August 2005

P. 13   Frank Opinion

The Toyota management system is effective in improving IT infrastructure

P. 15   Kaleidoscope

Fuel-cell powered robots make their debut, and their favorite food is hydrogen

P. 19   Detailed Reports

P. 19   The energy efficiency of fuel cells for cell phones is increasing

P. 21   Honda Motor has reduced the takt time for a mixed-flow production line to less than 50 seconds, and the company beats Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor in terms of speed

P. 26   Kobe Steel has confirmed the efficacy of its antibacterial plating technology against corona viruses

P. 27   New complex processing machines have a processing capability that is equivalent to MC and NC lathes

P. 28   A company has successfully reduced costs by increasing the ratio of self-manufacture and also produces large-scale plastic molds

P. 29   Kawasaki Heavy Industries promotes the application of an approach that does not require test production to plate molding and undergoes trials and errors using simulations

P. 30   Giichi Marushima, an advisor to Canon, says that he has an objection to current employee invention systems

P. 31   Tempbros establishes a supply base in Brazil in order to look for high-quality human resources for manufacturing sites

P. 32   As the two-dimensional conceptual design function has been enhanced, it becomes effective in utilizing existing data

P. 33   UGS launches Teamcenter 2005, which enhances interactivity between modules

P. 34   It is now possible to check the latest cost prices in real time

P. 52   Feature: A New Age of Labor Saving – If the Number of Workers Declines—

P. 46   Part 1: Why is labor saving important now?  As in the decreasing population provides opportunities, we should take preemptive measures to take advantage of them


P. 54   Part 2: How to make the following tasks easier

P. 58   Case 1: Driving a truck; One driver can drive two trucks while making the first truck steer the second one using a rod

P. 60   Case 2: Making the rounds; A robot takes on-site photographs automatically and transmits the evidence via wireless LAN  

P. 62   Case 3: Preserving the records; Automatic conversion of voices into text data allows call center operators to concentrate on responses to callers

P. 64   Case 4: Precooking onions; A labor-intensive method is abandoned, and traceability is ensured

P. 66   Case 5: Nursing care at bath time and bedtime; Applied control of household electric appliances reduces the burden of caregivers

P. 68   Case 6: Grilling a steak; Grilling a steak using the residual heat that builds up in a steel plate, by controlling the temperature with an infrared sensor

P. 70   Case 7: Growing rice; Rice-planting can be done by just spreading a sheet on the ground, and unmarketable cotton is used effectively

P. 72   Case 8: Growing vegetables; The ground is not cultivated, but holes are dug on it, and the way to robotization is paved by simplifying tasks

P. 73   Case 9: Filling bowls with rice; Light, fluffy rice that would amaze even a waitress at a Japanese restaurant can be made by loosening up steamed rice with feathers and rollers

P. 81   Chinas Secrets, Japans Secret Plans

Part 8: Merely screws, yes, but theyre still important (the sequel); There are reasons why they are cheap

P. 85   New Ideas

Automatic dust extraction mechanism of vacuum cleaner filters

P. 89   Search for Manufacturing

Chances and risks for the manufacturing industry in China

P. 97   Accident Investigation: Emergency Report

Silent time bombs are not limited to asbestos

P. 105   Special Report

Products targeted at Chinese consumers can no longer compete only in price

P. 113   Special Report

3D models leave the nest of CAD

P. 124   The Method 

New TRIZ (Final Part): An easy way to put TRIZ into practice by using USIT

P. 128   Project Management Without Depending on Experience and Intuition

Part 2: Creating a mechanism to use metrics effectively

P. 135    Documentary

Development of Legend by Honda Motor (Final Part): Searching for a higher mountain to climb

P. 140    Studying Hot Products

Car Navigation Systems: Transforming cars into infotainment centers

P. 142    Material Dynamics Mandala

Part 8: Designing bolted joints (II)

P. 149    Treasure Box of Embedded Software

Part 8: Reviews by third parties/ Inspections halve the number of tasks that are returned for correction

P. 153    Outstanding SMEs

- Nagoya Precision Mold, well known for its injection molds, cultivates a new market of gas-assisted injection molding

- Sanriki, which specializes in metal processing, manufactures various products using a wide range of technologies

P. 207    The Master

Part 15: There is value in providing impeccable treatment

P. 210    Diary of an IT Consultant

Introduction of IT by taking the future into consideration; Establishing the basis for corporate growth