Talking about Aisin’s futureTackling social issues with car navigation technology
Aisin's car navigation business has created numerous first-of-its-kind products and technologies, boasting leading-class global market shares. While promoting the business, we will try to create new services aimed at solving social issues faced by local governments and different business enterprises by applying the road guidance and location-based information technologies we have cultivated through the development process. Among the six companies established based on the business core, the areas we cover have an unknown number of possibilities. President Suzuki was interviewed regarding the future he envisioned.
Index
- 1. Changing society with road guidance and location-based information technologies!
- 2. In the connected field, the speed of response to service users is the most critical factor.
- 3. Offering services closer to people
CSS Company President Kenji Suzuki
Changing society with road guidance and location-based information technologies!
New kinds of experience created by the CSS company
In 1992, Aisin brought the first car navigation system with voice guidance into the world. The CSS company has been striving to help solve social issues ranging from transportation issues in areas with an aging and declining population to labor shortage issues in the logistics industry, using the road guidance and location-based information technologies in which it has been involved for years. The core of these is a service that uses location-based information technology, which is also applied to autonomous driving. In the field of location-based information, it is clear that Aisin has been involved a little longer than its competitors. However, many companies, such as those from IT and marketing, have also started to tackle these challenges. Even so, “The technology cultivated over the years in car navigation is an advantage that other competitors lack. In addition, Aisin, which develops and produces systems that integrally control the basic performance of cars, including driving, turning and stopping, can combine the vehicle data obtained therefrom with the technology. We collect information on vehicles, products and people on the platform and analyze the data to create new kinds of experiences, not things.” said Suzuki enthusiastically.
Several demonstration experiments have begun in collaboration with local governments and business enterprises. What we focus on is logistics support. In logistics, in addition to drivers, different people are involved, including operation managers, and people who send and receive goods. It is certain that each person has concerns: for example, Muri (overburden) and Muda (non-value added) in managing the operation status, empty space in a truck yard, a shortage of drivers, and training-related issues. The site used for experiments to help support the logistics industry is the huge in-house logistics network of the AISIN Group. Selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a business operator who strives to realize a new mobility service (distribution MaaS), we have been working on demonstration experiments.
For delivery to convenience stores, we have already provided a service that displays store chart information for each store, including approach routes and no-parking zones, on the car navigation system. Since this service can free drivers from the need to review the rules of each store while pressed by delivery time constraints, their work load is reduced and lack of experience can be compensated. At the development stage, Aisin employees followed such drivers to observe the actual site and identify issues.
“Human beings have created a lot of technologies, but the world still faces many concerns. This is because the companies that own the technology are far from the troubled sites. I want to reduce these distances.” Suzuki said, seeing great potential.
Solving issues in the community and society
Approaching with passion and solution
A wide range of social issues also show the breadth of business areas that the CSS company should tackle. The target of services is not limited to drivers and passengers.
Examples include a “road maintenance and management support service” that helps road managers, a rideshare service “Choisoko” that encourages the elderly to go out, and a “support service for parents” that started in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture and provides a workspace station which has a childcare center. We will look at business areas from a broad perspective and take a proactive approach to any field where we can apply technology.
How many concerns of people and issues of the community and society will be solved by the road guidance and location-based information technology? Technology and passion create solutions and change the future.
In the Connected field, the speed of response to service users is the most critical factor.
Spreading the wings of business areas to the world against the background of accelerating digitalization
“We apply Aisin's technologies to addressing social issues, and provide services. We may be able to solve only small things, but we will accumulate these to solve larger social issues.” asserted Suzuki.
We pick out essential issues to develop solutions, which become services. The key to business growth is the speed of response to a person facing a concern. “In the connected field, looking ahead to the times and speedily responding to people to whom we offer services are required. I think speed is the most important factor in this field.”
The CSS company pursues the creation of new values, not only in the hardware business but also in the solution business. Suzuki gives employees a supportive push, saying “Keep on trying.”
In the current situation amid accelerating digitalization, “The connected world has expanded and the number of people who can be connected has increased dramatically. I see this as an opportunity to accelerate collaboration with overseas,” stated Suzuki with optimism.
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