Japanese Seawater Company digitizes its Ako factory with Private 5G

At the Ako plant, a 70,000 m² salt production site in Hyogo Prefecture, dependable connectivity had become part of the production challenge. With labor shortages increasing pressure on day-to-day operations, the company deployed private 5G to connect IoT sensors, transmit equipment data in real time and enable tablet-based reporting. The initiative links frontline work with a digital foundation designed to support more resilient maintenance, knowledge transfer and future innovation.
Wide view of a coastal Japanese salt production plant with brine ponds, process buildings, pipework and salt piles beside the sea.
Factory connectivity
Private 5G across the Ako plant
Real-time equipment data
Temperature, pressure, flow and vibration
Mobile daily reporting
Tablet-enabled frontline workflows
Maintenance continuity
Fewer disruptions and lower costs
Two salt factory employees walk beside an active packaging line with filled salt bags, showing coordinated production and maintenance.
Connected Operations Across Salt Production

Plant-wide private 5G connects equipment data and daily workflows, helping frontline teams act with greater continuity across salt production.

Across a 70,000 m² salt production site, labor constraints and the need for stable connectivity were limiting the plant's ability to turn equipment signals into timely operational action.
目的
Create a stable digital operating environment capable of connecting IoT devices, transmitting high volumes of equipment data in real time and supporting a stable seawater supply as labor availability tightens. The ambition was broader than a network upgrade: it was to give frontline teams a practical base for more efficient reporting, predictive maintenance and continued process optimization.
機会
With plant-wide connectivity in place, the Ako factory can extend its use of operational data. The source identifies AI-based image analysis and predictive analytics as mechanisms for addressing labor shortages and transferring knowledge, while the connected environment provides a foundation for further innovation and sustainable growth.
Connecting a distributed salt plant without slowing production

The initiative needed to bridge physical scale, real-time equipment visibility, daily frontline workflows and workforce continuity within one dependable operating environment.

主な課題
Technician crossing an elevated catwalk above pipelines and distributed salt plant buildings on the Japanese coast.
1: A factory spread over 70,000 m²
Manufacturing facilities were distributed across a wide site. The communication environment needed stable, high-speed and high-bandwidth coverage across the Ako factory.
Gloved technician installing a vibration sensor on a salt-dusted motor beside pressure and flow instruments.
2: Equipment signals without a shared data path
Optimizing manufacturing required the plant to connect IoT devices and transmit high volumes of temperature, pressure, flow and vibration data in real time.
Two salt production workers coordinate beside the processing line while one holds a rugged tablet during shift handover.
3: Reporting at frontline speed
Daily reporting needed to move seamlessly through the production environment, giving employees a practical digital workflow instead of adding friction to their work.
Experienced technician guides a younger colleague through hands-on maintenance beside a salt crystallizer and coastal process equipment.
4: Keeping expertise in motion
Labor shortages made productivity and knowledge transfer central concerns. The initiative also required employees to engage with new digital ways of working.
解決策
A private 5G foundation for connected factory operations

NTT DATA combined private 5G, IoT sensor integration, mobile reporting and digital training to connect the factory’s physical assets with the people responsible for daily operations.

チェックアイコン
Plant-wide private 5G

A stable, high-speed and high-bandwidth private 5G network connected the Ako factory, addressing the need for dependable communication across distributed facilities

チェックアイコン
Connected equipment sensing

IoT sensors enabled real-time collection of equipment data, including temperature, pressure, flow and vibration signals used to support manufacturing optimization and predictive maintenance.

チェックアイコン
Tablet-enabled daily reporting

Tablet terminals supported seamless daily reporting, giving frontline employees a mobile digital channel within the operating environment.

チェックアイコン
Digital adoption and training

Digital training sessions helped employees engage with the new environment and supported a broader culture of innovation and digital transformation.

影響
A connected foundation for more resilient salt production

Reported outcomes include fewer network disruptions, lower maintenance costs, a more optimized manufacturing process and stronger predictive maintenance. The source also points to improved operational efficiency, reduced costs, greater employee engagement, and a foundation for future innovation and sustainable growth. No baseline, measurement period or quantified result is provided, so these outcomes should be published as directional until validated.

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