Accenture and Japanese robotics company Mujin have established a joint venture for the manufacturing and logistics industries.

Called Accenture Alpha Automation, it aims to help companies automate their management infrastructure with data-driven technology that seamlessly combines data from manufacturing and logistics operations with management data. The joint venture is owned 70% by Accenture and 30% by Mujin.

Mujin provides intelligent automation for industrial sites. Its intelligent robotics platform enables companies to deploy industrial robots without the typical complex settings and integration, including motion settings and peripheral equipment, often required for other robotics systems.

The joint venture will combine Mujin’s experience in industrial robotics and automation with expertise from Accenture’s Industry X (www.accenture.com/us-en/about/industry-x-index) digital engineering and manufacturing service.

Accenture Alpha Automation’s offerings will integrate previously disconnected operational data from manufacturing and logistics sites with business management data, such as the company-wide supply chain status, financial information and market information. Accenture and Mujin will bring these to clients to help them make faster, better decisions and hyper-automate their manufacturing and logistics processes.

“Manufacturing is the cornerstone of Japanese industry,” said Atsushi Egawa, who leads Accenture’s business in Japan. “Driving sophistication and efficiency in manufacturing and the logistics that support manufacturing is essential for Japan’s further growth. By teaming with Mujin, a leader in robotics technology, Accenture will be able to help our clients take advantage of AI and robotics to connect data throughout the manufacturing and logistics value chain, further contributing to the data-driven transformation of Japan’s important manufacturing and logistics industries.”

Mujin CEO Issei Takino added: “Our mission is to make industrial robots intelligent and easy to use so they can improve productivity and quality and help create new value in an aging society. The new joint venture, which builds on our agreement with Accenture, will utilise our robot automation technology to drive a paradigm shift in the manufacturing and logistics industry and bring new value to customers first in Japan, then around the world.”

Accenture has also invested directly in Mujin through Accenture Ventures, marking its first Project Spotlight investment in Asia. Project Spotlight is an engagement and investment programme focused on companies that create or apply disruptive enterprise technologies. The programme offers access to Accenture’s domain expertise and its enterprise clients, helping technology companies adapt to the enterprise market and scale faster and more effectively.

Accenture Alpha Automation is based in Tokyo and started operations this month. It will consult and develop automation concepts in the manufacturing and logistics industries.

Dublin-based Accenture (www.accenture.com) is a professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organisations build their digital core, optimise operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services. It has about 743,000 employees serving clients in more than 120 countries.

Mujin (www.mujin.co.jp) develops machine intelligence for robot controllers that are designed as a common platform for industrial and collaborative robots specialising in logistics and other pick-and-place applications. Launched in Tokyo in 2011 with offices in China, Europe and the USA, Mujin works with many of the world’s largest companies to make material handling applications easier to deploy, more accurate and less costly.