Main Aims of Our Digital Transformation

We are working to achieve real-time monitoring and automation of production processes and to establish a production capability and production plans capable of flexibly meeting market demand fluctuations. We are also seeking to increase the agility of the organization by expanding the areas where AI is employed. By realizing rapid data analysis in the technology fields of our leading-edge products, and speeding up the time from development to mass production, we are further boosting our competitive advantage.

DX Promotion Strategy

More efficient manufacturing and development through digital transformation (DX)

Successes and Extent of Achievement to Date

Improving productivity at plants based on AI technology, data science, and IoT technologies

One of the chief objectives in pursuing DX at SUMCO is to raise the productivity of our plants, enabling us to meet the voracious demand for semiconductors.
The Production Division and AI Promotion Division worked closely together to tackle productivity issues, achieving an improvement of more than 10% in total wafers produced at our main 300 mm wafer plant, where there was no room for equipment expansion.
This much improvement is equivalent to more than 30 billion yen saved in capital expenditures and more than 4 billion yen in additional annual profit.

• It was achieved by taking measures like the following.
• • Devised the means for real-time acquisition and visualization of operation status and processing efficiency for all equipment in the plant.
• • Made a detailed quantitative assessment of production line balance and bottlenecks, and implemented an array of measures focused on raising processing efficiency.
• • By means of per-second time chart analysis, reduced operation variability across equipment to an absolute minimum.
• • Eliminated logistics waste based on a detailed analysis of actual conveyance data inside the plant.
• • Employed machine learning to automate specialized decision-making that had relied on the expertise of engineers, reducing process stoppage time.
• Further, through such steps as linking automated guided vehicles (AGV) and collaborative robots (co-bots) with production equipment, we are actively taking on the challenge of transforming existing plants into smart factories, as we continue with efforts to raise labor productivity and create a better working environment for employees.
• Construction of factory dashboards across all plants.
• We are implementing the in-house development of "factory dashboards" across all plants, enabling real-time monitoring of data automatically collected from the factories by various personnel and layers, ranging from management to frontline staff and operators, through graphs and tables.
• In the 300mm silicon wafer plants, there are already over 400 monitor screens, and we are increasing the information monitored daily in response to user requests.
• By enabling real-time monitoring of necessary information such as the production volume of each plant, the operational status of each process, and the yield rate of each product type, we support the prompt decision-making of individuals at various levels by adequately preparing the information they need to rely on for various decisions, ultimately contributing to the improvement of plant productivity.

Deploying DX tools to promote operation efficiency

DX tools is the general term used at SUMCO for tools that support operation efficiency, including BI tools,^※1 RPA,^※2and workflow systems^※3.
The results so far are work savings of more than 110,000 hours a year, and reduction in paper use by more than 200,000 sheets a year.
By continuing to introduce DX tools of various kinds and making them a regular part of operations, we will seek to improve product quality along with work efficiency.

DX Education

To enhance our corporate value and secure a competitive advantage, it is essential to improve the efficiency of each business process through innovation. For this purpose, each employee is required to improve their skills, view every issue as their own, and proactively work towards solving them. SUMCO positions DX promotion as a crucial means of supporting problem-solving and focuses on DX education to enable all employees to engage in DX initiatives.
1) Division SE system
From each department and division of the plant, non-IT personnel will be accepted as internal exchange students by the AI Promotion Division. After conducting education and training on practical IT and DX tools, essential for manufacturing and business operations, participants return to their respective departments and divisions and play active roles as key figures in continuing to promote DX. This system started in 2021 and has produced approximately 30 graduates.
2) IT roundtable project
The project members consist of employees recommended from various back-office departments, and they regularly conduct study sessions on IT and DX. The project members actively engage in business improvement using IT and DX tools, based on the PDCA cycle from issue identification to enhancement, as a practical learning approach. Information Systems Department provides them with accompanied supports.Additionally, the project members implement the outcomes of business improvement efforts in their respective departments and actively pursue new initiatives within them. This project started in 2023 and is currently continuing with the business improvement activities of the first generation.
(3) DX education for all employees, along with encouragement and incentives for obtaining IT certifications
SUMCO offers DX education aimed at enhancing the DX skills of all employees. We provide education not only to improve basic IT and DX tool skills but also to enhance understanding of the necessity of IT and DX at SUMCO, raise IT and DX literacy, and foster a culture that embraces new challenges. Furthermore, we have enhanced the incentive rewards for passing the Japan Information Technology Engineers Examination, which is a national qualification examination, establishing a system that supports employees' self-improvement and skill acquisition.

Obtaining DX Certification

As a result of these efforts, SUMCO has been selected as a "DX Certified Operator" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Digital Transformation Certification, recognizing that SUMCO has the vision, strategy, and framework, etc. necessary to transform its business through digitalization.

Adapting flexibly to different work styles in the “new normal” era

Even before the pandemic, we had introduced a secure remote work system from the standpoint of BCP (business continuity planning). Taking advantage of this system, we switched to a full teleworking arrangement in the Tokyo region from the beginning of April 2020, ahead of the first state of emergency declaration.(As of 2024, a combination of office work and teleworking is in use.)
We also utilizes web conference tools for meetings related to management decisions, and management has continued to be carried out seamlessly making use of the electronic approval system already in place.
While adapting to work styles for a new era, we will continue implementing measures aimed at achieving a high level of diversity.

※1 BI tools（BI＝Business Intelligence）

  Tools used to collect and analyze various data in support of on-site and management decision making.

※2 RPA（RPA＝Robotic Process Automation）

  Technology for automating computer-based processes and tasks to replace human labor.

※3 Workflow system

  A system that computerizes various requests in an organization to make the checking and approvals process more efficient.