Kyocera Builds Smart Factory

Kyocera Corporation (Kyoto, Japan) started construction of a new facility on the premises of their Yasu manufacturing complex in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. This facility will develop and produce their own proprietary automated production equipment, enabling the company to strengthen their use of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing. The company held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 3 at the site. “We are excited to welcome the new production facility here in Shiga, which will contribute our company’s factory automation. By reforming production processes, we aim to double productivity,” said Yoshinobu Ozaki, the manager of the Shiga Yasu Plant.

The recent domestic labor shortage is gradually impeding the growth of the Japanese economy. According to Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the population of Japanese workers age 15-64 totaled approximately 76 million in 2017 – and is expected to decrease to around 60 million by 2040. This population decline has become a global issue as other developed nations face similar conditions. To overcome this rapid labor shortage, Kyocera encouraged their production sites to adopt cutting-edge technologies, including AI and robotics, which can double productivity. Further, the company aims to achieve higher growth and profitability by reducing costs while reforming their production processes.

As part of a comprehensive action plan toward doubling productivity, Kyocera will consolidate partial operations from two different sites – a research and development site currently located in Daito, Osaka, and a manufacturing site in Yohkaichi, Shiga – with their manufacturing site in Yasu, Shiga, that produces equipment for the company’s own factories and offices. By moving these sites to the Yasu plant and doubling space for development and manufacturing, the company will establish a high-speed development process.

global.kyocera.com