Launching a Joint Project with Takahashi Metal Industries Co., Ltd. under Shiga Prefecture's SME × Startup Open Innovation Program

WOGO Inc. (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Jingchao Qin; hereafter “WOGO”) is pleased to announce that, under the Shiga Prefecture Open Innovation Program for SMEs and Startups organised by Shiga Prefecture, it has been matched with Takahashi Metal Industries Co., Ltd. (head office: Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture; President: Yasuyuki Takahashi; hereafter “Takahashi Metal”), one of the prefecture’s leading mid-sized manufacturers, and that the two companies have begun a joint project.

■ Background and aims of the programme

Shiga Prefecture is home to many manufacturers with world-class core technologies. At the same time, keeping pace with rapid structural change in industry calls for new businesses created with outside resources, and for faster research and development. By bringing together Takahashi Metal, with its advanced metalworking technology, and WOGO, with its innovative 3D × AI digital technology, this programme aims to create new value beyond the boundaries of existing businesses and to launch new ventures that can reach the world from Shiga.

■ Scope of the collaboration

The collaboration combines WOGO’s advanced 3D scanning and modeling technology and AI solutions with the precision metalworking and environmental technologies Takahashi Metal has cultivated over many years. Specifically, we will work on the use of digital twins on the factory floor, the digitalisation of skilled workers’ expertise, and innovation in next-generation product development processes.

■ About Takahashi Metal Industries Co., Ltd.

Under the slogan “New life for metal”, Takahashi Metal is a core Shiga Prefecture company providing advanced metalworking technology across a wide range of fields, including automotive parts, environmental equipment and agricultural machinery. Building on its proprietary surface treatment technology and fully integrated production system, the company is advancing technology development towards a sustainable society.

URL: https://www.takahasi-k.co.jp/

■ About WOGO Inc. WOGO is a startup offering solutions that multiply 3D technology by AI, with the goal of realising next-generation manufacturing in which ideas can be turned into physical form instantly. Through high-precision 3D scanning technology that uses smartphone cameras and other everyday devices, and through the automatic generation of digital content, we are helping to drive digital transformation (DX) across industry.

URL: https://www.wogo.ai/

■ Looking ahead Through this programme we will first advance a proof of concept (PoC) and set out milestones towards commercialisation. By combining the expertise of a long-established manufacturer with the agility and technical strength of a startup, we will contribute to the vitality of the regional economy and to the evolution of Japanese manufacturing.