Company name: ARIES, Inc.
     No. Employed:
14
URL: www.vf-aries.co.jp
Address: 1051, Ohkuma-machi, Tsuzuki-ku,
Yokohama, Kanagawa-ken 224-0042
Business Description:
• Development of virtual factory integration equipment and open factory automation equipment.
• Development and distribution of concurrent engineering related products.
• Distribution of computer hardware and software products.
• Development and market of control equipment for production facilities such as machine tools, robots and other factory and electronic equipment.
Market, Competition and Clients:
• CAD market: Clients include auto parts manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies, and robot and machine tool industry. In this market, the company competes with products including robot simulators, such as "IGRIP" of Delmia, or "ROBCAD" of Tecnomatix Technologies.
• Robot market: Clients are Fuji Machine Mfg, Matsushita Electric, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, etc. It competes with users' in-house control equipment.
• Semiconductor manufacturing equipment market: Clients are Innotech, Advantest, etc. It competes with users' in-house equipment.
• Liquid crystal manufacturing equipment market: Clients are Dai Nippon Screen, Fuji Photo Film, etc. It competes with THK, TOTO, etc.
• Remotely operated robot: Clients are Hitachi, Fuji Machine, Sugino Machine, etc. There is no competition in this market.
Future Development:
• "CIMDesign": As the world's first 3D-direct simulator, the company will enter into a partnership with Auto CAD or Unigraphis to exploit CAD market for 4D-mechanism design.
• Connect CIMDesign directly with its motor control software "CIMControl", direct machining and direct robotics, which control machine tools or robot directly from CAD geometry.
• Remote controller "InPaCt" has built track records in the area of nuclear reactor maintenance robot and nuclear reactor disassemble robot. With this track record, the company will get the virtual factory control with an enhanced sense of realism into widespread use, which will allow the removal of workers from poor work environments.
History:
1/1995 Established to achieve the goal of "realization of a virtual factory".
9/1995 Made an exclusive distribution agreement with Cimetrix (US). Entered into open factory automation market.
5/1998 Accredited as a "Virtual Factory Integrator" by Specific New Businesses Law of Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
12/1999 Announced the world's first mechanical simulator "CIMDesign", which was developed with Fujitsu and is able to be connected directly to a 3D-CAD.
12/2000 Entered into a partnership with ANORAD (US) to distribute ultra precise linear motor machine in Japan.
5/2001 Moved headquarters to current address due to business expansion.
Management Profile: Mr. Shigeru Ohba

Mr. Shigeru Ohba founded the company using expertise that he gained through developing numerical control technology at Toshiba, 3D-CAD at Mutoh Industries, Ltd. and the robot system and 3D-simulation system at Amada Co., Ltd. Backed by extensive experience, he took on the challenge of developing direct machining and direct robotics that integrate the control system of manufacturing equipment from CAD to factory. He has developed much of the world's first system commercially, including remote production systems with an enhanced sense of realism.

He graduated from the Department of Electronic Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1969.