Japan looks to AI as coronavirus challenges go-and-see quality control mantra
By Naomi Tajitsu and Makiko Yamazaki
TOKYO (Reuters) - At a factory south of Japan's Toyota City, robots have started sharing the work of quality-control inspectors, as the pandemic accelerates a shift from Toyota's vaunted "go and see" system which helped revolutionise mass production in the 20th century.
Inside the auto-parts plant of Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co Ltd <7220.T>, a robotic arm picks up and spins a bevel gear, scanning its teeth against a light in search of surface flaws. The inspection takes about two seconds - similar to that of highly trained employees who check around 1,000 units per shift.
"Inspecting 1,000 of the exact same thing day-in day-out requires a lot of skill and expertise, but it's not very creative," Chief Executive Hiroshi Otsuka told Reuters. "We'd like to release workers from those tasks."
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TOKYO (Reuters) - At a factory south of Japan's Toyota City, robots have started sharing the work of quality-control inspectors, as the pandemic accelerates a shift from Toyota's vaunted "go and see" system which helped revolutionise mass production in the 20th century.
Inside the auto-parts plant of Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co Ltd <7220.T>, a robotic arm picks up and spins a bevel gear, scanning its teeth against a light in search of surface flaws. The inspection takes about two seconds - similar to that of highly trained employees who check around 1,000 units per shift.
"Inspecting 1,000 of the exact same thing day-in day-out requires a lot of skill and expertise, but it's not very creative," Chief Executive Hiroshi Otsuka told Reuters. "We'd like to release workers from those tasks."
...
Read More on Datafloq
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