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| Science & Technology |
| Canon Seeks Full Automation in Camera Production |
| 2012-05-15 |
| [An Nahar] 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 -- not the stereotype of machines snatching assembly line jobs from workers, Jun Misumi -- company front man, said Monday. 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. And fears are growing about a hollowing-out of Japan Inc. as jobs move to China, 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. Toyota Motor Corp. is also working on beefing up automated production not only to cut costs but achieve better quality. In a recent plant tour for news hounds, Toyota showed how welding got much faster and more precise through instantaneous laser-welding. Toyota used that technology to make Lexus luxury models move and withstand sharp turns better. Despite growing pressure from the high yen, Toyota is innovating production efficiency to keep annual Japan production at 3 million vehicles, about a third of its global production, by reducing costs through boosting robotics use. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 gorb, as I said I am fairly well versed in economics (poli sci major, eco/math minor ... now stop laughing, I was young and naive) The question still remains government will have to provide an education education in what? How many current new grads are at best under employed because there are not enough jobs in their fields even for the engineers no less the physicists? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2012-05-15 19:48 |
| #4 For a while. They can go off and learn more useful stuff. There will come a point when the government will have to provide an education. |
| Posted by: gorb 2012-05-15 15:43 |
| #3 So where will all the workers transfer? Why to welfare of course. |
| Posted by: rwv 2012-05-15 15:14 |
| #2 human beings can be transferred to do new kinds of work," I've plenty of training in economics so I have heard all the "answers" to this question but I have to ask again....."What KINDS of work?" The ever growing reliance on automation pretty much precludes the movement of workers to other "construction" work. How many programmers do you need? How many people that build cameras, cars, etc. could actually do a good job at brain work? The things that are left that can't (yet) be easily automated are the jobs that don't pay well at all. The ones that do pay well are not needed in large numbers. That's the whole point of increasing productivity. So where will all the workers transfer? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2012-05-15 10:58 |
| #1 As long as the Canon Hackers Software Development Kit still works with the new cameras ... I don't have a pro or con position. |
| Posted by: Water Modem 2012-05-15 01:41 |