To ensure stable operation of the laser unit and prevent avoidable downtime, it is essential to perform periodic preventive maintenance through daily monitoring and diagnosis of the unit running status to uncover early signs of trouble.

• We monitor the unit operation status, analyze the status based on the monitored data, and provide the customer with a periodic diagnostic report.
  
  
• As a basis for proposing optimization of the unit condition, this report is useful not only for preventing avoidable downtime but also for enhancing productivity.
  
  
• In 2001, we developed and introduced to the field a remote diagnosis tool, “REDeeM (Remote Equipment Data Management),” to promote preventive maintenance.
  
  REDeeM makes full use of the Internet to enable real-time sharing of unit running data with our customers, thus helping to speed up preventive maintenance and countermeasures against trouble.
  
  

We are working on further enhancement of total service capability, including the skills of our engineers, in order to further reduce downtime by shortening the time required for troubleshooting and replacement of modules or parts.

• At Gigaphoton, engineering and technical information on the laser units is shared by all of our service bases worldwide via our customer support network. This allows us to accumulate technical information systematically and easily, and to easily and quickly deliver the latest technical information worldwide.
  
  For enhance the training of our engineers, we have introduced a unique Internet-based e-learning system supplemented by periodic skill training sessions. This e-learning system enables our engineers to improve their skill level at their local bases.
  
  

• We are now studying introduction of a parts supply system that allows optimization of spare parts inventories worldwide in order to quickly respond to parts replacement requests from our customers or replacement needs at occurrence of trouble.
  
  
• This parts supply system will allow timely supply of spare parts based on status information about parts inventories worldwide while monitoring unit running status via the Internet. We are now at the system design stage, aiming to introduce the system in 2005. We believe that this system will allow us to supply spare parts in a timely manner to each customer according to the running status of every laser unit at the customer.