Illustration of improvements in a production line enabled with the new technology. Source: Mitsubishi ElectricMitsubishi Electric Corporation is introducing new technology for the efficient design of production floor layouts, material flows and the estimation of productivity using Mitsubishi Electric's Maisart artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The combined technology allows for the comparison of production line improvement plans and cuts the time it typically takes by roughly half.

Other features of the technology include an integrated design of layout and materials flow for raising planning efficiency and AI simulations for enabling estimates of expected productivity gains.

The new technology incorporates the design of production-floor layouts and materials flow for the easy identification and resolution of issues, which is a common challenge experienced in conventional nonintegrated design environments. The new technology also visualizes information using distance-intensity (DI) analytical data, which is created dynamically as improvements are designed and achieved. Layouts, material flows and the speed of materials moving among processes can be displayed with simple graphics that improve planning quality.

Additionally, the technology automatically produces data for reliable production-volume measurements based on information from actual production processes, including modifications in process times and work efficiencies. With this information, production volume can be simulated with more than 90% accuracy. Likewise, several improvement plans can be compared according to expected productivity.

For more information on the technology, visit the Mitsubishi Electric website.