured mainly for facilities and outdoor lighting equipment, and lighting equipment for disaster prevention.The Niigata Model is being deployed as a lighting mother factory in domestic and overseas bases.As of April 2021, 1,175 employees are working here.

In 2017, Koshinari Tokuyoshi, the central person, was consulted by the director of the manufacturing, and the Niigata Plant's "Kurikuri Revealing Activities" was launched.In addition to Tokuyoshi, the first member was Shinichiro Kurosawa, the panel production, Kenichi Nashimoto, and Hideaki Tanabe, the introduction planner.Moreover, it was the beginning of a club that was gathered by four people.

At first, the surroundings were suspiciously treated as "I don't know what they are doing", and even one part and one screws were confirmed "what to use for?"Despite such a headwind, Tokuyoshi had a doubtful question, and he continued to work in the activities and worked on the answer.

"In -house production equipment is becoming high -tech year by year, but when looking at the site, the effort of people involved in high -tech facilities is spinning there and wasting it. In this case, we do things.I don't know if I'm making it or a high -tech facility amulet. As a manufacturing person, I felt that I could feel more of the product. "(Mr. Tokuyoshi).

The mechanical improvement device is based on the device on the site.Even though it is impossible to automate as high as high -tech facilities, I thought that there should be many ideas that can be done on site if people should be able to change work during the repair, even if the mechanism improvement device can be broken, and if the repair should be replaced.。

Eventually, the maker improvement device "Don -1 Kou (No. 1)" was exhibited at the "Don -1 Ko (No. 1)" in Nagoya, which was created at the request of the chief of the chief.So we won the Association Special Award.In the same year, we won the highest award in the "Kurikuri Contest".

Since then, since we have received some awards every year inside and outside the company, we have continued to develop an improvement device, which is attracting attention in the company.Currently, the activity has been stepped up to a subcommittee, which is recognized as a business, and 30 people are enrolled every year.In -house organizations have grown so fast that about 700 people have registered from various locations nationwide.

Introducing the results of cost reductions, first of all, the total production costs for the development of the mechanism improvement device according to the needs of the site are about 67..¥ 10,000.The cost of avoiding the introduction of high -performance production equipment is approximately 26 million yen.When converted to the cost of improving productivity by improving workability, it seems that the effect is actually increased by 20.14 million yen.In recent years, he has been working on regional PR activities and activities that convey the charm of mechanism to children, and has been awarded the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in the second year.

Ensuring "Karakuri Room" for research, development and training

One room in the Niigata factory, in the back, is the root castle of Tokuyoshi and others called the "Karakuri Room".In January 2019, we have secured the largest space available in the factory as a base for research and development of an improvement device.Since employees in various places and companies in Niigata Prefecture come to the tour, it is also a permanent space for the karakuri improvement device.

Immediately after entering the karakuri room, there are "Karakuri -like tools" that you can see in your daily life to imagine "what is a mechanism".When a visitors inside and outside the company visited, he explained here, "What is a karakuri?"

Next, the exhibition space of the maker room expands.There was the same thing as the mechanism because it was actually operating in the factory.It seems that the actual product is brought from the completed line.

There is also a training improvement device for training.When the maker is operated, the box in front of the body sinks down and downwards, using the weight of the weight in the box, and the position of the box is replaced.The person who receives the training will assemble in 6 hours using the prepared boards and pipes, and learn the purpose of the mechanism and what can be done with the skin.

The first "Don -only -1 Ko (No.)" is born!Imagined from a surfboard wheel

Now, let's look at the mechanism improvement device because it is actually operated in the factory.The first is "How much -1 ko (No.)".It was created as an alternative to the tape sealing machine used in the emergency light assembly line, and was the first to exhibit in a contest outside the company for the first time in 2018 and won the Association Special Award.

A small packing box flows from the belt conveyor, and stocks while arranging in 7 boxes and two rows.The box flowing from the conveyor bends at a right angle to make a line.At this time, the device is elaborate to prevent the box from becoming diagonal or protruding from the line.By the way, the origin of the equipment name is from the story that was popular in the world at the time of development.When I interviewed the request of the site, I heard, "How much do you want to store?"

When the box flows, the casters attached to the device go behind the center of gravity of the box, and the casters swing the head with the weight of the box.The caster's rotation direction turns sideways, so the box is clearly poured at a right angle.

In addition, the stopper that hits the front of the flowing box has a spring, and it is adjusted so that the box does not tilt by rebounding the momentum of the box flowing.If you look at the video, you can see this mechanism well.

[Video] Movement of "How much -1 ko (No.)".When the first row is full, use the power of the belt conveyor to the second row and stock up to 14 pieces (audio flows. Please note)

The idea of using casters for "Don -only -1 Ko (No. 1)" seems to have been inspired by the caster board on which Tokuyoshi's child rides.

"At that time, a 3 -year -old child could ride straight, but when I touched the wheels, I was wobbling, and I was wondering why I could ride straight, so I was observing it all the time.It turns straight in the direction of travel, but the wheel shaft is not straight but diagonal, so if you defeat a board a little by weight shift, it turns out that the wheels are easily inclined.Even though it is strong, I returned to the original as if the cylinder was attached, so I thought "I can use this" and adopted it as it is "(Mr. Tokuyoshi).

After solving the mystery, the place where I think "this is usable" is quite far away from ordinary people.

Thus, "Don -only -1 Ko (No.)" is completed in 5 days from the request.It will be installed on the site.The cost was about 46,000 yen.

In order to achieve the same purpose (box alignment stock), it seems that if you prepare equipment that uses electricity power, it will take 1.5 million yen for parts alone, 3 million yen including the design cost, and more than half a year to deliver.In addition, equipment that uses power is incurred various costs such as safety devices, emergency response, maintenance, downtime (production loss) due to failure.

"I think that the site is painful if I wait for six months to improve the job of a product that comes out in 10 seconds. I wanted to make the site easier quickly.")

[Video] It seems that "Don -1 Kou (No.)" is actually used in the factory.You can clearly see the boxed box flows from the back and is stocked in the foreground (sound flows. Please note)

"Don -2 Kou (No.)" that incorporates the maker of Shishodoshi

Since the convenience of "Don -only -1 Ko (No. 1)" was good, requests were requested again from the site.One ko was operated in a place where the same size, called a large -scale product number, flows.

There was also a place where multiple sizes were handled at the site, and it was said that we wanted a device that can be switched by switching in large boxes or small boxes.In addition, there was a request that I wanted to drop it sideways if it was full in the direction of travel.

In the equipment, "switching" often requires a troublesome mechanism, and it was a place to think that "if mechanized, count the box by sequence control and drop it", but it is solved using the emphasis.And the birth was "How many -ko (No.)".

[Video] The operation of how much to 2 kou (No. 2).When a box accumulates in the lane, the entire row is automatically pushed out to the side (sound flows. Please note)

In "Don -2 Kou (No. 2)", there are three levers in the middle of the box flowing.This lever grabs a pipe that supports the lane, and releases a pipe when the lever falls.The box flowing in the belt conveyor defeats the lever with the momentum of the flow.

If all three levers fall, the lane will be tilted and the box will slip down.The lane with no weight of the box returns to its original position.It is the same mechanism as the power of power (the bamboo tube falls down by the weight of the water, and when the water spills, the bamboo cylinder returns).

The development period of how much to the 2nd Ko (No. 2) is the same 5 days as one.The cost was about 64,000 yen.Since the installation location is fixed, all the frames will be assembled on the first day, and only the second and third days will be experimented.The blueprints are not prepared, but they are completed by trial and error."Even if you prepare a blueprint, it will never move as it is," says Tokuyoshi.

Mr. Tokuyoshi, who completed the Karakuri improvement device, was praised by the client, Sugin -san, and was praised for being the best award, and began to make a serious mechanism.After all, the last is an episode that makes you feel like "people's understanding and empathy".

"Foot Podaun", "Rock!"

Next, it is "Footpudaun" because the large box is replaced with a foot pedal.Unfortunately, some of the Niigata factory's mechanism improvement devices do not understand the source of the naming, which is one of them.

When the product box is empty, the worker steps on the pedal.Then, the empty box sinks down like an elevator, is transported to the back using the momentum, and a box with parts comes out in front.The empty box flowing down is collected by another person, put the ingredients again, and put it on top.

[Video] Operation of "Foot Podaun".This kerokuri improvement device is sent to a factory in Hyogo Prefecture and is not used at the Niigata factory (sound flows. Please note)

What is common to the mechanism improvement device is that the work area in the factory is narrow and cannot be taken in space, which has improved the efficiency of work.It seems that Footpada Yeah, if you simply try to create a mechanism that drops the box and send it to the back, the work area will not be enough, and the worker will protrude into the passage, so it seems that it was developed repeatedly.

The development period is 3 days.One day was only in my head, and I was able to trial and error in real two days.The production cost is about 85,000 yen.

The elevator mechanism of "Foot Podaun" uses a joint mechanism called "knee kakkun" in the karakuri improvement industry.The joints are strong in the long side direction (in this case, from the top), but when you apply force from the side, it can easily break.In "Foot Podaun", when you step on the pedal, the joints are pulled from the side, and the joints of the joints are settled down and the box is sinking down.

At the Niigata factory, "Rock Da!"In the photo below, if you press the black protrusions at the tip just to the left of the "Class B" display, the bogie with a box containing various parts will be released.If you need a different part number, you can replace the entire bogie without replacing many types of boxes.

"Double header", which also applies the mechanism of "Foot Podaun", is also an active kimono improvement device that is active.

When the worker steps on the pedal, the empty box is drained from the other side.The person who supplies the parts is on the other side of the worker, put the parts in the empty box and put them above.As a result, the location of the producer and parts suppliers can be completely separated, and the efficiency of the space can be improved.

Mr. Matsumoto, who is in charge of the work site of "Rock Da!" And "Double Header", said, "Since there were many times to put things from top to bottom by manual work of people, I switched halfway to step on the pedal.It is helpful to be able to do so. "

Mr. Terase commented, "Before the introduction of the karakuri, about 120 productions were about 120 units in one hour, and about 150 units in one hour after the introduction of the karakuri."It is a number of experience, but the 25 % increase is great.

When introducing the mechanism, we always test first to adjust the usability.Since requests such as "I want the pedal to be lighter", Tokuyoshi has been verifying that it can be adjusted with the weight of the child and that even a short person can operate smoothly.That's right.

"Shaka's hand release" that reduces the physical burden of workers

Next is "Shaka's hand release (+option)" used in the emergency lamp assembly line.The production cost is about 46,000 yen.

When the box is empty, step on the pedal and discharge the empty box from the bottom to the back.A box with ingredients on the roller that is slowly inclined and pushes out slowly in the foreground.

"Shaka's hand release (+option)" is similar to "Foot Pudaun" that pushes the empty box down, but when discharging down, lifting the next box and stopping the movement while stopping forward.I am making.After the empty box is discharged, the next box is pushed forward with the movement to lower the lifted hand as a centrifugal force.

"+Options" refers to the stopper of the box that comes in the front, which is installed later, at the request of the worker.With this stopper, not only catches the box forward, but also opens a little gap between the boxes, making it easier for workers to take out the components in the box.

[Video] Operation of "Shaka's hand release (+option)" (sound flows. Please note)

Before the introduction of this mechanism, the workbench was behind the worker.After taking the member, the worker has to turn his back and hand it to the next, then turn his back, take the next member, turn to the workbench, and turn around each time., The load was larger.

At this site, a worker from a partner company in Panasonic is working, but Tokuyoshi consulted, "Isn't it like that workplace?"It was the best case in the sense that it was born from the live voice of the site.

"Karakuri Inverter" and "2 -layer selection machine" to reduce work loss

The mechanical improvement device introduced at the third factory is the "Karakuri Inverter" supplier for the fluorescent light cover.We have won the Idea Award for the 25th 2020 Kiri Kufu Exhibition.

Parts that workers manually supplied to the belt conveyor (about 3 seconds) were supplied by the karakuri improvement device.The stopper works by opening the gap in the previous four and four backs so that the eight in the stock do not cause an avalanche.

In the "Karakuri Inverter", up to 8 pieces can be stocked, and the problem that the part supply stops when the worker replaces the bogie on which the parts are placed.

The loss at the time of the bogie was a few seconds at a time, but it was 8 hours for one month.When the managers who did not know the site look only at the numbers, the workers seemed to be lazy, and it was a problem that workers could not solve it alone.There was a plan to invest about 20 million yen and introduce a robot, but it was only for the production cost (120,000 yen) of "Karakuri Inverter".

[Video] Operating scenery of "Karakuri Inverter" (sound flows. Please note)

The foot box replacement device "two -layer -type selection machine" introduced at the first factory is visited only in the karakuri room.Even so, I didn't think the "two -tank washing machine" would come out here.

It is a mechanical improvement device because the worker can take out two types of members from the top and bottom boxes and work.The worker takes the parts from the box and works, and when it becomes an empty box, turn the box back by pedal operation.At this time, both boxes are sent behind.If another worker puts a new member in the box that turns back, it will return to the time when the pedal is operated.The production cost is about 73,000 yen.

[Video] The operation of the "two -layer selection machine".You can clearly see the mechanism to reuse the upper box in the lower box composition (sound flows. Please note)

Learn Karakuri and raise Japanese manufacturing

So, I saw one of the rakuri improvement devices that I visited.What I was particularly impressed was because I aimed to reduce physical burden rather than increasing work efficiency.

If the readers are working "fast" or "cheap" at the site where they work, be sure to consider whether they can eliminate the burden on human resources by devising the mechanism.What about?

Panasonic's "Murrican Murry Improvement Activities" is highly evaluated inside and outside the company, because the device is so versatile that it can be diverted elsewhere.Because it has been published with great effort.I felt that I wanted to absorb more and more things that seemed to be useful at my site, and to raise the creation of Japanese manufacturing.