Case Study Interview

The Road to Introduction

In 2018, Kirin Brewery began collaborating with an information vendor. After initially introducing the system at its Shiga Plant, the company faced the decision to roll it out to all plants. However, issues arose, including the burden of PC accessibility and the lack of flexibility caused by waterfall development. Kirin Brewery was forced into a situation where it had to restructure the project.
Therefore, Kirin Brewery sought a new partner. Thirteen companies participated in the competition, and it was decided to introduce KANADEN and an IoT platform.

Mr. Miyaura explains his confidence in KANADEN, saying, "I chose KANADEN from among many candidates because I felt that I could work with them with peace of mind because they have a deep understanding of Kirin's work sites and People.

Shiga Factory Manager Kurokui: Enhancing data-driven decision-making and cross-departmental collaboration

Kirin Brewery has nine plants nationwide, and the Shiga Brewery is the cornerstone of Kirin Brewery's new product manufacturing, which produces a wide variety of beer products, non-alcoholic beverages, and craft beer. It is also a hybrid plant with two functions: beer and soft drinks (Kirin Beverage Co., Ltd.).

(Reference Photo: Kirin Brewery Shiga Factory)

Mr. Kurokui, Factory Manager at the Shiga Factory, described the benefits of implementing the IoT platform: "For new product manufacturing, detailed data collection and precise process control are essential. The IoT platform now allows us to reliably capture real-time data on the exact manufacturing processes each product undergoes. Previously, we had to rebuild after implementing another company's system. Manufacturing processes demand the ability to gather diverse information and connect it—scalability is key. KANADEN prioritized scalable functionality that allows us to modify or add information later, ensuring adaptability to each factory's unique equipment conditions and product lines."

IoT platform has improved Collaboration across divisions. "The Shiga Factory operates 24 hours a day and works on a three-shift system. IoT platform allows us to check the history of the past and makes the handover very smooth. If there is a problem in the upstream process, information is shared in real time, and we are contributing to the efficient operation of the entire plant by flexibly changing the allocation of time in the downstream process. Detailed information, which was conveyed previously on the telephone, can be checked in real time."

(Mr. Kurokui, Factory Manager, Shiga Factory)

"We are now able to quickly Response from high-priority items in the event of a problem. Going forward, we are aiming to increase the amount of data, save labor through automated control using AI, and shorten the entire supply chain."

While not yet reflected in the numbers, Mr. Kuroi states that one tangible effect he has definitely experienced is that “by gaining various insights not shown in charts through the screen, our understanding of other processes has deepened.” As labor shortages accelerate, standardizing information and ensuring its immediacy become increasingly crucial. He also noted, “We can expect the benefit of standardizing processes where quality and man-hours varied depending on the person, based on data.”

Mr. Kubota in charge of brewing energy: escape from analog and deepen operations

Mr. Kubota, who has been involved in procurement and fermentation as an operator since joining the company, is currently in charge of brewing processes, wastewater management, etc. as the person in charge of brewing energy. After the introduction of IoT platforms, the more that managing them accounts for half of the work, the more they are shifting to working styles that utilize IoT.

(Mr. Kubota in charge of brewing energy)

"The original Issues was that we couldn't get the data to the electronic forms because of the old facilities and many analog equipment in the energy control. Before the introduction, we had to visit the site one step and check the board."

After the introduction, Mr. Kubota explains the changes before and after the introduction. "Data has been visualized, and we are now able to grasp the operating status of the equipment and how much it is operating. The frequency of the alarms has also been visualized, the repair points have been clarified, and the posting at the time of the change has been smooth." Regarding future expectations for DX and IoT, he stated, “There is potential for AI utilization. If AI can analyze and process sewage images, we expect it will significantly reduce the burden on workers. We are also promoting the automatic reading of meter data.”

Mr. Sugimoto, in charge of packaging: 8% reduction in facility downtime and change in site awareness

(Mr. Sugimoto, Packaging)

Mr. Sugimoto, who is in charge of managing the packaging line, explains that IoT platform contributes to stable operation and quality improvement. "It's helpful in analyzing process conditions, equipment downtime, and alarms. Previously, it's been managed by paper and Excel, and real-time Response was difficult. Now, it's possible to find out where errors are occurring, and to make Response faster."

As a specific effect of the improvement, the equipment shutdown time was reduced by 8%.
"Utilizing IoT platform for daily sample data collection and analysis alongside equipment adjustments, we achieve stable operation and quality improvement. Operating rate is a key indicator for the packaging line. We set a quantitative target to reduce downtime compared to the previous year and monitor progress during our monthly meetings held four times a month."

"Members are working very positively because there is a sense that DX and IoT platforms are directly linked to the streamlining of operations. I am also actively using them ourselves, and we are promoting them in a unified manner while keeping pace with changes in the consciousness of members," says Mr. Sugimoto, who talks about changes in the awareness and attitudes of members following the introduction of IoT platforms.

Mr. Hamaguchi in charge of Engineering Environment safety: Future-oriented capital expenditures for the entire plant

(Mr. Hamaguchi, Engineering Environment Safety)

Mr. Hamaguchi, who is in charge of engineering and Environment safety, is involved in coordinating plant-wide capital investment projects, designing and construction, and managing construction safety and health.

"IoT platforms are used to check the production status of individual processes. They also trigger the confirmation of defect factors in the event of an emergency. In addition, because the timing of the completion of manufacturing is known, the construction process has become smooth, reducing the amount of time required to check the progress via telephone."

Regarding future themes and future prospects, Mr. Hamaguchi explains, "It is the most recent theme at the Shiga Factory to steadily introduce predictive maintenance, order management, and inventory management systems. Especially, we believe that the predictive maintenance system will enable more accurate prediction by gathering data at factories nationwide, which will lead to systematic maintenance planning and facility renovation. Also, in the inventory management system, we can expect cost reductions through overall optimization, such as inventory interchange between factories."

Future Outlook: Data Pioneering and Sustainable Manufacturing

Kirin Brewery and Kanaden's IoT platform initiative is not merely about implementing systems. It is also a challenge to solve manufacturing site issues by leveraging data and achieve sustainable manufacturing.

Mr. Miyaura explains, "Visualization and electronic forms are only one of the utilizations of IoT platform. It is important to create new value more and more. First, by incorporating a lot of data, we can expect to utilize various things in the future, and I think it is a Infrastructure development for that. Since the generation AI has appeared, the value of data has risen dramatically. However, if there is no data that can be utilized, we cannot analyze it by AI as well. That is why IoT platform is becoming important."

(A real-time check of the operational status of each manufacturing process)

In terms of future goals and initiatives, Mr. Miyaura says, "Our future goal is to make nighttime work and holiday work unmanned." In order to meet the diversification of working styles and market needs, we need to promote People and unmanned nighttime and holiday work. We will systematically proceed with a roadmap, including the introduction of AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robots)."

Kirin Brewery uses data visualized by its IoT platform. It is promoting productivity improvement, quality-control enhancement, and work style innovation. This challenge will serve as one solution to common issues facing modern manufacturing, such as labor shortages and high-mix low-volume production. KANADEN will continue to strongly support the tireless challenge of using Kirin Brewery data to create lean, People friendly plants, and work together to pioneer future-oriented manufacturing.