TOKYO REPORT: Japanese Group to Help Rural SMEs Adopt Robots amid Labor Shortages

Tokyo, Oct. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has set up a support organization, in cooperation with local governments, to accelerate robot adoption by small and midsize enterprises in rural areas. Aimed at boosting productivity despite labor shortages, the group will train advisers to help companies introduce and use robotics effectively and will share leading case studies from across the country. Population decline in nonurban areas is accelerating, and labor shortages are becoming more severe, particularly in manufacturing. As a result, many SMEs are struggling to secure new employees. The ministry argues that wider use of robots can help by automating task performance, boosting productivity and reducing the burdens of physically demanding work. A case in point is Arikawa Seisakusho in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, which specializes in mold manufacturing and press processing. The company had been unable to operate at full capacity due to a shortage of workers. After introducing two robots to automate the loading and unloading of parts and materials for its press machines, Arikawa Seisakusho increased production capacity by 9 pct. By promoting itself to students and other job seekers as an advanced, technology-forward workplace, the company also succeeded in hiring seven new employees. Adopting robots often requires digitalizing processes, overhauling workflows and redefining employee roles–changes that can be daunting for many SME owners. Projects also tend to falter if they are left entirely to engineers. In one case, a plan was scrapped after a cost dispute, while in another, the delivered system differed from the original vision and proved difficult to use. To address such challenges, some local governments have created advisory bodies to support companies in implementing robotics. A senior industry ministry official said, “We want successful models, such as Sagamihara (in Kanagawa Prefecture), which facilitates about 100 robot adoptions each year, to be replicated nationwide.” In parallel with these efforts, the Robotics & Regional Initiative Networking Group, or RING Project, was launched on June 30 to promote the adoption of robots through collaboration among local governments and SMEs. The group comprises about 30 local governments, including from the prefectures of Hokkaido, Fukushima, Aichi, Hyogo and Hiroshima, along with affiliated organizations, the industry ministry and the agriculture ministry. The annual membership fee is set at 100,000 yen. The RING Project plans to offer training sessions and develop tools that provide nationwide access to advanced case studies, enabling each region to cultivate trusted personnel who can offer advice on robot deployment. It will also host robot competitions that address local social challenges and organize events to build nationwide momentum for robot adoption. Members include the city government of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, home to a thriving manufacturing sector, which has supported companies in adopting robots since around 2013. A city official said, “We haven’t had many opportunities to learn from public-sector support case studies in other regions, so we’d like to use them as a reference.” Akihiro Matsumoto, a professor of mechanical engineering at Toyo University who helped establish the RING Project, said: “It’s important not only to provide one-off aid, such as subsidies, but also to share best practices. I hope support frameworks for SMEs will be created in every region so that they can learn from each other and boost productivity.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]