[Introduction Case] Kyowa Electric Industry Co., Ltd. | Good manufacturing is born from "relationships." Evolution of communication between bases supported by temi
■Kyowa Dengyo Co., Ltd./Yamagata Kyowa Dengyo Co., Ltd.
Kyowa Electric Co., Ltd., a pioneer in strain gauges, has supported industrial and academic progress in the fields of measurement, control, and analysis. The company is headquartered in Chofu, Tokyo, with capital of 17 billion yen, consolidated sales of 149 billion yen, and 541 employees (as of June 2025, 6, according to the company's website). The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market and is highly trusted by research and development and production sites both in Japan and overseas.
Yamagata Kyowa Electronics Co., Ltd. is a family company of Kyowa Electronics Co., Ltd., a comprehensive manufacturer of stress measurement equipment with the top domestic market share, and serves as a production base for strain gauges and sensors.
How to use: temi at production sites to make remote visits from headquarters to promote mutual understanding
Efforts are being made to bridge the understanding gap between design and manufacturing by having design staff at the head office (Chofu, Tokyo) patrol the production site (Yamagata) remotely using the videophone and remote-controlled movement functions of the telepresence avatar robot "temi" (hereinafter referred to as "temi"), checking the work environment, communicating in real time with on-site staff, and participating in meetings.
How can we reduce the “psychological distance” from the manufacturing site?
In the manufacturing industry, "good manufacturing" is not achieved through superior design and production technology alone. The quality of the relationships built between headquarters and production sites, design and the field, and between departments determines the quality of the products and the overall strength of the team. Kyowa Electric Industry Co., Ltd. focused on these invisible "connections" and decided to introduce temi with the desire to "narrow the distance between bases and departments."
Background of the introduction: The "atmosphere on the ground" that cannot be conveyed by information sharing alone
Kyowa Electric, headquartered in Chofu, Tokyo, has a production base in Yamagata Prefecture as one of its bases, and has been working on various initiatives to strengthen cooperation between its bases. Although a certain level of information sharing was achieved through monthly video conferences and on-site visits, these methods alone had limitations in terms of grasping minute details of the manufacturing site, such as the "actual work flow," the "atmosphere," and "slight discomfort." In fact, small discrepancies that were not visible from the headquarters, such as the "condition of the work bench" and the "layout of the equipment and work lines," sometimes caused miscommunication and friction.
The deciding factor for adoption: the new idea of "experiencing the work site" with temi
Against this background, temi was introduced as part of a search for a way to "feel" the workplace on a more everyday and real-time basis. temi is an autonomous mobile robot with a tablet-type screen that can move freely around the production site via remote control and check the workplace from "your own perspective" in real time. Designers and managers can operate temi from the Chofu headquarters to look around the production site, and by showing their own faces on the tablet screen and speaking to on-site staff or checking the whiteboard, they can get the feeling that they are really "visiting" the site.
temi is accepted as a “relationship-building entity”
The sense that "someone is coming" is created, and the people at the site naturally start waving to temi and talking casually. This is proof that temi is accepted as a presence that builds relationships, unlike the sense of being "watched" like with a security camera. The person in charge at the production site also said, "The person who shows up at temi feels like they're actually there with us on site. There's no awkwardness there." This is a testament to the fact that the experience is the same as a face-to-face meeting. In the past, there was consideration of installing more security cameras, but this was rejected due to strong psychological resistance from the production site, and it was only because of temi that both parties can express an equal relationship that this was possible.
With temi, casual conversations that can’t be picked up in meetings naturally occur.
The biggest change after the introduction was the quality of communication itself. Small talk and sharing of small observations, which was difficult to do in a video conference in a conference room, occurred naturally over temi, and the psychological distance between the site and the design department was greatly reduced. One comment said, "One of the benefits of temi is that you can naturally talk about topics that are off the meeting agenda."
Future outlook: Possibility of expanding use and expanding to the entire design department
Currently, temi is still being used mainly by the members who led the introduction, but the person in charge expressed his hopes that "we will move in a better direction in the future by having other members of the design department use it more widely." temi is not just a tool, but is being positioned as a "starting point for mutual understanding" that will change the awareness and understanding of the site of the entire design department.
New use: Communicating the appeal of the workplace during training
The use of temi is also becoming more widespread. For example, during new employee training, temi can be used to show the atmosphere of the production site in real time, allowing employees to feel the appeal of the site and the working environment even when they are in a remote location. A person in charge said, "Another big benefit is that temi can convey our progressive corporate image."
Summary: temi reconstructs “understanding” and “relationships”
The existence of temi does not simply transfer information, but rather reconstructs "understanding" and "relationships." Head office and production base, design and the field. By reconnecting two locations that are supposed to be far apart through temi, it is possible that both product precision and organizational unity can evolve to a deeper level. We hope that the introduction of temi at Kyowa Electric will revolutionize communication between locations and serve as a catalyst for moving forward toward "better manufacturing."
