[Free Online Seminar] 'Design Theory for Manufacturing' Connecting Technology to Value

NineSigma Holdings, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Akihiko Suwa; hereinafter "NineSigma") and Design Ethnography Inc. (Headquarters: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shigeki Yamamoto; hereinafter "Design Ethnography") will jointly hold a free online seminar [Design Theory for Manufacturing Connecting Technology to Value: Practical Methods Required in the VUCA Era Discussed by R&D Consulting x Design Firm]. Registration begins today. "We have the technology. We are looking at the market. So why doesn't it lead to a business?" — Hasn't this question been repeated on the frontlines of manufacturing? Even if high functional specifications are pursued, they do not reach the expected results. Even if customer feedback is carefully collected and commercialized, it misses the essential needs. Even with advanced information gathering and analysis using generative AI, the fundamental gap between technology and business value remains unresolved in many workplaces. In an era where industry boundaries are dissolving and development functions and information are standardized, it is difficult to differentiate simply by "responding head-on to visible information" in either product-out or market-in approaches. Therefore, what is required is not to increase the amount of information, but to question the very perspectives of both the technology side and the value side. To bridge this gap, we see potential in "design" as a design process. By abstracting disparate elements such as technical data and market needs, and matching them on a common context, we find contact points where technology connects to value—the process of assembling into a meaningful shape (value) rather than decorating a product is exactly the design perspective that has not yet been fully utilized in the manufacturing industry. In this seminar, NineSigma, which has long practiced technology-driven innovation support for the manufacturing industry, and Mr. Yamamoto, representative of Design Ethnography, who has extensive experience supporting the creation of new business ideas and R&D themes from a designer's perspective, will delve into the theme of "Design Theory for Manufacturing" in a dialogue format. We will deliver concrete concepts and activity methods on why the gap between technology and value arises and how to overcome it through collaboration between two companies with different expertise. Design Theory for Manufacturing Connecting Technology to Value ~Practical Methods Required in the VUCA Era Discussed by R&D Consulting x Design Firm~ ● Speaker: Shigeki Yamamoto, Representative Director, Design Ethnography Inc. Graduated from Nagoya City University, School of Design and Architecture (Product Design major). Started his career as a graphic designer, and after working for an organization/HR consulting firm and a fashion marketing company, established Design Ethnography Inc. in 2014 and assumed the position of Representative Director. While providing a wide range of branding support for startups to long-established companies, he also handles numerous innovation support projects, such as creating new business ideas and R&D themes for major manufacturers.