2015 July C8 – The Current State of Robotics In Japan

Japan has been very famous for past successes in building the economy to one of the largest in the world.  Gone are the days of household name recognition of names like Sony, Sharp, and many other consumer products manufacturers.  A new time has begun.  A few areas that make Japan stand out these days are “Made in Japan” quality, animation/gaming, and robotics.

In the July CI meeting we will welcome Mr. Tadahiro Kawada.  Mr. Kawada is CEO of Kawada Kyogo which is a company specializing in steel products for bridges and other infrastructure. One of their recent high profile projects is providing for the Tokyo SkyTree project.  Besides steel, another very interesting area of the Kawada Kogyo business is the robotics area.  This is a recognized growth area by Japan.  One of Prime Minister Abe’s is to enhance the robotic industry which is one of the industries where Japan has a competitive edge globally.  It is also perceived as one of the ways to address the labor shortage and low productivity in Japan, so it has become a critical industry for Japan’s future.  Mr. Kawada has robots that work alongside people on assembly lines which is quite unique and how he implements his philosophy of “humans should always be in control” is interesting.

Come join us at the July CEO Insights to learn more about how one Japanese leader sees the future.  Special thanks to Ernie Higa for arranging this meeting!