The group of about 40 second-year students from Fukuroi Municipal Asaba Junior High School visited the site that day. They were amazed by the impressive sound of the engines echoing through the final inspection area.
Tours of Yamaha Motor’s motorcycle assembly plant will resume in the fall of 2024, with the total number of participants exceeding 35,000 since 2004. Visitors can experience the latest technology up close, including AGV automated guided vehicles.
Factory tours are back after a four-year hiatus
After a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, factory tours at Yamaha Motor’s corporate museum, Communication Plaza, will resume in the fall of 2024. The popular program, which has been running since 2004 and is aimed at schools and students, has had a cumulative total of more than 35,000 participants.
It is mainly used as a lesson for comprehensive learning (exploration) in elementary and junior high schools, and sometimes applications come in from high schools, universities, etc. Let’s explore the appeal of factory tours that are highly rated by local educational institutions.
Tour of the latest production system using AGV automated guided vehicles
After reopening, the assembly plant has newly introduced a bypass production system using AGVs (automated guided vehicles). Each motorcycle is made up of approximately 1,000 to 3,000 parts, and the plant efficiently processes the massive volume of approximately 9,000 types of parts, totaling 600,000 parts, that arrive every day.
Kazuyuki Kamihira of Communication Plaza says, “I would like visitors to see for themselves how we solve various issues in assembly, such as workbenches that can be adjusted to suit the physique of the worker, a management system to prevent parts from being left out of assembly, and AGVs that move to the next process by themselves to avoid traffic jams.”
From a high vantage point overlooking the entire factory, they observed assembly using the AGV bypass method, and asked many questions.
Experience technological innovation at the manufacturing site
A major feature of the tour is that visitors can see assembly using the AGV bypass system from a high vantage point that offers a panoramic view of the factory. At a site where multiple models are assembled at the same time, visitors can see firsthand the meticulous planning and ingenuity of the equipment that allows multiple different products to be assembled efficiently in small quantities at the same time.
The climax is the final inspection process, which emphasizes human sensitivity
The climax of the factory tour can be called the final inspection area, where each vehicle is inspected for over 100 items . Even second-year junior high school students sometimes ask questions such as, “Could this inspection be replaced by AI or something?”, but the staff from the Production Management Department who act as guides provide detailed explanations.
“Of course, final inspections must be carried out precisely according to established rules, but at Yamaha Motor we place great importance on human sensitivity. Motorcycles are operated by people, and we believe there are imperfections that only an inspector with extensive experience can spot.”
Impressions of the manufacturing industry have changed dramatically
After the tour, many students commented that their impression of the manufacturing industry had changed, with comments such as, “I had the impression that (assembling motorcycles) was hard work, but the work environment was well-equipped and I learned that it is actually a job that requires technical skills,” and “I would like to work in this factory in the future.”
After the factory tour, you can also visit our corporate museum, “Communication Plaza.”
Extensive exhibition viewing at the company museum
After the factory tour, you can also enjoy viewing the exhibits at the company museum, Communication Plaza. It’s a valuable opportunity to learn about Yamaha Motor’s history, technology, and product evolution.
Some schools will send reports and other materials afterward, and Uehira says, “These also serve as encouragement for employees involved in production.” Reservations are already beginning to come in from early autumn through the end of the year, mainly from schools near the head office.
Contributing to the development of manufacturing leaders
Yayoi Tokudome of the Public Relations Group commented, “In recent years, a shortage of workers in factories has become an issue due to the declining birthrate and aging population, as well as the negative image of the working environment in the manufacturing industry. By having the students actually see the AGV bypass system, I feel that we were able to change their impression.”
This initiative is based on the hope that tours of our factory will help increase the number of people working in the manufacturing industry in the future .
