(No. 3662)
January 22, 2024
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
HACARUS, Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric, HACARUS to Expand AI Visual-inspection Business
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and HACARUS Corporation announced today that they have agreed toexpand their collaboration in the development of AI-based visual-inspection applications for manufacturing.
As part of the agreement, Mitsubishi Electric will take an equity stake in HACARUS.
The strategic partnership will leverage the resources and technologies of both companies to increase
synergies aimed at maximizing mutual technological and business potential. By leveraging HACARUS'expertise, Mitsubishi Electric expects to accelerate its development and provision of integrated andautomated AI-based visual-inspection solutions that will enable customers to improve manufacturing quality
and overall productivity. For HACARUS, the collaboration will provide access to Mitsubishi Electric's
extensive sales infrastructure in Japan and overseas.
HACARUS Check is a visual-inspection solution equipped with a unique, compact AI. In addition to AI
development, HACARUS also specializes in integrating AI with various factory automation (FA) devices. In
December 2023, Mitsubishi Electric released MELSOFT VIXIO,* an AI-based visual-inspection softwareequipped with the company's proprietary Maisart AI technology to automate visual-inspection processes for
improved manufacturing quality and to address the problem of Japan's shrinking labor force.
"As part of our strategy for the FA systems business, we are addressing key challenges facing modernsociety," said Toshie Takeuchi, Group President of Mitsubishi Electric's Factory Automation Systems Group.
"The automation of production lines is accelerating due to labor shortages, but many visual inspections arestill performed manually by humans. Through this collaboration, we look forward to strengthening ourresponse to customer needs through MELSOFT VIXIO, supported by HACARUS' expertise in AI-based
visual inspection, to address labor shortages in the manufacturing sector.""Since HACARUS founding in 2014, our company has sought to "measure" in a variety of industrial areasand has made it its mission to contribute to society by creating additional value from data using the latest
technologies such as AI, IoT and robots. For customers in the manufacturing industry, we offer HACARUS
Check, a product that reduces the manual labor required for visual inspection. Through this capital andbusiness alliance, we will strive to develop solutions that promote digital transformation at manufacturing
sites, focusing primarily on surface inspection, by combining Mitsubishis Electric’s FA products andknowledge with our AI technology to solve social issues such as the decline in the working population,"
said Takashi Someda, CEO at HACARUS.
Mitsubishi Electric’s FA systems business is strengthening its portfolio of solutions for the digitalization ofmanufacturing and the promotion Circular Digital-Engineering. To further automate and digitize processes,
including design, production, testing, operation and maintenance, Mitsubishi Electric is steadily investingand partnering with software companies to provide customers with best-in-class products and solutions.
In recent years, shrinking labor forces, especially skilled labor, in various countries has negatively impacted
manufacturing productivity levels. One response has been the adoption and development of rule-based visualinspection** using image-processing technologies. However, difficulties in detecting defects such as scratches
and uneven colors are increasing the demand for AI technology that can further automate inspection processes
and reduce burdens on product inspectors.

*

Visual inspection software that allows users to use AI without any specialized knowledge
https://www.MitsubishiElectric.com/fa/products/software/image-processing/vixio/index.html** Method of confirming quality by using image-processing technology to determine the length, area, etc. of a specified position
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Overview of Mitsubishi ElectricLocation
Establishment
Business
URL

2-7-3, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
January 15, 1921
Development, manufacture, sales, and service of products such as infrastructure,industry mobility, life, and business platform
https://www.MitsubishiElectric.com

Overview of HACARUS
Location
EstablishmentBusinessURL

Oike Building 8F, 206 Takamiyacho, Nakagyo-ward, Kyoto-city, Kyoto
January 14, 2014
Development, sales, and support of products and solutions for DX using AI, IoT, androbots
https://hacarus.com

Contacts
Customer Inquiries
Factory Automation Systems Group
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
https://www.MitsubishiElectric.com/fa/support
Product Division
HACARUS Corporation
sales@hacarus.com
Media Contacts
Public Relations Division
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
prd.gnews@nk.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp
PR Marketing GroupHACARUS Corporation
pr@hacarus.com

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