SME Japan Branch marks 55th anniversary

April 12, 2018

On February 23, 2018, the Japan Branch of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) held a ceremony commemorating the 55th anniversary of its founding at the Hiyoshi Campus of Keio University in Yokohama City.
On behalf of the guest, Mr. Ryuichi Kataoka, Director of the Commercial and Industrial Machinery Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, expressed his congratulations, and said, “We hope that the SME Japan Branch, which can cooperate with academic relations, will contribute to responding to changes in the world. A number of contributors were awarded. The participants received a warm applause from the branches.
In addition, Yoshimaro Hanaki, President of Okuma, gave a special commemorative speech entitled “Evolving Mechanical and Electrical Integration Technologies and Prospects for Smart Factories” (photo). President Hanaki, who received the “Eli Whitney Productivity Award” from the SME Headquarters in fiscal 2017 to recognize outstanding achievements in the manufacturing industry, spoke about the company’s history of developing the world’s first practical CNC, which is also the reason for the award. He also explained the importance of smart factories, which attracted great interest from the participants.