Departments

Our corporate departments include:

• Operations & Manufacturing
  

  Overview
  Yaskawa manufacturing processes are designed to prevent defects. Production operators have paperless online resources at their workstations, providing highly detailed and up-to-date work instructions for every process step. Complex assemblies are made simple with the use of animations and video. Therefore, all components are verified and approved before they are installed, and frequent in-process quality checks prevent a unit from moving down the line until quality is assured.

   "Yaskawa incorporates the Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements along with our Total Quality Management processes to create a unique and highly effective approach to zero-defect manufacturing... " - Craig Espevik, Yaskawa's VP of Operations

  Cost control
  Providing a high-quality product actually lowers manufacturing costs. Lean processes, rigorous inventory control, fewer defects and waste, fewer returns, and minimal repair and replacement translate to reduced costs that enable Yaskawa to offer a superior product at a very competitive price.

  Kaizen: Quality Through Continous Improvement
  Yaskawa has incorporated the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement into every facet of its operations. Kaizen literally means "change for the better". Key elements of the process are teamwork, personal discipline, improved morale, quality circles, and suggestions for improvement from all levels of employees. The ultimate effects of the Kaizen process - elimination of waste and inefficiency, achieving discipline and standardization - mean that every day Yaskawa is improving the quality of its products while lowering costs.

  Manufacturing Locations

  • Buffalo Grove, IL
  • Oak Creek, WI
• Research & Development

  Overview
  Yaskawa R&D activities concentrate on three levels including pure, technology-based, and customer-focused.

  • Pure R&D- consists of motor propulsion, human-automation, and other fields
  • Technology-based R&D- occurs when the development and creation of new core technologies take center stage
  • Customer-focused R&D- allows Yaskawa’s customers the ability to easily make use of the best technology and earn faster returns on their investments.

  R&D has support facilities located in Japan, the United States, Israel, and India which are all part of an organization dedicated to:

  • licensing agreements
  • joint ventures
  • cooperative business arrangements
  • and other instruments that make available a broad range of information and technology to augment the original work

  This system supports the company’s quality, growth, and customer satisfaction goals, which in turn enables Yaskawa to introduce a steady stream of leading-edge products.

  Strengths
  Yaskawa’s core strength is taking innovation and invention and successfully implementing these technologies into the highest quality products, in the effort of providing customers with new and better solutions.

  The first important step is concerned with New Product design, as Yaskawa begins by listening to the customer. They accomplish this by thoroughly understanding:

  • the applications
  • the operating environment
  • the performance requirements
  • ease of use
  • and other customer expectations

  Yaskawa’s obsession with Quality and Reliability is what drives our design, as it’s planned and specified just as carefully as the rest of the product. That’s what they mean when they say that Quality and Reliability are “designed in.” High-reliability design targets are set based on decades of experience, benchmarking, customer input, and industry research. Yaskawa thoroughly tests the reliability of new technologies, the consistency of new materials, and the failure rate of every component within new products to be certain that the new design will achieve the reliability objectives we demand.

  Development Quality Check Process

  • Market and Customer Requirements (Product Plan)
  • Product Plan/Review
  • Conceptual/Detail Design
  • Design Review
  • Prototype Build
  • Product Qualification Test Plan/Review & Result/Review
  • Production Preparation and Manufacturing Quality Plan
  • First Article Inspection
  • Product Release Approval
  • Mass Production and Release

  Real-World Testing
  As a final step before release, Yaskawa drives and motion-control products are installed in customer beta sites to perform application testing under actual conditions. Information learned during this process is incorporated into final product design, before manufacturing begins.

  How Yaskawa Calculates MTBF
  The MTBF calculation starts with determining the Failure rate (FIT) for a random failure period where the failure rate is stable. Yaskawa’s overall FIT is based on the failure reports received from the field for a monthly period of time, (including Warranty and Non-Warranty items) and is as follows:

  FIT = Qty of Failures/[(30 days x 24 hours per day) x (total qty of units shipped)] x 10 to the 9th power.
  Our calculations follow the Bellcore TR-332 standard.

  MTBF is defined for a repairable system and is calculated as the inverse number of FIT mentioned above (MTBF = 1/FIT).

• Sales & Marketing

  Knowledgeable and Responsive Sales Team
  Yaskawa knows the importance of selling their products, therefore they concentrate and take great pride in making the sales experience both a positive and enjoyable one. In the eyes of Yaskawa, the interaction and relationship that takes place between an associate and the customer are just as important as the sale taking place itself.

  More than just a salesperson, every Yaskawa sales associate is a highly-trained application specialist who is certified in the products they support, experienced in the industries they serve, and ready to assist you in achieving the best solution for your application. From beginning to end, Yaskawa will be there on your side to walk you through the sales process and make sure that your satisfaction is guaranteed.

  American Distribution Sales Channels
  Yaskawa uses a comprehensive network featuring highly qualified and trained channel partners to provide Total Customer Support. This valuable channel acts to ensure the correct application of Yaskawa products across a broad range of needs. This local channel provides the customer with service, knowledge, support, and inventory closest to where it is needed.

  It’s critical that these third-party partners are properly qualified so that Yaskawa can entrust their customers into their hands. All channel partners must earn their authorization through training and certification testing to be Drives Specialists and/or Motion Specialists.

  Worldwide Services
  Just in case this isn’t reassuring enough, Yaskawa also offers worldwide support with application assistance, start-up, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair as well as internet tools and telephone support. With production facilities and offices in Asia, America, and Europe, Yaskawa provides a total global service and support network to its customers.

  For those customers outside the Americas, Yaskawa has a network of global Web sites, which best serve your geographic area and language preference. Each Web site has extensive document and knowledge databases, in efforts of helping the customers easily locate information and select products and available services.

  Aggressive Marketing
  One of Yaskawa’s underlying goals is to make our products available to the customers whenever and wherever they may need or want them. They accomplish just that by taking part in effective and aggressive marketing techniques, which always have the customers in mind by putting them first in importance. Marketing products becomes that much easier when you know that you are providing the customers with the best quality products for their resources.

  Yaskawa's marketing department works closely with Product and Sales management, in an effort to maintain a high degree of exposure for their products in both print and digital media.

  Yaskawa's overall marketing strategy focuses on providing customers with the most up-to-date information about their products and services. In addition to providing customers with product catalogs, brochures, and advertisements, the Yaskawa Partner Info Login is maintained to provide informational resources for Yaskawa Associates, OEMs, and worldwide Channel Partners. This important resource provides Yaskawa's Partners with a convenient means for obtaining information about their products and services. Yaskawa's Partner Logins are each given their own user name and password so that they can access an automated ordering system. Regularly, Yaskawa sends out eNewsletters to inform our Partners of the latest marketing, product, and technical news from around the company.

• Service & Support

  Yaskawa Services
  As part of Yaskawa’s outstanding Customer Satisfaction Program, Yaskawa offers a wide variety of help and support to ensure that Yaskawa products run effectively and efficiently. In doing so, Yaskawa provides the following services including technical support, technical training, a parts and distribution center, a repair and modification center, field engineering services, extended warranties, preventative maintenance, and retrofits.

  • Yaskawa utilizes certified engineers to answer all of your questions quickly and effectively. These engineers are supported by an online global knowledgebase that can be accessed by the customer through the support section on this website.
  • Yaskawa provides standard and customized courses on all products by taking advantage of a “learn by doing” philosophy, emphasizing “hands-on” activities and demonstrations. Yaskawa features a variety of training programs from factory training to on-site to live Web classes as well as eLearning Modules.
  • Recognizing the growing need for Users and OEMs to move processes and products worldwide, Yaskawa supports local User and OEM part needs regardless of product origin. The Parts Distribution Center stocks over 6,000 items for general use and specific customers including parts for products over 30 years old. It ships over 96% of requests on a same-day basis and its 24/7 operations ensure minimum downtime. Since maximizing uptime is critical, Yaskawa has the broadest range of exchange inventory which can be shipped at any time to any location. Yaskawa’s high regard for quality enables them to support your investment with the largest inventory of factory-authorized replacement parts.
  • Yaskawa maintains a center that uses approved parts, procedures, and testing to renew your equipment. Normal repair/return cycles average six days, while a 48-hour emergency turnaround service is also available. Depending on the nature of the repair, there are several repair options including standard, rush, emergency, and immediate exchange. Orders for new material requiring special modifications are processed through the same facility to provide the fastest response to customer needs. Electronic equipment is repairable for as long as parts or economical modifications are available. Our commitment to customers and products enhances the investment made in Yaskawa products.
  • Yaskawa’s local resources have global depth, whenever and wherever needs arise. Design, system integration, and field repair assistance are handled locally by trained engineers and technicians. Yaskawa application engineers offer phone consulting, as well as on-site assistance to get the maximum benefit from your installation. Multi-national projects with distributed design and build locations can depend on careful integration via the Yaskawa network. Customers are able to handle more projects or bring them online faster by utilizing Yaskawa’s resources. Whether the need is for emergency service or international project coordination, customers worldwide depend on Yaskawa.
  • Although Yaskawa provides the highest quality products, demanding applications may result in periodic service issues. So Yaskawa offers various types of warranties such as service contracts, “parts only” contracts, and extended period contracts to guarantee investment protection.
  • Yaskawa can provide backup support to assist with preventative maintenance requirements. Whether it be a scheduled visit from a certified engineer or simply identifying the problem and providing advice on reducing maintenance costs, Yaskawa is there to help.
  • Yaskawa offers the largest range of easily installable retrofit kits for legacy products. When replacement components are necessary, we can assist you in retrofitting with turnkey solutions centered on maximizing uptime to extend the life of your machine.

  Experience Extra

  Customer Satisfaction Management
  To ensure that our support continues to receive the highest quality ratings for customer satisfaction, we conduct annual customer surveys. These surveys cover all facets of a customer’s experience but predominantly focus on after-sale support services and customer care. Yaskawa presents the results to every associate assigning improvement teams to the issues, creating action plans for improvement, getting approval from top management, and monitoring the results. The Yaskawa Quality Experience means that every point of contact with our customers has to be the best possible.

  Using mySAP CRM to Enhance Customer Satisfaction
  In an attempt to understand our customers better and enhance their satisfaction, Yaskawa is proud to announce that it has partnered with mySAP CRM. The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is about acquiring and retaining customers, improving customer loyalty, gaining customer insight, and implementing customer-focused strategies. It helps make the most of relationships with customers by capitalizing on customer insight, improving front-line efficiency and effectiveness, streamlining critical business processes across and beyond customer touchpoints, and quickly adapting to changing business and customer needs.