Manufacturing Innovation for Smartphones

Mobile phone manufacturers are now changing their main products from feature phones to smartphones. In addition, due to the stagnation of the global economy, the manufacturing industry in Japan is faced with six main issues: a strong yen, high corporation tax, a delay in trade liberalization, tight labor regulations, global warming, and a power shortage problem stemming from the accident at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. While being exposed to cut-throat cost competition from overseas vendors, Fujitsu Mobile-phone Products Limited (FMPL), as a key factory of mobile phones, is not only providing even higher-quality products to customers but also working on production innovation so that FMPL can continue to manufacture in Japan. This paper presents the four pillars of our activities: smartphone test innovation, automation and robotization, strengthening of prototyping and evaluation, and standardization of manufacturing and repair.