The business of Japanese corporations for the production of electronics and components has been severely tested in recent years. But, Sony has been able to find salvation in the gaming segment, and the release of image sensors for smartphones has made up for setbacks in other areas. Now the company wants to automate the production of all electronic devices as much as possible.
The Financial Times quoted the head of Sony’s profile division, Kimio Maki. According to him, the acceleration of the automation of the production of electronic devices will be combined with the analysis of supply and demand using artificial intelligence systems. In such a combination, automated production will make it possible to more clearly predict market needs and improve the accuracy of planning production volumes and product range. This will avoid both deficits and surpluses.
Sony-branded TVs, smartphones and cameras will henceforth be produced with the maximum use of industrial robots. At a TV manufacturing facility in Malaysia, these measures will reduce costs by 70% in a couple of years from five years ago. According to a company representative, increasing the level of automation at the same time will improve the quality of products. Sony will not give up completely on the use of human labor in specialized enterprises.
Sony will not stop offering consumer electronics, but the bulk of the growth in this segment will come from an increase in professional solutions. Moving in this direction, the Japanese company has already managed to increase the profit margin from 3.3 to 7.2%, and in the future, the figure should improve to 10%, notes NIXsolutions. Sony’s restructuring in April helped to optimize costs and increase business profitability, further measures in this direction will be related to the automation of production and improving the quality of planning.