Robot makers look to IT for higher added value in Japan

Citation

(2001), "Robot makers look to IT for higher added value in Japan", Industrial Robot, Vol. 28 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2001.04928aab.001

Robot makers look to IT for higher added value in Japan

Robot makers look to IT for higher added value in Japan

Keywords Japan, Robots, Information technology

The coming year is crucial in forecasting a full-scale recovery by industrial robot manufacturers, with the focus seen on investment trends in Japan's private sector. With global restructuring accelerating, investment in plants and equipment is indispensable to the improvement of competitiveness. The question is how to turn latent demand into actual orders.

Robot makers see a window of opportunity in the information technology (IT) necessary to build high-value-added production systems and facilitate the smooth flow of information around companies.

"Although the output of industrial robots contracted in 1998", said Masamichi Honda, chairman of the Japan Robot Association, "it grew slightly in 1999, and should grow by 3 per cent in the year 2000, to about US$4 billion".

The industrial robot sector has begun to show real signs of recovery after a generally anemic industrial machinery industry also showed signs of a bottoming output situation. The favorable turn is attributed to firm exports to European and American automakers as well as to Asian electronics and electric machinery manufacturers in early 1999 through to mid-2000, with expectations of a further expansion.

There is a threat, however, that exports may come to a pause, due in part to a stronger yen currency. A full recovery after 2000 and well into 2001 is likely to hinge on how to persuade Japan's own robot users to commit themselves to capital investment plans.

Restructuring in the automobile industry is reportedly accelerating world-wide, with carmakers being constantly urged to construct efficient and high-value-added production systems so as to enhance their competitiveness.

In realising such systems, IT, including software and networks, acts as a kind of binder between different parts of the production process as well as between the manufacturing and the administrative divisions.

Robot makers incorporating IT are starting to make a major impact, led by Fanuc Ltd, which has established the system division, headed by managing director Atsushi Watanabe.

This new division is now building welding and conveyance systems by combining machinery, peripheral equipment and in-house developed factory-automation software while strengthening links with research laboratories.

Yaskawa Information Systems Co. Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yaskawa Electric Corp., has decided to use Microsoft Corp.'s operating systems actively in its robots. The move is aimed to enable customers to freely build easy-to-operate systems combining robots and machine tools supplied by different manufacturers. It has been difficult to set up systems combining robots and machine tools supplied by different manufacturers as the makers tend to use different operating systems but, if such systems are unified, all machines, regardless of producers, can be connected to fit the needs of customers.

Naoto Endo, deputy general manager of the control systems division at Yaskawa Information Systems, said, "Capital spending of customers will move to invisible investment such as information-related investment".

Capital outlay is classified into categories: investment that can be confirmed from the outside, such as the construction of new plants, and investment that cannot be easily confirmed, such as building of computer systems and networks. Endo believes that the latter will increase.

Emphasising the importance of this year to the industry, Fanuc chairman Seiuemon said recently that the year 2000-2001 "will be the year of returning to the starting point".