Digital PLM transformation for a global conglomerate in medical imaging

A multinational conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan—operating across photography, optics, office and medical electronics, biotechnology, and chemicals—faced significant challenges in its medical electronics division. These included:

• Manual and fragmented product engineering and development processes   

• Paper-based Design History File (DHF) and quality record management   

• Heavy reliance on human expertise for documentation and historical records   

• Inefficiencies in service management and repair processes   

• Barriers to achieving regulatory compliance   

Hitachi Digital Services partnered with the client to modernize their product development and quality systems. The transformation included:

• Strategic assessment of product development, quality, and regulatory processes   

• Definition of a future-state operating model to enhance innovation, efficiency, and compliance   

• Implementation of Digital PLM and Digital Thread capabilities, including:   

• Digital Product Definition   

• Digital DHF and Device Master Record (DMR) management   

• Closed-loop Quality and Regulatory Management   

• Service Lifecycle Management   

The digital PLM transformation delivered measurable improvements across the value chain:   

• Modern, digital and closed-loop ways of working across value chain powered by digital tools and methods 

• Single version of truth for product data, readily accessible for right stakeholders at right time 

• Product ideation to launch cycle time reduction by 30% 

• Product and operational quality improvement by 30% 

• Operational costs reduction by 20%