Mitsubishi Electric Buys HACARUS Stake in AI Inspection Push

Japanese electronics maker Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has announced plans to buy a stake in software group HACARUS Corp. in a move to further their current partnership in building artificial intelligence- (AI) based visual applications for the manufacturing sector.

The Tokyo-based company stated that the arrangement would allow it to tap into HACARUS’ AI capabilities to advance its creation and operation of integrated and automated AI-based visual inspection solutions, which would enhance customers’ production quality and productivity.

For the Kyoto-based firm, the collaboration would provide it with access to Mitsubishi Electric’s domestic and overseas sales network, potentially expanding the reach of its products and services.

Addressing Japan’s Weakening Labor Market

The Mitsubishi Electric-HACARUS partnership highlights the rising trend of AI adoption in the industrial segment as the Japanese labor market faces a shortfall and manufacturing requires more efficiency.

In December last year, the satellite systems developer released its AI visual inspection solution, “MELSOFT VIXIO.” Equipped with its proprietary Maisart AI, MELSOFT VIXIO automates visual inspection processes, improves production quality, and offers support to Japan’s labor slump.

Group President of the Mitsubishi Electric’s Factory Automation Systems Group, Toshie Takeuchi, stated that the automation of production lines gained more momentum due to the shrinking labor pool in the country.

Still, many of the visual inspections are manually done by humans, according to Takeuchi.

With HACARUS’ support, Takeuchi expects the company to respond more strongly to customer needs through MELSOFT VIXIO in tackling the manufacturing sector’s dwindling labor force.

HACARUS oversaw the development of “HACARUS Check,” a visual inspection system first introduced by the company in April 2022.

Aimed at the manufacturing domain, the tool utilizes compact AI technology to capture images of the subject being analyzed from different angles for examination. Such software automates the identification of cosmetic faults such as scratches, missing parts, pattern anomalies, and misalignments.

The HACARUS Check can also aid in predictive maintenance.

In addition to HACARUS Check, the firm has professional expertise in integrating AI with multiple factory automation devices.