We Have Started Collaborating with Skydisc, Inc. Towards Realizing Support for Supply Chain Visibility in the Manufacturing Industry

Honda Trading Corporation (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & CEO: Tatsuya Natsume; hereinafter “Honda Trading”) is committed to creating new value for business expansion. As part of its steel division initiatives, Honda Trading has begun collaborating with Skydisc, Inc. (Head office: Fukuoka-City, Fukuoka Prefecture; President & CEO: Asato Uchimura; hereinafter “Skydisc”) to enhance supply chain visibility and support digital transformation (DX) in production planning for the manufacturing industry.

Despite challenges like the retirement of skilled workers, a shortage of young talent, and rapid digitalization in the manufacturing industry, we view this as an opportunity not only to address the labor shortage but also to redefine the industry for the next generation. In this environment, Honda Trading aims to enhance customer value by visualizing and optimizing the entire supply chain, ensuring stable supply and cost reduction.

Additionally, through its “Saiteki Works” service, Skydisc optimizes production plans and visualizes equipment operation. This contributes to supporting DX in the manufacturing industry by addressing issues related to personnel allocation, inventory management, and materials.

Manufacturing extends beyond a single factory or company; it involves a supply chain where each parts manufacturer is connected to the finished product manufacturer, collectively providing value to society. In current supply chain management, it is extremely challenging to quickly identify and respond to the status of parts or materials, their stage in the process, their delivery timeline to the finished product manufacturer, or the capacity of each supplier. Honda Trading leverages its extensive expertise in supply chain management and, in collaboration with Skydisc, promotes initiatives to visualize and optimize the supply chain. This enables the standardization and optimization of workloads across all companies involved, fostering an environment where each company can secure profits without undue burdens.

As the first step, Honda Trading will begin verification of the utilization of “Saiteki Works” at its overseas manufacturing sites. This verification involves the introduction of “Saiteki Works” as part of strengthening the production management system at local manufacturing sites. This initiative is expected to advance the optimization and DX of the entire supply chain at the target sites, while also enhancing on-site understanding of current conditions. Additionally, it aims to promote information sharing, thereby improving communication between the production management department, on-site manufacturing department, and related departments in Japan. By clearly identifying which products need to be manufactured, in what quantities, and by when, it is anticipated that production efficiency will improve through reduced idle time and overtime hours. This verification will broadly assess the benefits of DX promotion, extending beyond the previously mentioned effects.

About “Saiteki Works”

“Saiteki Works” is an AI×SaaS automated production planning system for the manufacturing industry developed and provided by Skydisc, Inc. Based on order information such as “by when, how many, and which products,” the AI instantly creates plans for equipment operation and personnel allocation. This service, which promotes DX in production planning—the backbone of factory operations—has been introduced to over 150 companies, ranging from large enterprises to small and medium-sized businesses since its release in April 2022. “Saiteki Works” not only streamlines the planning process but also supports on-time delivery, quality assurance, inventory optimization, and improved production efficiency on-site. Featuring a proprietary engine specialized in production planning and patent-pending technology, "Saiteki Works" dramatically reduces the effort required for master settings. It empowers manufacturing companies to take ownership and start small, making it easy to visualize progress in DX.

Product Site

https://saiteki.works/ (Japanese Only)

Company Outline of Honda Trading Corporation

We globally support the entire customer’s value chain from procurement of raw materials to manufacturing, sales, and recycling as the sole trading company in the Honda Group. We will challenge ourselves to provide optimal solutions across diverse industries, beyond the framework of traditional trading companies, and strive to realize a sustainable society.

Company Name	Honda Trading Corporation
Representative	Representative Director, President & CEO Tatsuya Natsume
Date of Establishment	March 21, 1972
Business Lines	Procurement and supply of raw materials, parts, equipment and CBU as well as processing and manufacturing of some raw materials
Head Office Location	Akihabara UDX South Wing 18F, 4-14-1 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, Japan
Company Website	https://www.hondatrading.com/en/

Company Outline of Skydisc, Inc.

Since its founding in 2013, Skydisc, Inc. has worked with 272 customers and undertaken 550 projects, primarily in the manufacturing industry. We believe that our mission is to return the knowledge and know-how gained from these experiences to society through our services and products. With the mission “Making manufacturing more creative”, we are challenging ourselves to promote DX using AI.

Company Name	Skydisc, Inc.
Representative	President & CEO Asato Uchimura
Date of Establishment	October 1, 2013
Business Lines	Support for DX utilizing AI, Development and provision of “Saiteki Works”
Head Office Location	4th Floor, Akasaka Prime Building, 2-3-6 Maizuru, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Company Website	https://skydisc.jp/ (Japanese Only)