The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's 2025 industrial accident statistics are the top story, showing a notable increase in the tertiary sector despite a downward trend in industrial accidents in manufacturing. The report also covers developments in digital transformation and safety measures, including Cognex's entry into the 3D machine vision market through its acquisition of RealSense.
Following the release of the 2025 industrial accident statistics, the number of people killed or injured across Japan is trending gradually upward. While the number of accidents in manufacturing is declining, increases are pronounced in tertiary industries such as retail, food service and other services. The rise in older and foreign workers amid labor shortages has been cited as a contributing factor. In response, thorough safety education and workplace safety measures are being strongly urged.
Cognex acquired RealSense, obtaining 3D sensing and AI technologies. This is expected to enable the company to make a full-scale entry into and expand in the market for 3D solutions for logistics transport robots and AI applications, in addition to its existing 2D image-processing business.
Panasonic Industry launched the EX-M160 series of limited-reflective photoelectric sensors. The built-in amplifier suppresses false detection of background objects, while the specifications, including 5V power supply compatibility and a 16 mm sensing distance, make the sensors suitable for installation in confined spaces.
At the EPLAN NETWORK 2026 panel discussion, participants discussed strengthening the linkage of design data and promoting data structuring and standardization. In light of labor shortages at worksites, the importance of initiatives linking data to manufacturing, wiring and processing was highlighted.
The feature on control panel equipment, PCs and controllers introduces new products from various companies, as well as product lines supporting edge processing and virtual PLCs, as the latest solutions for strengthening connections between worksites and IT.