Hitachi President Kojima: “Empowering Frontline Workers with Data and Technology”

The Hitachi Social Innovation Forum (HSIF) 2024 JAPAN, the Hitachi Group’s largest event for presenting the Group’s business strategies and advanced initiatives, was held by Hitachi, Ltd. at the Tokyo International Forum.

President & CEO Keiji Kojima gave the keynote speech that opened the event, stating that Hitachi will focus on “innovation in the Gemba¹” using data and technology. He expressed his determination that “Hitachi will strive hard to realize Gemba where frontline workers can work energetically.”

Assembly workers at manufacturing plants, truck drivers that work in logistics, nurses who support the medical field… these are all examples of frontline workers who work in a variety of industries using both their bodies and minds to support our society. However, President Kojima remarked: “The efforts of frontline workers have supported the strength of the Gemba, Japan’s pride in the global arena” and this strength is now at risk due to a shortage of labor.

He continued: “Frontline workers must simultaneously achieve numerous goals, including safety, quality, productivity, and the environmental consideration, within a limited time frame in a constantly changing environment. While labor shortages in the Gemba have become a social issue globally, the tasks that frontline workers perform are extremely complex activities that require a flexible response to changes in the environment while using the body and mind in an integrated manner in real time and cannot be replaced easily by digitalization.”

However, if technology can expand the abilities used by humans in the Gemba, and if technology can be integrated and leveraged by humans, “It is possible to reduce the physical and mental burden on frontline workers and improve their wellbeing,” said President Kojima, proposing a way to solve this problem.

How can technology be used to achieve this? Let’s focus on the four human abilities that frontline workers leverage in the Gemba: thinking, communicating, sensing, and working.

First, the ability to think will be enhanced. Generative AI will be able to learn not only text but also various types of information, including drawings, video, and audio. By leveraging a site-specific generative AI that has learned work records and know-how, workers will be able to instantly refer to information they need to know and utilize it to make decisions.

Moreover, the development of 5G and 6G high-speed communication environments will enhance the ability to communicate. If high-definition images and documents can be shared in real time, frontline workers in different locations can closely share information and collaborate with each other.

And then there is the ability of the five senses. The use of sensing technology and virtual reality is effective for sharing and monitoring the on-site environment. Enhancing the ability of the five senses of workers to be able to detect abnormalities and risks based on sounds and videos of the work site, along with checking health conditions through biometric data and workload monitoring, will directly lead to improved safety and quality at the work site.

Furthermore, robotics technology enhances human work ability. Assistive devices and drones that support manual labor will reduce physical strain and enable safe and quick inspections of high places and large areas.

By enhancing the four human abilities used by frontline workers in the Gemba in this way, Hitachi will use the power of data and technology to create the lively Gemba where frontline workers are empowered. By creating an environment in which frontline workers can work energetically, safety, quality, productivity, and environmental consideration in the Gemba can be further improved.

President Kojima further emphasized an important point: “I believe that only humans have all-round capabilities and can tackle the challenge of creating new value by integrating the four enhanced abilities.” And he declared: “We are tackling the challenge of creating the value that only humans can deliver. This is the kind of innovation in the Gemba that Hitachi wants to achieve.”

Hitachi is promoting various initiatives to enhance the human abilities of frontline workers. One such initiative is the “railway metaverse.” This is a virtual space that reproduces actual railcars and track data.

In the case of Tobu Railway, based on the design data of the new limited express train “Spacia X” that connects Asakusa to the Nikko/Kinugawa area, a train with the wiring and equipment layout was built in a digital space, and discussions have begun for practical use in the future.

A major issue now is how to pass on the skills and know-how of veteran workers, and Hitachi intends to use the railway metaverse for training and information-sharing across a wide range of generations.

For example, before new workers perform actual maintenance work, they can check procedures and precautions in the digital space of the railway metaverse and consult with veteran workers on anything that they find unclear. They will also be able to take advantage of the generated AI to refer to past maintenance records and other information in a timely manner.

President Kojima outlined its benefits: “The railway metaverse enables more intuitive and smooth training and skill transfer while communicating with colleagues.”

To promote innovation in the Gemba as described so far, it is important to integrate a board variety of cutting-edge technologies, including AI, communications, robotics, and virtual reality. Hitachi is committed to collaborating with technology companies that have cutting-edge technologies, such as NVIDIA and Microsoft. Furthermore, the company is aggressively investing in and partnering with startups in a variety of areas, including robotics, and is promoting co-creation with many partners to solve issues in the Gemba.

President Kojima said: “Hitachi has a board range of knowledge and technologies across IT, OT, and products. We have long been committed to integrating them to develop and provide solutions in a variety of fields,” emphasizing that “Hitachi's strength lies in its power to integrate a board range of cutting-edge technologies.”

As innovation in the Gemba progresses in various industries, new social issues, such as increased burden on infrastructure and human resources development, are expected to appear. There is a limit to what each company can do by simply optimizing individually to overcome those challenges. Industrial sector, government, research institutions, and others must work together to tackle these issues.

The 2020s could be a turning point in which infrastructure, industry, and Gemba undergo major changes. To overcome the challenges of an era of great change, President Kojima urges people to “think about what we can do together.”

President Kojima spoke passionately about his determination and resolve: “We at Hitachi will support the social infrastructure of the new era with the power of technology. We will strive to promote innovation in the Gemba through co-creation with our partners and customers to realize an empowered Gemba and a bright society.”