#Japan #Kanagawa #Meiji #Mitsubishi Corporation #Mill-Box

Introduction

Mitsubishi Corporation's Material Solutions Group has recently implemented the cloud-based mill sheet management system, Mill-Box, at the new factory construction site for Meiji (tentative name) led by SEDI Corporation in Kanagawa. This innovative system represents a significant leap toward digital transformation (DX) in the construction industry, substantially improving efficiency and productivity.

Challenges in Traditional Management

In large-scale construction projects, an immense amount of steel materials is utilized daily, generating a multitude of documents to certify their quality. Traditionally, mill sheets were managed on paper, requiring labor-intensive manual checks to verify details like steel diameter and weight aggregates against tags received from processing companies. This process often consumed 2 to 3 days each month, significantly impacting overall productivity.

The Decision to Implement Mill-Box

The initiative to incorporate Mill-Box was sparked by the vice director of construction at SEDI Corporation, who urged for trial implementations on-site instead of top-down mandates. This organic approach addressed the on-site team's challenges and aligned with the company's DX promotion policy aiming for a 30% reduction in work hours and improvement in productivity by March 2028.
The motivating factor was to actively pursue efficiency rather than merely comparing different services.

Cost-Effectiveness Assessment

Operational managers rigorously assessed the cost-benefit of implementing Mill-Box, calculating its introduction cost throughout the entire construction period in terms of labor expenditure. It was determined that even a reduction of just a few days of sorting work per month would justify the expense. Consequently, once the system was put into action, costs were found to remain within expected thresholds, paving the way for its application at other sites.

Significant Benefits Realized

Since adopting Mill-Box, the construction workflow has transformed dramatically. Notably, the time spent organizing and checking mill sheets has diminished by over 50%. Tasks that previously took up to 2 to 3 days are now completed in a matter of hours due to the shift to a scanning-centric operation.

“After consulting with other sites, we discovered that sorting tasks have been cut down by more than 50%. Previously, organizing took several days, while now we can accomplish it in just a few hours, which has significantly reduced stress for the team.” – SEDI Corporation, Yokoyama.

The digital dashboard now provides a clear overview of the status of mill sheet collection, allowing for immediate identification of any overlooked items. During inspections, necessary documents can be accessed quickly, streamlining the process.

“The dashboard eliminates worries about missing sheets. During inspections, I no longer waste time searching through physical files; everything is readily available on the screen. The intuitive interface also ensures a low risk of errors, regardless of who is operating it.” – SEDI Corporation, Tanaka.

Future Aspirations

SEDI Corporation is highly impressed with the outcomes of incorporating Mill-Box, even showcasing its benefits at internal technology presentations. Plans for further expansion across the company are underway. The objective is to extend the electronic management of all materials handled on-site, including steel framing and concrete, ultimately creating a fully automated system that runs from image recognition to overall digitization.

“Our ideal future state is to manage all components electronically, ranging from steel frames to concrete sheets, allowing full automation from image recognition to high-level overviews.” – SEDI Corporation, Kurokawa & Ochi.

Mill-Box continually evolves based on user feedback, aiming to streamline mill sheet management for stakeholders across various sectors, enhancing productivity throughout the entire construction and steel distribution industries.

About Mill-Box

Mill-Box is a cloud-based management system designed to digitize the handling of mill sheets—documents certifying the quality of steel materials used in construction. It enhances efficiency in several tasks, including verification against steel tags, quantity calculation, document creation, and overall management, effectively reducing the reliance on paper-based processes and minimizing operational burdens significantly. The system's user-friendly interface allows for immediate implementation without the need for extensive training.

Mill-Box is dedicated to refining industry practices by transforming manual tasks into streamlined digital processes.

For more information, visit Mill-Box Official Site.

For inquiries, please contact:
Mitsubishi Corporation
Material Solutions Group, Industrial Material DX Team
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 080-5029-1250
Media Inquiries:
Mitsubishi Corporation Public Relations Team
Phone: 03-3210-2171