"Aren't factories making the same thing every day?"

In accordance with that, visual inspection is also changing every day.

Many work sites have likely already begun to notice this.

Relying solely on manufacturers or outsourcing is becoming insufficient to keep up with the daily changes occurring on-site.

Even when generic equipment or AI is used, it may work well at first but becomes a poor fit after a few months. While there is a sense that something must be done, current operations are already nearing their limits.

Because new initiatives come with responsibility, people hesitate to get involved or speak up.

To address this, Megatrade Co., Ltd. (Kyoto) is providing "OpenAA®"—equipment software specialized for visual inspection—as free open-source software and proposing community participation, aiming to lower the barrier for work sites to respond to changes on their own.

Even with the same production line, equipment, and conditions, products are rarely manufactured in an identical state due to slight variations in material lots, temperature, humidity, and the condition of the production equipment.

Since products change, the conditions for the visual inspection used to judge them must also inherently continue to change.

With OpenAA, visual inspection can start small.

Work sites can build their own customized inspections and connect them to actual machinery.

This allows for the creation of a system that can respond to changes internally without depending on manufacturers or external contractors.

The software is free.

Participation in the community is also free, and paid support can be chosen if necessary.

Until now, visual inspection began with submitting a request for approval as an investment project and finalizing specifications.

It was not uncommon to eventually find oneself forced to adapt to the manufacturer's specifications.

OpenAA aims to liberate users from that cycle.

There are work sites where staff wanted to "try automation using cameras" but couldn't because they lacked the budget.

In such places, one can begin with tests and experiments using existing in-house cameras.

OpenAA is a system that lowers the hurdle for automating visual inspection.

The "OpenAA (Open Application Architecture)" open-source project promoted by our company is

not just visual inspection software.

In order to respond to ever-changing manufacturing sites, it includes:

• Software

• On-site education

• Technical support