What Do You Mean by Automation Ratio? Definitions by the Japanese Auto Makers

Abstract

It has often been pointed out that definitions of automation ratio or degree of automation differ from company to company and from process to process. In one of the European plants known for its advanced automation, for example, the engineers at the company claimed that the automation ratio of their final assembly line was about 50%. An engineer at a Japanese company, who visited the same plant recently, admitted that the assembly line in question was one of the most advanced in the world, but reported that the automation ratio was estimated to be around 10%. Another engineer from another Japanese auto maker estimated it to be about 15%. Of course, no one is telling a lie, and no one is making a bluff in this case. This seems to be a simple matter of difference in definition.

This paper is based on [1,2]. A survey for this paper was conducted by the Committee for Research on Optimal Automation Systems in the Automobile Industry, which is chaired by Professor Koichi Shimokawa of Hosei University and is organized by Japan Technology Transfer Association (JTTAS). Professor Hisanaga Amikura of Chiba University and Mr. Takashi Matsuo, Doctoral Candidate at Tokyo University, were particularly instrumental in compiling the data. Mr. Seigo Onishi and the staff of JTTAS facilitated distribution and collection of the questionnaire. The author is grateful to the respondents of the survey, as well as the above people.