Ricoh and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have established a strategic partnership to promote the use of knowledge assets in design operations through AI. They will conduct a verification study using LLMs/LMMs in an on-premises environment to organize and leverage the knowledge assets contained in design documents and drawings, as well as the tacit knowledge of experienced engineers.
In the manufacturing industry, design know-how and technical documents are sources of competitive strength, while insufficient use of the vast amount of design information and the reliance on individual experienced engineers are recognized as challenges. Creating mechanisms for transferring and leveraging technical knowledge is becoming increasingly important.
As part of the initiative, Ricoh's AI technology will be combined with Kawasaki Heavy Industries' operational data and technical documents to conduct verification tailored to the practical design and engineering environment. LLMs/LMMs will be used as a generative AI platform in an on-premises environment to verify the organization and visualization of tacit knowledge.
As for the roles of the two companies, Ricoh will provide an on-premises-compatible multimodal LLM that enables the secure use of highly confidential data. Use of Hi.DEEN, an enterprise AI platform, is also envisioned. Kawasaki Heavy Industries will provide the technical documents, drawings and design know-how accumulated over many years.
Looking ahead, the companies aim to accumulate and deploy insights that contribute to resolving labor shortages and technology-transfer challenges in Japan's manufacturing industry by advancing design operations through the effective use of knowledge assets.