This may be an understatement. Mitsuo Okamoto. president and CEO of Amada, made the comment during an interview in a conference room adjacent to his office, several floors up at company headquarters. Windows flanked us on two sides, and over Okamoto's left shoulder was another office tower where several hundred software engineers worked. Total the company has close to 500 software engineers on the payroll. Okamoto opined the benefits of digitization, how it streamlines operations and allows metal fabricators to increase productivity without adding workers (Amada has its VPSS, or Virtual Prototype Simulation System, that allows users to verify details virtually before making parts). The CEO also mentioned another, less talked about benefit: to develop a database of "company know-how." Digitizing metal fabrication leaves a comprehensive database so fabricator skill can be preserved and passed on.
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