Smart Craft Inc.

Mr. Fumiya Ukibe, CEO, Smart Craft Inc.

Fumiya Ukibe is the Founder and CEO of Smart Craft Inc., which he founded in June 2021. He began his career at KEYENCE, providing consultative sales of factory automation and IoT solutions to manufacturing companies. He later joined Accenture as a strategy consultant, where he worked on growth strategies, new business development, M&A strategies, and business due diligence. At Smart Craft, he leads the development and expansion of a cloud-based manufacturing execution system (MES) that digitizes production instructions, process management, production results collection, quality control, inventory management, and data analysis. He is committed to improving productivity and advancing data-driven operations across the manufacturing industry.

 

 

Topic:

MES: The Core of the Smart Factory - Digitalizing Discrete Manufacturing with Cloud-Native MES "Smart Craft"

 

Abstract:

Smart factories are often associated with robots, IoT sensors, and AI. In reality, however, many digitalization initiatives stall because factories lack the execution layer between planning systems such as ERP and the shop floor - the operators and factory automation (FA) equipment - namely, the Manufacturing Execution System (MES). In discrete manufacturing (machining and assembly), which accounts for roughly 70% of manufacturers in Japan, production management still relies heavily on paper and spreadsheets, and MES adoption remains limited to a small number of large enterprises. As a result, production data - including manufacturing, quality, inventory, and equipment data - stays fragmented, and factories cannot see their own operations in real time.

This session first explains why MES is the essential foundation of the smart factory: what MES is, where it sits between ERP (planning layer) and equipment / PLC (control layer), and why discrete factories in particular have struggled to adopt it. We then introduce Smart Craft, a cloud-native MES developed in Japan that digitalizes the entire manufacturing management workflow - production instructions, process management, results collection, quality records, inventory management, and data analysis - on a single platform. With a mobile-first UI and no-code configuration, Smart Craft is used by discrete manufacturers across industries including semiconductor manufacturing equipment and equipment component makers, as well as automotive components, electrical equipment, industrial machinery, and medical devices.

Finally, we share our approach to integrating IT and OT data, including equipment data, in collaboration with OMRON, a leading FA manufacturer, and our roadmap toward AI-driven manufacturing operations as the infrastructure that supports smart factories.

 

Key Technologies Covered:

  • Cloud-native SaaS MES purpose-built for discrete (machining and assembly) manufacturing
  • Generalized manufacturing data model that turns complex, custom-built MES requirements into a standardized SaaS
  • AI-ready architecture: structured, unified factory data as the foundation for AI applications, including an AI assistant for manufacturing data analysis
  • No-code configuration of masters, forms, and workflows - adaptable to each factory without custom development
  • Mobile-first shop-floor UI (tablet / smartphone) for work instructions, execution, and results collection
  • Real-time visualization of production progress and QCD (quality, cost, delivery) data
  • IT / OT convergence: API-based integration with ERP and production planning systems, and equipment / PLC data integration
  • Joint IT / OT integration initiatives with OMRON (equipment data linkage on the shop floor)
  • Digitalized quality management and traceability
  • Roadmap toward AI agents that automate manufacturing management operations