JMAC Contributes Article on Improving Design Quality to Nikkan Kogyo's "Machine Design" Magazine
Japan Management Association Consulting (JMAC), in collaboration with the CEO of Things Inc., has contributed an article to Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun's "Machine Design" magazine to support design quality improvement in manufacturing. The article presents new solutions for workplaces facing skill transfer issues by combining traditional methods like FMEA/DRBFM with the application of generative AI.
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- 📰 Published: May 18, 2026 at 20:10
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Japan Management Association Consulting Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yohei Otani, hereinafter JMAC) has published a joint article, "Fundamental Understanding and Application of FMEA/DRBFM," by three of its expert consultants and Mr. Atsuya Suzuki, CEO of Things Inc., to support the improvement of design quality and proactive trouble prevention in the manufacturing industry. The article explains, over five chapters, everything from the essence of traditional quality management methods to business transformation through the latest generative AI, targeting workplaces struggling with veteran retirements and skill transfer shortages.
■ Article Overview
This contribution combines the expertise of JMAC's Principal Consultant Shigeyoshi Kashiwagi, Senior Consultant Yasushi Tsujimoto, and Chief Consultant Shota Nakagawa, along with Mr. Atsuya Suzuki of Things Inc., a developer of AI-driven PLM. It offers practical solutions to the frequent market troubles in development and design, and the challenges of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) and DRBFM (Design Review Based on Failure Mode) becoming mere formalities. The article is structured from a multifaceted perspective, covering the redefinition of these methods as organizational 'wisdom gathering,' risk reduction in the manufacturing process, and next-generation proactive prevention activities using the generative AI tool 'PRISM.'
■ Background for the Need to Improve Design Quality
Japan's manufacturing industry currently faces serious structural challenges: the loss of tacit knowledge due to the retirement of skilled engineers and delays in transferring skills to younger generations. In busy design departments, tools like FMEA are becoming a 'paper-filling exercise,' losing their essential function of proactively addressing potential risks. To overcome this situation, it is crucial to build a quality assurance system based on 'organizational strength' rather than individual skills. JMAC believed a new guideline was necessary to handle today's complex system products by integrating its long-cultivated on-site support experience with the latest digital technology, leading to this article.
■ Article Details
The article consists of the following five chapters, covering everything from design and manufacturing to digital utilization.
■ Chapters 1 & 2: Explain the fundamental understanding and operational points of FMEA/DRBFM. Along with the history and basics of FMEA, it emphasizes the importance of addressing diverse failure risks tailored to the company's product characteristics, not just reliability issues. (By: Principal Consultant Shigeyoshi Kashiwagi)
■ Chapter 3: Focuses on application in process design, introducing points to enhance the practical application of process FMEA, such as categorizing risks in the manufacturing process, selecting methods according to objectives, and comprehensively extracting risks from the dual perspectives of 'value addition' and 'value loss.' (By: Senior Consultant Yasushi Tsujimoto)
■ Chapter 4: Based on advanced examples from industries like automotive, it introduces measures to prevent formalization, such as infrastructure development and standardizing technical knowledge by creating a 'dictionary.' (By: Chief Consultant Shota Nakagawa)
■ Chapter 5: Details how generative AI will change proactive prevention activities. It proposes a collaborative workflow between AI and humans, using the engineering chain platform 'PRISM' to generate initial 'concern points' from vast past technical documents in minutes. (By: Atsuya Suzuki, CEO, Things Inc.)
■ Author Profiles
Shigeyoshi Kashiwagi, Yasushi Tsujimoto, and Shota Nakagawa from JMAC, along with their extensive experience in consulting for major manufacturing companies in R&D, production, and quality improvement.
■ About Japan Management Association Consulting (JMAC)
JMAC is a management consulting firm offering cross-functional services in strategy, marketing & sales, R&D, production, TPM, supply chain, organization/HR, BPR, and IT business. Established in 1980 (founded 1942), with approximately 370 employees.
■ Article Overview
This contribution combines the expertise of JMAC's Principal Consultant Shigeyoshi Kashiwagi, Senior Consultant Yasushi Tsujimoto, and Chief Consultant Shota Nakagawa, along with Mr. Atsuya Suzuki of Things Inc., a developer of AI-driven PLM. It offers practical solutions to the frequent market troubles in development and design, and the challenges of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) and DRBFM (Design Review Based on Failure Mode) becoming mere formalities. The article is structured from a multifaceted perspective, covering the redefinition of these methods as organizational 'wisdom gathering,' risk reduction in the manufacturing process, and next-generation proactive prevention activities using the generative AI tool 'PRISM.'
■ Background for the Need to Improve Design Quality
Japan's manufacturing industry currently faces serious structural challenges: the loss of tacit knowledge due to the retirement of skilled engineers and delays in transferring skills to younger generations. In busy design departments, tools like FMEA are becoming a 'paper-filling exercise,' losing their essential function of proactively addressing potential risks. To overcome this situation, it is crucial to build a quality assurance system based on 'organizational strength' rather than individual skills. JMAC believed a new guideline was necessary to handle today's complex system products by integrating its long-cultivated on-site support experience with the latest digital technology, leading to this article.
■ Article Details
The article consists of the following five chapters, covering everything from design and manufacturing to digital utilization.
■ Chapters 1 & 2: Explain the fundamental understanding and operational points of FMEA/DRBFM. Along with the history and basics of FMEA, it emphasizes the importance of addressing diverse failure risks tailored to the company's product characteristics, not just reliability issues. (By: Principal Consultant Shigeyoshi Kashiwagi)
■ Chapter 3: Focuses on application in process design, introducing points to enhance the practical application of process FMEA, such as categorizing risks in the manufacturing process, selecting methods according to objectives, and comprehensively extracting risks from the dual perspectives of 'value addition' and 'value loss.' (By: Senior Consultant Yasushi Tsujimoto)
■ Chapter 4: Based on advanced examples from industries like automotive, it introduces measures to prevent formalization, such as infrastructure development and standardizing technical knowledge by creating a 'dictionary.' (By: Chief Consultant Shota Nakagawa)
■ Chapter 5: Details how generative AI will change proactive prevention activities. It proposes a collaborative workflow between AI and humans, using the engineering chain platform 'PRISM' to generate initial 'concern points' from vast past technical documents in minutes. (By: Atsuya Suzuki, CEO, Things Inc.)
■ Author Profiles
Shigeyoshi Kashiwagi, Yasushi Tsujimoto, and Shota Nakagawa from JMAC, along with their extensive experience in consulting for major manufacturing companies in R&D, production, and quality improvement.
■ About Japan Management Association Consulting (JMAC)
JMAC is a management consulting firm offering cross-functional services in strategy, marketing & sales, R&D, production, TPM, supply chain, organization/HR, BPR, and IT business. Established in 1980 (founded 1942), with approximately 370 employees.