Production and
Supply

Basic concepts

The enhancement of global operations is a crucial management issue for medical device manufacturers. Under the Mid- to Long-term Growth Strategy, Terumo is working to build a reliable and robust production system by clarifying the division of functions and target markets for supply on an individual factory basis according to the characteristics and products of each in-house company.

We have factories equipped with product development functions mainly in Japan and the United States. At these factories, we promote coordination between development divisions, production technology divisions, and production divisions from the initial product design stages to formulate optimal supply chains spanning from the procurement of materials to the delivery of products to medical settings.

Factories located in Asian and other emerging countries will work to boost their cost competitiveness as mass-production sites focused on reliably supplying high-quality products through an ongoing process of conducting slight revisions to their operations.

Furthermore, the Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMO) is guiding accelerated efforts to boost manufacturing competitiveness by capitalizing on the unique strengths of individual factories across the entire Group. With a cross-organizational, overarching view of the manufacturing capabilities honed in each business, the CMO will utilize these assets on a Groupwide basis.

Terumo is also actively promoting digital transformation. At regularly held global meetings, the Production Department, part of our corporate functions, introduces effective methods of utilizing digital tools as well as concrete examples of successes with this regard while also providing guidance on introducing image diagnosis systems powered by artificial intelligence technologies. The department thereby seeks to promote the spread of such digital technologies throughout the Group. In this manner, the Terumo Group aims to deploy cutting-edge digital technologies at production sites worldwide in order to develop a production system that can swiftly accommodate the needs of various users.

Global production system

In the 20 years since the 1990s, when Terumo had 14 production sites, the number of factories has doubled. The Terumo Group now has over 30 production sites. Each factory belongs to the Cardiac and Vascular Company, Medical Care Solutions Company, or Blood and Cell Technologies Company, performing continuous improvement activities according to its own production strategy.

Going forward, the Group will more fully utilize the production site strengths it has acquired through M&A, as well as the knowledge and expertise of "monozukuri" that each factory has cultivated over its history, to collaborate across businesses and sites toward improving products, supply, and services—Total Quality. Terumo integrates the creativity of Europe and the United States with Japan's detailed manufacturing precision and expertise to produce in the optimal location. This flow will continue to evolve as the Group produces to better serve the needs of the market.