Intralogistics | Daifukus away into the future: CTO Takuya Gondoh about strategy, innovation and artificial intelligence

Daifukus away into the future: CTO Takuya Gondoh about strategy, innovation and artificial intelligence

The world changes at a breathtaking pace. Artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological advances are increasingly shaped almost all branches of industry. In the area of ​​material flow systems in particular, these innovations open up unexpected opportunities to master complex challenges in logistics and production. Daifuku, a worldwide leading company in material flow automation, recognized this early. Therefore, the company consistently relies on forward -looking technologies to promote its growth and offer its customers innovative solutions.

In order to give a deeper insight into how Daifuku uses the latest technologies to achieve its ambitious goals, Daifuku had an revealing conversation with Takuya Gondoh , the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and head of the company's Business Innovation Division. Gondoh explained the strategic efforts of the company to create real added value for its customers and society through the development and implementation of groundbreaking technologies.

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The role of the CTO and the strategic orientation of Daifuku

Gondoh described his central role as CTO as follows: his main task is to identify growth areas and social challenges from a technological and research -driven perspective. Building, it is important to recognize potential fields of application for the company's own technologies, to develop comprehensive research and development strategies and to invest in the basics of innovations. With this strategic approach, Gondoh wants to actively promote the development and introduction of advanced technologies and the creation of new business areas. All of this ultimately serves the overarching goal of realizing long -term vision “Driving Innovative Impact 2030”.

This vision is more than just a catchphrase for Daifuku; It embodies the profound commitment of the company for innovation and its claim to significantly shape the future of material flow technology. “Driving Innovative Impact 2030” is a guiding star that leads the entire company in its strategic decisions and operational processes.

In the conversation, Gondoh emphasized that Daifukus success in the past was largely based on the company's ability to listen to the needs of its customers carefully. This customer -oriented approach forms the foundation of the corporate culture. Building on this understanding of customer requirements, Daifuku developed specific research and development strategies in its various business areas in order to create tailor-made solutions. These strategies led to the development and implementation of highly specialized technologies, which proved themselves in practice and gave customers a real competitive advantage.

Over the years, every Daifuku division has built up a considerable treasure trove of specialized technological know-how, extensive knowledge and unique skills. This expertise is a crucial competitive advantage and enables Daifuku to also meet complex and individual customer requirements.

Examples of AI applications in various business areas of Daifuku

In order to illustrate the specific use of AI technologies, Gondoh gave some impressive examples from the various business areas of Daifuku:

Manufacturing and distribution industry

In these industries, Daifuku has developed AI-based image processing for picking robots. These intelligent robots are able to visually recognize, grab and sort products, which significantly increases efficiency and accuracy in warehouse and logistics centers. In addition, a AI-controlled order processing was implemented for the mixed pallet loading. This technology optimizes the loading process of pallets with different articles, which is of crucial importance in modern logistics, in which individualized orders are increasingly common. The AI ​​analyzes the orders, calculates the optimal pack order and thus ensures maximum use of the loading space and a minimization of transport damage.

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Semiconductor production

In the highly sensitive production lines of the semiconductor industry, Daifuku also relies on AI to increase efficiency. In concrete terms, AI is used to optimize the route planning of overhead transport vehicles (OHTS), which Wafer-the basis for microchips-transport between the various machining stations. Efficient route planning is essential in this area because the production processes are highly complex and time -critical. Due to the AI-based optimization of the transport routes, throughput times can be shortened, production capacities can be increased and costs reduced. In addition, the AI ​​contributes to avoiding potential bottlenecks and ensuring a smooth production flow.

Pharmacies

Ki also plays an increasingly important role in healthcare, especially in pharmacies. Daifuku uses KI to improve the accuracy of prescription test systems developed by its electronics business. The recipe test is a critical process in pharmacies, since errors in the medication regulation can have serious consequences for the patients. AI-based systems can support pharmacists in this task by automatically analyzing recipes, identifying potential errors or inconsistencies and thus increasing the safety and efficiency of the medication. These systems can, for example, recognize interactions between medication, uncover dosage errors or check whether a medication is suitable for a specific patient.

These examples illustrate how diverse the applications of AI are in the various business areas of Daifuku. They also show that Daifuku not only relies on AI in a certain sector, but also pursues a comprehensive strategy in order to use the potential of this technology in all relevant areas.

Promotion of cooperation and the exchange of knowledge within Daifuku

However, Gondoh pointed out that despite their extensive expertise, the individual business areas of Daifuku often develop similar technologies independently. In order to create synergies and accelerate the development processes, he also sees his role as CTO in promoting cooperation between the company's business areas. The targeted exchange of knowledge and experiences should make it possible to develop technologies even faster and to put it into practice.

This comprehensive cooperation is a crucial factor for Daifukus innovative strength. By bundling the expertise of its various business areas and promoting open exchange, double developments can avoid, resources are used more efficiently and new, innovative solutions are launched faster. This approach is particularly important in a time of rapid technological change, since it enables Daifuku to stay agile and to quickly adapt to new developments.

Daifukus company -wide initiative to cope with long -term challenges

In order to further strengthen Daifuku's innovative strength and prepare the company for the challenges of the future, a company -wide initiative was launched in 2023. The aim of identifying, visualizing long -term business challenges and then targeting this project.

A central aspect of this initiative is to ensure that the discussions do not remain on a purely theoretical level, but result in concrete measures. To ensure this, a wide -ranging team of employees from various business areas and central functions, which ranges from young managers to area managers, was put together. This variety of perspectives and experiences is crucial to get a comprehensive picture of the challenges and develop practical solutions.

Four sub-committees were formed for the project, each concentrating on specific priorities: strategic planning, AI development and funding, personnel and process management as well as common infrastructure.

The work of the sub -committees of Daifuku in detail

Each of the four sub -committees plays an important role in the implementation of the company -wide initiative and contributes to preparing Daifuku for the future.

Strategic planning

This committee focuses on the identification of technologies that will be of strategic importance for Daifuku over the next 10 to 20 years. Based on future forecasts and trend analyzes, technologies are determined that should be prioritized for future research and development activities. The work of this committee is of crucial importance to ensure that Daifuku not only reacts to current customer needs, but also proactively anticipates the technological developments and positions itself early in promising future fields. This requires a predictive way of thinking and the ability to recognize disruptive technologies and their potential effects on the material flow industry.

AI development and funding

This committee has the task of selecting and implementing AI development topics that can be used in all business areas of Daifuku. The aim is to open up the potential of AI technologies throughout the company and use synergies. The committee identifies applications for AI that can create added value for different business areas and coordinates the development and implementation of corresponding solutions. This can include, for example, the development of generic AI models or tools that can be adapted and used by various business areas. In addition, the committee plays an important role in promoting knowledge exchange and the best practice in the field of AI within the company.

Personnel and process management

This committee is dedicated to the important task of checking and updating the competence profiles of the technical employees of Daifuku. In view of the rapid technological change and the increasing importance of areas such as AI, robotics and data analysis, it is crucial that employees have the necessary skills and knowledge in order to use these technologies effectively. The committee analyzes the current competencies of the technical employees, identifies qualification gaps and develops measures for further training and competence development. This includes, for example, the creation of skill maps, the definition of further training programs and the promotion of lifelong learning. The aim is to ensure that Daifuku has a highly qualified and future -oriented team of technical experts.

Common infrastructure

This committee works on the creation of a data infrastructure that improves data exchange and data use throughout the company. In today's data -driven world, efficient data infrastructure is of crucial importance for the success of a company like Daifuku. It enables data from different sources to bring together, analyze and use it for well -founded decisions. The committee develops a common data platform that enables all departments of Daifuku to access relevant data, share it and use it together. This promotes transparency, improves cooperation and enables the development of data -driven innovations. In addition, the committee deals with questions of data security and data protection to ensure that the data infrastructure corresponds to the highest standards.

Each subcommittee consists of four to five members and usually meets twice a month. Gondoh attaches great importance to the work of the committees and tries to take part in all meetings to pursue progress, give impulses and ensure that the initiative achieves the desired results. Its active participation underlines the importance that Daifuku advocates this initiative and shows that innovation and strategic development in the company are top priority.

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Promotion of a future -oriented way of thinking within Daifuku

A central aspect of Gondoh's efforts is the promotion of a future -oriented way of thinking for all employees of Daifuku. He emphasized that the company's previous approach in product and technology development was heavily customer-oriented and rather at short notice. The development cycles usually focused on a period of a few years. However, a long -term approach with a view to the future is required for groundbreaking innovations. It is important to anticipate future business opportunities at an early stage and to develop technologies in order to be able to optimally use these opportunities.

In order to achieve this transformation in the thinking of the employees, Daifuku relies on various measures. An important building block is the sensitization of employees to the importance of innovation and long -term strategic planning. Through internal communication campaigns, training and workshops, employees should be encouraged to look outside the box, to develop new ideas and to actively participate in the design of the future of Daifuku.

Gondoh reported that the members of the sub -committees have already internalized this future -oriented way of thinking and have a proactively exchange information and generate new findings and ideas. He hopes that this positive trend will expand to all employees of the company in the future. In order to accelerate this change throughout the company, Daifuku relies on the creation of “Early Wins”, that is, early successes that motivate the employees and demonstrate the potential of innovations.

Daifuku's internal AI system as an accelerator for innovation

A central instrument for promoting future-oriented thinking and the acceleration of innovations is the development of a company-wide AI-based system. This system is to be used in all business areas of Daifuku and include three key functions:

Similar problem search

This function aims to shorten the response times for system failures. For this purpose, a comprehensive database with past system failures is built up. With the help of AI, relevant errors are quickly identified and provided to the employees. By converting implicit knowledge (the experience of experienced employees) into explicit knowledge (which is stored in the database), younger and less experienced employees should also be able to restore systems as quickly as their experienced colleagues. This leads to a significant reduction in downtimes and an increase in system availability. In addition, the function for knowledge security and knowledge transfer in the company contributes.

Digitized inspections

This function relies on the use of sensors to digitize vibrations and other operating data of systems and machines. The collected data is then analyzed using AI to identify potential failures at an early stage and to ensure stable operation. This forward -looking maintenance (predictive maintenance) enables maintenance work to be planned and carried out proactively before unplanned failures. This reduces downtimes, lowers maintenance costs and increases the lifespan of the systems. In addition, the digitized inspection data can be used to optimize system efficiency and continuously improve the production processes.

Ki-Chatbot for manuals

This function provides an intelligent chat bot that accesses an extensive database with company manuals. Employees can ask the chatbot questions on various topics and immediately receive precise answers. This facilitates access to relevant knowledge, saves time when looking for information and relieves experienced employees of recurring inquiries. The AI ​​Chatbot thus acts as a “digital knowledge assistant”, which is available to the Daifuku employees at any time and anywhere and helps them to do their work more efficiently. In addition, the chat bot helps to centralize the corporate knowledge and make it better accessible.

The first test runs of some of these functions began in various business areas of Daifuku in 2024. By creating a state -of -the -art system that can be used in all business areas, Daifuku wants to show its employees the importance of future -oriented technologies and innovations and inspire them for these topics. The internal AI system should therefore not only increase efficiency and productivity, but also serve as a catalyst for a more comprehensive innovation culture in the company.

Talent development as the key to the success of Daifuku

Gondoh emphasized that digital transformation and the use of AI are crucial for the transformation of business processes and internal processes, but there is a blatant lack of specialists in these areas. It is therefore essential to rely on the development of your own employees in addition to recruiting external experts.

Daifuku pursues a comprehensive strategy for talent development, which includes various initiatives:

Company-wide e-learning programs for DX (digital transformation) and AI

These programs serve to improve the digital competence and understanding of AI of all Daifuku employees. They convey basic knowledge of digital technologies, data analysis and artificial intelligence and should enable employees to recognize and use the potential of these technologies in their everyday work. The e-learning programs are accessible to all employees and can be flexibly integrated into everyday work.

D-adapt Data Science training program:

This program is aimed at selected employees at important locations in Japan and provides you with advanced knowledge and skills in the field of data science. The participants learn to identify challenges, use data effectively and to develop data -driven solutions. The program includes both theoretical basics as well as practical exercises and case studies. The aim is to train the participants into data science experts who are able to carry out complex data analyzes and gain valuable knowledge for the company. Daifuku plans to expand this program to all of its locations worldwide in the future to ensure that 10 % of the workforce in DX and AI are trained.

These human initiatives not only aim to impart knowledge and skills, but also to reduce psychological barriers to advanced technologies. Training and further training should encourage employees to deal with new technologies, to reduce fears and to actively use the opportunities of digital transformation. Daifuku is aware that the employees are the key to the success of the digital transformation and therefore invests specifically in their further training and competence development.

Gondoh's vision for the future of Daifuku

Finally, Gondoh commented on his vision for the future of Daifuku and his personal perspective as a CTO. He emphasized that technology is generally undoubtedly of crucial importance, but the company's economic success also plays an equally important role. Technological lead alone is not enough. Even if Daifuku has a lead in certain technologies, which will only be relevant in 10 to 20 years, the company must always think about how these technologies can contribute to business success.

This requires analytical thinking and the ability to recognize problems, find solutions and to put these solutions into practice. At Daifuku you strive to promote a corporate culture in which employees actively look for problems and solutions to create new added value. Daifuku not only relies on internal skills, but also promotes open innovation through partnerships with start-ups and universities. These collaborations are intended to further expand Daifukus technological expertise and promote the growth of the company in the medium to long term.

Gondoh's explanations conveyed a clear picture of Daifukus strategic orientation and its commitment to innovation. The company recognized the potential of AI and other advanced technologies at an early stage and consistently relies on their use in order to strengthen its competitiveness and offer its customers innovative solutions. At the same time, Daifuku attaches great importance to the development of its employees and the promotion of an innovation -friendly corporate culture. Due to this comprehensive strategy, Daifuku is well positioned in order to continue to play a leading role in the material flow industry in the future and significantly shape the future of logistics and production. The vision “Driving Innovative Impact 2030” is more than just a motto - it is a promise to customers, employees and partners of Daifuku that the company will continue to do everything possible to make a positive contribution to society through innovations and to make the world a bit better.

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