‘Microsoft’ of Machine Tools Runs Plants From Mount Fuji Base
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At the base of snowcapped Mount Fuji sits a bright yellow compound that is home to one of Japan’s most profitable -- and secretive -- companies.
Fanuc Ltd.’s systems tell lathes, grinders and milling machines how to turn steel into an Apple Inc. iPhone case or aluminum into the rib of a Boeing Co. 747. More than half of the world’s computerized tools, including those used by suppliers to Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co., use Fanuc controls.