Gifu University held a "Smart Die Development Hub Project Kickoff Meeting" on May 19, 2017. The project received funding from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) supplementary budget for AY 2016 under the framework of the Ministry's program to build regional centers for testing and demonstrating new developments in science and technology.
The major purposes of the project are as follows:
1. Connect die and molding machine to die IoT (Internet of Things) platform
2. Through collaboration industry, government and academia, commercialize the world-first smart production system which will enable early detection of defective pieces and automatic adjustment of molding conditions
3. By doing the two above, further enhance competitive edge in regional manufacturing businesses

The project will start in AY 2018 and the preparations are now underway at Gifu University.

The kickoff meeting was held for introduction of companies scheduled to join the project and for confirmation of the details as to how the project would be conducted. Around 60 people attended, of them, 31 people took part in from 13 companies.

At the beginning of the meeting, Professor Wang Zhigang, Vice President for Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration of Gifu University gave an opening speech, which was followed by introduction of each company, research contents and their motivations for the project. Afterward, Gifu University representatives explained about the purposes of the project, organization management and style of contract for joint research activities.

This kickoff meeting was the first opportunity for all prospective companies to assemble together. They deepened mutual understanding with one another and reconfirmed the objectives of the project, which we believe motivated and inspired them for a great success of the project in the future.