How Yamada Seisakusho improves grinding productivity with robots and standardization (1/2)

Making high-precision machining accessible to everyone

Yamada Seisakusho excels in grinding cylindrical or axial workpieces.

It has two robot systems with 30 employees. There are a large number of young female employees working in the factory. Yamada Seisakusho has focused on standardizing its work for more than 10 years, basing on the belief that everyone can machine with high precision.

Yamada Seisakusho’s catchphrase is “the company that makes a circle round” and the company excels in grinding cylindrical and axial workpieces and seeks high dimensional accuracy, coaxiality, and roundness on the micron level.

The company is responsible for machining a wide range of workpieces, including hydraulic parts and parts for printing machines, which require high machining accuracy, as well as parts for automobiles and electric power tools.

A skilled craftsman faces the machine at the site since the know-how is very important for grinding. If you imagine these scenes, you may be surprised at the atmosphere of the factory.

At the third plant, which started operation in 2017, two robot systems based on a vertical-articulated robot and a cylindrical grinding machine operate silently. In addition, A single cylindrical grinding machines are also equipped. There are a large number of young female employees working in the factory. 17 of the 30 employees are women, accounting for more than half of all employees. They are in charge of manipulating the cylindrical grinding machine.

Insights     Ash Kuwasaki, editor

During the interview with Yamada Seisakusho, I was guided through the factory where robotic systems had been implemented. I was impressed by the scene of young female workers operating robots and machines to the sound of music. The effective use of both female human resources and automation technology may be key for Japan’s manufacturing industry, which faces a labor shortage. Yamada Seisakusho, despite being a small business, has adopted both. How did they achieve this? The second part of the article will provide insights for small business owners considering automation.