Mazak iSMART Factory™ at Headquarters, Oguchi Plant, utilizing the latest IoT and automation technologies
It all began with tatami mats, the traditional floor coverings made of rice straw that are widely used in Japan. In 1919, Sadakichi Yamazaki founded a company in Nagoya as a manufacturer of tatami-mat weaving machines. The business was later expanded to include woodworking machines. As the Company began producing lathes and milling machines as in-house equipment, it marked the starting signal for global success: these lathes and milling machines gained a good reputation, and the company began selling them externally – fullscale production began in 1931. Today, with the Mazak brand, the Yamazaki Mazak Corporation is one of the world’s leading machine tool manufacturers. It operates production sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, China, India, and Japan as well as approximately 90 Technical and Technology Centers (18 of which are located in Europe), and has more than 8,000 employees worldwide.
“Local-first” philosophy
“Our philosophy with its three pillars of production, sales, and service is what ensures our stability on the global market,” says President Takashi Yamazaki, the fourth Generation of the family to lead the company. With its different production sites, the company is able to adjust production allocation in line with global demand. Furthermore, the regionally focused business model enables them to provide application support and after-sales Service close to the customer. “This approach lets us quickly capture industrial trends in each region and feed them back into product development.” The “local-first” philosophy, which is deeply rooted in the organization, also applies to management: “We appoint local talent as the heads of our overseas subsidiaries. Rather than imposing Japanese-style management, we operate as a local company.”
One key success factor is the broad product line-up, which ranges from CNC turning centers and horizontal and vertical machining centers to multi-tasking machines, 5-axis machining centers, and Automation systems, all the way to laser processing machines. Yamazaki Mazak continues to maintain its customer base in sectors with strong long-term growth potential, including semiconductor manufacturing, medical devices, and aerospace.
Sadakichi Yamazaki, company founder Yamazaki Line Shaft Drive Lathe, produced in the early days of the company
Commitment to continuous investment and embracing risks
The only way to attain stability is to continually take on challenges, President Takashi Yamazaki emphasizes. “If we become complacent in our success, stagnation will follow. That is why we strive to keep looking ahead, embrace risks, and take on challenges.” The organization’s structure as a family-owned company is also important for stability. As an unlisted company, the Yamazaki Mazak Corporation has greater discretion in terms of management. “We can invest with a long-term perspective in areas such as technology development and quality improvement – areas that take time to generate returns.”
Yamazaki Mazak has outlined the following three principles as its corporate vision: developing innovative, differentiated products; providing total solutions that integrate both hardware and software; and providing global service and support. What’s particularly remarkable about this vision is that the lifetime customer support system guarantees that the Company will provide support for as long as the product exists.
Key innovations
With its innovation-focused philosophy, the Yamazaki Mazak Corporation is responsible for countless technological developments. In October 1981, it introduced the world’s first fully unmanned factory – the “Flexible Manufacturing Factory” (FMF). The automatic machining of different parts without the need for set-up changes allowed for unmanned overnight operations from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Another groundbreaking development was the MAZATROL conversational CNC system, introduced in 1981, which focused on ease of use.
INTEGREX i-250 NEO, multi-tasking machine
Flexible Manufacturing Factory (FMF) completed in 1981.
“OUR PHILOSOPHY WITH ITS THREE PILLARS OF PRODUCTION, SALES, AND SERVICE IS WHAT ENSURES OUR STABILITY ON THE GLOBAL MARKET.”
Yamazaki Mazak is known for its INTEGREX series of multi-tasking machines and for the VARIAXIS series, which supports multisided and 5-axis machining and makes it possible to perform high-accuracy machining of complex-shaped workpieces in a single set-up. The INTEGREX series embodies the production concept of “DONE IN ONE,” which means completing the entire manufacturing process from raw material to finished part in a single machine set-up.
According to President Takashi Yamazaki, as labor shortages intensify and demand increases for high-mix, low-volume production, it follows that networking, automation, and IoT integration will also become increasingly important. As a reaction to these trends, Yamazaki Mazak has established a production support framework utilizing Mazak iSMART Factory™, which provides comprehensive assistance from machine operation to maintenance. Moreover, the company is actively focusing on the development and sales of solutions that enable automation cells to be operated directly from the machine’s CNC system.
“Stable as a tree”
“When I think of the word stability, I picture a single tree. A tree sinks its roots firmly into the earth, and the thicker and deeper those roots grow, the straighter the trunk stands and the wider the branches and leaves can spread. The path our company has taken aligns closely with the way such a tree grows.
Just as a tree grows strong while enduring wind and rain, we have continued to take on challenges without settling for the Status quo. When expanding our locations, we have always placed great importance on putting down solid roots in every region. The trust
and connections we have built over many years now support us like a sturdy trunk. From that trunk, new branches continue to grow, allowing us to bloom richly around the world and sustain our global growth.”
Takashi Yamazaki, President of the Yamazaki Mazak Corporation
A crucial role in machining
The Yamazaki Mazak Corporation uses metalworking fluids from Blaser Swisslube in its Showrooms across Japan. “Blaser’s products are widely adopted, and their reliability and Performance are highly regarded by our customers around the world,” says President Takashi Yamazaki. He emphasizes that metalworking fluids play a crucial role in machining because they lower the temperature at the cutting point, reducing thermal deformation and tool wear. This makes dimensional accuracy and surface quality more stable while also extending tool life. Moreover, the lubricating effect reduces friction and facilitates chip removal, which lowers machining load and prevents vibration and chatter.
“Blaser Swisslube is a valued partner with whom we have built a strong relationship of trust over many years,” says President Takashi Yamazaki. “We feel deeply connected with their stable growth as a family-owned company over three generations.” Blaser’s approach resonates strongly with that of the Yamazaki Mazak Corporation. Passing down a Philosophy across generations, adapting flexibly to changing times, and maintaining unwavering quality and trust are three of the shared values he names. “And we firmly believe we will continue to grow alongside each other for many years to come.”