Leading brand in electric, electronic and automation industry, Mitsubishi Electric answers Industry 4.0 with its digital factory concept, e-F@ctory. Making statements about new generation digital factories, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Factory Automation Overseas Strategic Planning Senior Manager, Hajime Sugiyama said that cooperation of robots and humans increase efficiency in production facilities that are built to fulfill personalized demands of customers. Stating that efficiency increased by 50 percent upon applying e-F@ctory concept in one of the factories of Mitsubishi Electric, Sugiyama said that short-time stops in production lines are reduced by 70 percent.

Stating that 10 years ago, it was enough for a brand and model to produce only one type of automobile but in the present day, according to personalized consumer demands thousands of types of automobile have to be produced for the same brand and model, Hajime Sugiyama said "While buying an automobile, consumers want to decide on several aspects of the car such as colour, interior design and accesorries, personalizing the automobile. Such changeable demands is a very hard scenario with traditional approach to production. Thus, having a flexible structure and the ability to fulfill different customer demands are some of the most important topics for factories under the process of Industry 4.0. This is only possible with proper factory infrastructure".

Also giving his remarks on robots, one of the most important elements of digital factories, Sugiyama stated that it would not be right to think all types of work can be done esclusively by robots and continued; "While robots can be used for simple tasks, it is more efficient to also have support from a human in complicated works. Because humans are more flexible and do a variety of different tasks. Robots fall right in between. One of the most concerned topic about robots is the controversy that robots will end the jobs of humans in factories. However, this is not really possible. First of all, we need humans even for programming the robots and at the moment, there is a lack of robot engineers worldwide. Shortly, we can say that instead of a factory consisting solely of robots, digital factories where robots work in tandem with humans in a balanced mix are much more efficient."

Saying that they have high opinion of having humans in production lines in order to make robots more functional, Sugiyama also said; "For example, when robots are used in an automotive factory exclusively, numerous problems can happen. Too many equipment might be needed to feed the production line with necessary items. Any stoppage occurring on one part of the line might stop the whole production line. That's why we believe it is more efficient if robots and humans work together."

Saying that there is a very wrong belief that Industry 4.0 compatible production infrastructure are too complicated, Sugiyama finished his words by saying, "What is important is that companies can find the right solution that first their company's dynamics the best. We, as Mitsubishi Electric, develop easy to use new generation technologies."