Robert Boguski, President, Datest

Has inflation or higher interest rates caused a slowdown in 2023, and are you expecting a rebound in business in 2024?
In Japan, the rise in the price of imported materials and energy costs led to a rise in raw material costs, manufacturing costs, and labor costs, leading to a rise in prices, but on the other hand, exports had the opposite effect, resulting in a decline in profits based on the number of units shipped. Now it turned positive.

In 2024, looking at the economic situation in China, signs of economic recession in the United States, and issues of conflict, it is difficult to expect the economy to pick up due to environmental factors. We believe that movements that create demand are necessary.

Will you be launching new products or services in 2024?
The progress of automation in recent years has been very remarkable, and behind this is the problem of securing human resources. Particularly at production sites, automation is an important element in securing personnel, reducing the time and cost required to acquire skills, and avoiding risks such as turnover. Therefore, we plan to sell equipment that meets these needs. One is the Solder Residue cleaning system after semiconductor removal.

Originally, this work required very skilled personnel, but we created a system that anyone can perform this task. We also plan to sell an automatic underfill peeling device as a new product. In addition, we are planning to release new products such as pre-heaters that are compatible with large boards such as 5G.

Have supply chain shortages caused problems, if so, what has your team done to reduce issues for 2024?
There were no major impacts on the supply chain. However, difficulties remain in arranging PCs. We have a system in place to secure inventory based on these forecasts.

With hiring remaining a challenge, what can the industry do to help develop skilled workers?
Employment issues are a major issue worldwide. We believe that the solution lies in automation, which many companies are already working on. I believe that the theme of this will be how to respond to these changes, with the potential for the production of new technologies and new cultures.