Covering an area of around 18,450 m², Ebara Corporation has built a new production facility in Fujisawa, Japan, near Tokyo. As a standout feature, the factory is fully automated. It is home to the production of dry vacuum pumps for the international market. Dry vacuum pumps are indispensable for manufacturing semiconductors, flat screens, LEDs and solar cells. As a visionary and idea generator for the industry, EBARA has implemented an innovative production environment with automated processes.
After the corporate inauguration in 2020, the assembly process of the rotor and casing line successively went into operation starting in October 2022. Now, all process stages – from materials provision through processing, assembly, warehousing and shipping have been implemented, and the smart workflow in the model plant is running according to plan. Its high degree of automation with fewer process stages and shorter set-up times – due to optimised batch sizes for processing and assembly – is a key factor for production efficiency. Important automation modules include autonomous RFID robot operation, an automatic module assembly line, a fleet management system with unmanned in-line transport, real-time management using IoT (Internet of Things, Factory 4.0) and integrated process bundling of all activities as a one-stop shop. Thanks to this, Ebara has maximised its production capacities, while doubling processing capacities and tripling assembly capacities.
The high degree of automation contributes significantly to strict error reduction, ensures traceability management by means of series stamping and provides digitised analysis data throughout the entire manufacturing process. The integrated bundling of all processes ensures maximum reliability in terms of delivery and punctuality, eliminates supply bottlenecks, ensures shorter delivery times and optimised distribution processes. “The new plant is a major milestone for Ebara’s ‘Vision 2030’ plan,” says Dr. Reinhart Richter, Managing Director of Ebara Precision Machinery Europe. The factory is designed to produce more than 20,000 units a year.
