Session: 06-07-01- Sustainable design

Paper Number: 88430

88430 - Design and Implementation of End-User Pipeline Supply Systems of Water and City-Gas by Applying Dx Technology 

Water and gas supply system in cities are most critical infrastrucres for welbing of human life. Such systems are extremely complex including many stakeholders to note local/central governments, managing company, manufacturing company, wholesaler with warehous, logistic company, on-cite workforce management and so on. This paper forcuses on the logistics and servise aspects of the endusers of water and city-gas by comparing usage levels of cutting-edge technology typified by Digital Transformation, DX. First, DX levels of two companies are introduced; the one is Hashimoto Association of Technology, HAT in short for water supply, and Kanpai Association of Piping, KAP in short, for gas supply. HAT is well advanced to utilize IT means and tools and well adapted DX. On the other hand, KAP has been staying in obsolete state jsut warehouse relying on information exchange paper-based memo or simple document. KAP, however, has recently encoutered encounterd serious mangement issues of growing complexity not only of new products to deal but requirements stemming from on-cite services impose by various stakeholders now gradually employng advanced IT tools. KAP has realized that it is urgent and most important to utilize or adapt to the age of DX, and asked HAT for advise on IT usage and adaptation to the age of DX. A person was recruited from the top governing company, Tokyo Gas, to realize this goal with innovative concept.

Second part of the paper descrives the details of the reformation process by applying systems engineering such as SWOT analysis, WBS etc. followed by a diagram analysis. It also includes mangaemnt of logistics and stock, workload and workmanship, risk identification and reduction. more concletely, KAP has renovated the sturucture of the company by separating its functions into two: one is 'Delivery Center' and the other is 'Training Center'. The Delivery  Center consists of 8 sections: 1) procurement and stock management, 2) delivery and cargo managemnt, 3) order reception and delivery control, 4) maching and tailoring to customer requirement, 5) recycling from users, 6) traing and lecturing, 7) reserch laboratory for new user/requirement, 8) exhibition for marketing. Based on the experiences of HAT, the computerized management systems has been employed to note:1) every item (mostly pipes and connecting parts) are digital-coded and meinteined according to user demands and the present value, 2) deta is refreshed every day to  be forwarded to procurement section, 3) related data are attached to the hardware items for the user visibility.

The third part reports the outcome of this activies in detail and increase of efficiency and profit. will be shown quantatively, that demosntrate a successful realization of the effort. Typical exapmles of the successful results are as folllows:     * Regular dayly delivery system establishe to serve 180 customers                         * Order reception provided for 24 hours a day and 365 days a year                        * Number of workforce decreased from 37 to 27                                                   * Number of mis-order errors decreased  dramatically to 1 to 4  per 200 orders

and more profits are to be mentioned in the full paper.

 

Presenting Author: Masaaki Hashimoto Graduate School of System Engineering Management

Presenting Author Biography: Masaaki Hashimoto graduated from Department of Mechanical Engineering of Tokyo University and entered Hashimoto Sogyo Co. after a few year experience at IBM, and succeeded family business in 1990. He devoted to modernize and innovate the company tanking into account of IT waves and technologies. He has made the company one of the most advance wholesale enterprise. Also he has been supporting human resource management and sports, now trying to integrate into an academically valuable asset to be transferred to next generations.

Authors:

Masaaki Hashimoto Graduate School of System Engineering Management
Yoshiaki Ohkami Keio University