~Reducing labor shortages and increasing workload through collaboration between humans and AI~
Launching initiatives using "multi-AI agent collaboration" technology to optimize supply chains.
December 1, 2025
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Head office: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President and Representative Director President and Representative Director: Takahito Tokita; hereinafter referred to as "Fujitsu") and "Cyber Physical System (hereinafter referred to as "CPS") *1" technology developed through joint research between the Company and Tokyo University of Science (Head office: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Naoto Otake; hereinafter referred to as "Tokyo University of Science") to reduce the burden of increasingly complex tasks and improve the working environment for employees.
Background and Objectives.
Our company has developed a diverse range of products, primarily in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, to address our customers' needs. However, in recent years, supply chains have become increasingly complex, making it difficult to manage them solely through human experience and knowledge. To address these challenges, since June 2022, we have been implementing a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) at our Ueno Techno Center, our main factory, and developing a digital twin platform connecting factories, warehouses, and logistics. Moving forward, we aim to optimize the entire supply chain more quickly and efficiently by utilizing multi-AI agent collaboration technology, which allows AI to autonomously make decisions and negotiate. This will enable AI to handle coordination tasks with multiple companies, including suppliers and retailers.
*1: CPS is a system that collects diverse data in the physical space (real space) using sensor networks, etc., and analyzes/transforms it into knowledge in cyberspace (virtual space) using large-scale data processing technologies, etc., and uses the information/value created there to revitalize industries and solve social problems.
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Details of the initiative and expected effects
By combining multi-AI agent collaboration technology with CPS (Cyber-Physical Systems) that capture the status of factories and logistics in real time, and the mathematical optimization mechanisms used within them, we aim to apply it in the following areas:
- Optimization of transportation routes and delivery plans between factories and warehouses.
- Real-time replenishment decisions for inventory at shipping centers and distributors.
- Automated optimization of production schedules and resource allocation
- Recovery simulation during disasters and demand fluctuations
This initiative aims to create an "evolving network" where the entire supply chain autonomously makes decisions and improvements based on data, thereby minimizing stockouts and excess inventory even in environments with volatile demand, and ensuring a stable supply system that delivers necessary products. Furthermore, by enabling companies involved in the supply chain to share data and coordinate with each other to improve overall efficiency, logistics efficiency will be enhanced, contributing to a reduction in CO₂ emissions and alleviating labor shortages. In addition, a highly resilient system that can flexibly respond to unforeseen circumstances such as disasters will be built, which is expected to contribute to improving the competitiveness of the entire industry and forming a sustainable social infrastructure.
Future outlook
Starting in January 2026, we will conduct verification using actual manufacturing, distribution, and sales data within our supply chain. Through this initiative, we aim to create a more comfortable working environment for everyone involved in the supply chain, and contribute to the realization of a well-being society by using data to address social issues beyond the confines of manufacturing.
About Ueno Techno Center
The Ueno Techno Center, which began operations in 1999 and is now in its 26th year of operation, produces Rohto Pharmaceutical's flagship products, including eye drops such as V ROHTO PREMIUM, as well as over-the-counter medicines and skincare products such as Hada Labo Gokujun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion. It also functions as a mother factory, serving as a base for quality control and logistics. In September 2022, the new C building of the factory began operations, and verification is underway to further utilize CPS (Cyber-Physical Systems).