Keynote Speakers

Abstract: Lean manufacturing is often linked to its Japanese roots, yet the reality is far more complex – and far more exciting. While Toyota’s principles sparked a global movement, lean is not bound by geography. In fact, many Japanese firms have never even heard of it, while companies worldwide have implemented lean with varying degrees of success, sometimes under entirely false assumptions. In this keynote, Professor Powell will unravel the myths and truths of lean, drawing on two decades of research and hands-on experience guiding organizations toward excellence. He will also share his latest insights into how digitalization is reshaping lean thinking and practice in manufacturing firms. But the real game-changer? Artificial Intelligence. AI is not here to replace human expertise – it is here to amplify it. By enhancing organizational learning, AI can help manufacturers detect patterns, accelerate problem-solving, and drive continuous improvement at an unprecedented scale. The future of lean isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about creating smarter, more adaptive organizations that harness the power of technology to learn faster and perform even better.

Prof. Dr. Daryl Powell is a leading voice in the world of Digital Lean Manufacturing, blending cutting-edge research with real-world impact. As Chief Scientist at SINTEF Manufacturing and Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, he drives innovation at the intersection of lean thinking and digital transformation. He also holds a Visiting Professorship at the University of Bergamo in Italy. Recognized for his pioneering contributions and academic leadership, Powell was awarded the honorary title of Professor of Practice at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in 2021. A celebrated author, he has earned both the Shingo Research Award and the Shingo Publication Award for his work on The Routledge Companion to Lean Management and The Lean Sensei respectively. Most recently, he co-edited The Research Agenda for Lean Management, shaping the future direction of the field. With a career dedicated to bridging the gap between academia and practice, Powell continues his mission to help people break their misconceptions of lean.

Abstract: Our world that has dramatically increased labor productivity through mechanization and automation. On the other hand, the world that has changed labor structure through mechanization and automation. So, how should human and machine including AI interact in the future digital society?
Experts from Japan and Germany have been discussing this issue since 2017. As a result in 2019, we showed that when machines assist humans too much, the insight and creativity that humans should have is lost, and we published the result as a discussion paper in acatech that it will be important for humans and machines to share experience and knowledge, help each other, and continuously improve the productivity of human society in order to build a sustainable society.
However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, human society has undergone drastic changes not only in lifestyle but also in values. Far from enjoying the benefits of digitalization, we are in a polycrisis, with regional conflicts expanding and natural disasters such as climate change becoming more severe. In light of this reality, international experts are once again gathering to discuss the policy of what we should do, especially what we should do in collaboration with machines, including AI, to build a sustainable society.
This presentation introduces the discussion history and developed technologies related to this.

Dr. Youichi Nonaka joined the Production Engineering Research Laboratory of Hitachi Ltd. in 1992, working in R&D for industrial robot application systems, digital engineering technology, and production control technology. He was a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001.
He serves as an international expert and Japan representative to convening ISO / IEC international standardization activities since 2014, served as the director of the Manufacturing Systems Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering in 2017, serves as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University since 2018, etc.
At the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) in 2019, he promoted a Japanese-German industry-academia expert discussion on the new relationship between humans and machines in a digital society, and published it as a discussion paper from acatech.
He is a member of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering, the Japan Society of Precision Engineering, the Japan Academy of Engineering, the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), and the Germany – Japan IoT collaboration project.

Abstract: The national research program, SIP 3rd Period (2023-2028), “Establishment of foundational technologies and rules for expanding the virtual economy” was set as one of the 14 programs, and the speaker, Mochimaru, was selected as the program director. The virtual economy is an economic sphere that utilizes virtual space (metaverse), and is estimated to be a market size of 1 trillion dollars by 2030. It is expected that the virtual economy will be 30% financial market such as virtual currency, another 30% market such as online games, and the remaining 40% market that connects virtual space and real space. We named this third market “Interverse” and developed a strategy to utilize Japan’s strengths here. This aims to create Interverse services that expand value in virtual space and circulate it back to real space. We will promote research through concrete cases ranging from health, tourism, manufacturing, and office work to improving the value of towns, and form a technology base and software platform to widely deploy its use. In addition, we will advance research into international standards, human resource development, and ELSI to support these businesses. I will introduce the concept and strategy of the Interverse, as well as the status of specific individual research and development projects based on it, and look ahead to the human-centered future society that the Interverse will bring about.

Dr. Masaaki Mochimaru studied Mechanical Engineering and Ergonomics at Keio University in Japan, where he received his Master in Mechanical Engineering and PhD in Engineering. In 1993, he joined The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) as a researcher. In 2001, he was assigned as the deputy director of Digital Human Laboratory of AIST. In 2010, he launched and directed Digital Human Research Center of AIST. Through 2015-2018, he directed Human Informatics Research Institute of AIST. After November 2018, he directs a new research center, Human Augmentation Research Center of AIST. In 2023, he was assigned a fellow of AIST. His research interests are related to measurement and modeling of human functions and their applications. In recent years, his research interests are expanded to service engineering and servitization. Through 1997 to 2016, he was the chair of ISO TC159 (ergonomics)/SC3 (anthropometry and biomechanics). He was appointed as the chair of ISO TC 324 (sharing economy) in 2019, and also appointed as the chair of ISO PC 329 (consumer incident investigation guideline).