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

Nine Sigma Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Akihiko Suwa; hereinafter referred to as "Nine Sigma") and Design Ethnography Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shigeki Yamamoto; hereinafter referred to as "Design Ethnography") will jointly hold a free online seminar titled "Design Theory for Manufacturing: Connecting Technology to Value ~R&D Consulting x Design Firm Discuss Practical Methods Required in the VUCA Era~". Registration opens today.

"We have the technology. We're looking at the market. Yet, why isn't it translating into business?" - Are these questions being repeated in manufacturing settings? Even when pursuing high functional specifications, expected results are not achieved. Even when carefully gathering customer feedback and developing products, there's a disconnect from 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 industrial boundaries are blurring and development functions and information are becoming homogenized, simply "responding directly to visible information" through either product-out or market-in approaches makes differentiation difficult. What's needed is not to increase the amount of information, but to re-examine the perspectives of both technology and value.

To bridge this gap, we see potential in "design" as a design process. By abstracting disparate elements such as technological data and market needs, and aligning them within a common context, we can identify the points where technology connects to value. This is not about product decoration, but a process of assembling into meaningful forms (value) – a perspective of design that is still not fully utilized in manufacturing.

In this seminar, Nine Sigma, which has long supported technology-driven innovation in manufacturing, and Mr. Shigeki Yamamoto, Representative Director 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 ideas and practical methods on why the gap between technology and value arises, and how to overcome it through the collaboration of two companies with different expertise.

Design Theory for Manufacturing: Connecting Technology to Value ~R&D Consulting x Design Firm Discuss Practical Methods Required in the VUCA Era~

●Speakers:

Shigeki Yamamoto, Representative Director, Design Ethnography Co., Ltd.

＜Biography＞ Graduated from Nagoya City University, Faculty of Design and Engineering (Product Design Major). Started his career as a graphic designer, then worked for an organizational/HR consulting firm and a fashion marketing company before establishing Design Ethnography Co., Ltd. in 2014. Assumed the position of Representative Director. In addition to providing branding support for a wide range of clients from startups to established companies, he has also been involved in numerous innovation support projects, including the creation of new business ideas and R&D themes for major manufacturers.

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