| Canon Inc. is moving toward fully automating digital camera production in an effort to cut costs — a key change being played out across Japan, a world leader in robotics. If successful, counting on machines can help preserve this nation's technological power. |
Relying on machines may help to maintain Japanese technological leadership — not the stereotype of machines snatching assembly line jobs from workers, Jun Misumi — company spokesman, said Monday.
Despite these words, the race against the machine is obviously underway for Japanese workers.
The move toward machine-only production will likely be completed in the next few years, perhaps as soon as 2015, said Misumi, although he declined to give specific dates.
Japanese manufacturers have been moving production abroad recently to offset the earnings damage from the soaring yen.
Fears are growing about a hollowing-out of Japan Inc. as jobs move to China, Malaysia, India and the rest of Asia, where labor costs are cheaper.
Misumi was adamant that jobs won't be cut at Canon.
"When machines become more sophisticated, human beings can be transferred to do new kinds of work," he said.
Despite growing pressure from the high yen, many Japanese firms are innovating production efficiency to keep annual Japan production at high levels, by reducing costs through boosting robotics use.
Akihito Sano, professor at Nagoya Institute of Technology, said Japan needs to do more to fine-tune its sophisticated technology so robotics can become more practical, and was doing some soul-searching lately about practical applications.
SOURCE Yahoo News
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