MECT2019③: 10 companies exhibiting at SME booths make rare proposals (2/2)

SME support booths will be prepared at MECHATRONICS TECHNOLOGY JAPAN 2019 (MECT 2019), which is the largest machine tool show in Japan this year. Ten companies will participate in SME support booths from various industries such as cutting tools, software manufacturers, and trading companies. There are many companies that don’t usually showcase in exhibitions, so we can see the rare proposals.

MECT 2019 has SME support booths on the west side of first exhibition hall. Ten companies will participate including cutting tools, software manufacturers, and trading companies. SME support booths are prepared for the companies which have not taken part in MECT and have 30 or fewer employees. It has a narrower space than general booth, but the exhibition fee is low. In this article, we deliver the information of four of ten companies exhibiting in the SME support booth.

Sharing tool information

WinTool from Switzerland provides a centralized management system of tool information required for machining. WinTool Japan (Booth: 1S08) began sales in Japan from the summer of 2018, and MECT 2019 will be the first exhibition to propose products.

The system is used for managing as follows. 1. Tool data for NC program. 2. Tool inventory at manufacturing site. 3. Tool information to be attached to the processing machine. “If different management data is used for each department, the tool information may be scattered.” said president Shoichiro Takisawa. The integration of data reduces the time to search for tool information and allows information to be shared throughout the company. WinTool Japan has just begun its business in Japan, and the markets are still small. However, Takisawa feels that there is a sufficient need.

Options other than buying a new one

Sharing FACTORY (Booth: 1S10) develops platforms that enable companies in the manufacturing industry to lend and borrow equipment and measuring equipments on the website. It is also possible to sell and buy the equipments directly. It is a business model that connects companies between the companies which have unused equipment and companies which do not have the equipment they want.

About 400 companies have currently registered to the platform, and 600 to 700 products are listed which can be shared. “It is important how many products we can prepare. We would like to increase the number of products to 2000 to 3000 in 2019, so that people can get products what they want. Our website is a place where user can get rid of the problems at the factory. We would like users to use it as an option in upgrading the facilities,” said Yuki Hasegawa president.

▶MECT2019②:10 companies exhibiting at SME booths make rare proposals (1/2)