ABEJA and Yamazaki Mazak Begin Collaboration to Implement Physical AI on the Manufacturing Floor

ABEJA, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yousuke Okada; hereinafter “ABEJA”), which aims to “Implement a Fruitful World” through human-AI collaboration, has entered into a business partnership with Yamazaki Mazak Corporation (Headquarters: Oguchi-cho, Niwa-gun, Aichi Prefecture; President and CEO: Takashi Yamazaki; hereinafter “Yamazaki Mazak”) to launch a joint development project aimed at implementing Physical AI on the manufacturing floor.

Utilizing “ABEJA Platform,” the two companies will advance the implementation of Physical AI to help Yamazaki Mazak’s clients enhance productivity and reduce costs, while contributing to solving critical social challenges in manufacturing, such as labor shortages and the transfer of technical skills.

　■ Background

Guided by its corporate philosophy, “Implement a Fruitful World,” ABEJA operates an enterprise platform business centered on ABEJA Platform, enabling its client companies to successfully implement AI in real-world operations and achieve continuous advancement. ABEJA Platform is an implementation foundation that enables AI to move beyond Proof of Concept (PoC) and into actual production. By integrating decision-making through Agentic AI with execution via Physical AI, it handles data, decision-making, and operations as a unified whole, thereby supporting the advancement of operations in the real world. Furthermore, based on the “Human in the Loop” architecture, where humans and AI collaborate, it enables the production deployment of AI from the initial stage, realizing “Zero PoC.” This makes it possible to continuously enhance AI while integrating it into business processes, even for mission-critical operations.

Founded in 1919, Yamazaki Mazak is one of the world’s leading companies, developing and providing high-precision machine tools that support a wide range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, and precision equipment. It has lowered the difficulty of metalworking and achieved the standardization of manufacturing skills and automation through initiatives such as process consolidation using multi-tasking machines capable of performing multiple machining operations with a single unit, and the development of automated control systems that allow operators without specialized knowledge to intuitively create advanced machining programs.

Currently, the manufacturing floor in Japan is required to achieve higher levels of productivity and flexibility than ever before, driven by the growth of sectors such as aerospace, semiconductors, and electric vehicles. However, process design, production planning, and setup operations still rely heavily on the experience and expertise of skilled workers, meaning labor shortages and skills transfer are major challenges. As a solution to these challenges, there has been growing interest in Physical AI, where AI recognizes situations, makes judgments, and autonomously controls robots and equipment. In the machine tool industry as well, there is a growing need for systems that go beyond simply optimizing machining processes to support manual decision-making and tasks throughout the entire manufacturing process.

Against this backdrop, ABEJA has partnered with Yamazaki Mazak to begin joint development aimed at accelerating the practical implementation of Physical AI and realizing autonomy on the manufacturing floor.

Through this joint development, the two companies will enhance AI-powered solutions and further advance existing products and services to help Yamazaki Mazak’s client companies improve productivity and reduce costs on the manufacturing floor.

ABEJA believes this initiative will increase the efficiency and autonomy of physical operations on mission-critical manufacturing floors, where errors are not tolerated, while also accelerating the implementation of Physical AI.

Currently, the manufacturing industry is a key sector, accounting for approximately 20 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product (GDP).*

Through the partnership with Yamazaki Mazak, a leading company in the machine tool industry, we will support productivity improvements on client companies' manufacturing floors and contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Japan’s manufacturing sector. This initiative will contribute to a fundamental improvement in the productivity of Japan’s manufacturing sector and serve Japan’s national interests over the medium to long term.

　■ Overview of the Joint Development

In this initiative, we will leverage ABEJA Platform to develop AI agents that support the optimization of machining processes and production schedules, as well as build a robot behavior learning environment, using the “Human in the Loop” approach in which AI evolves through human collaboration. The developed AI agents, after deployment, will continuously learn from operational data and on-site know-how, adapting to each client company’s production environment to support the optimization of machining processes and production schedules.

Through these efforts, we aim to implement Physical AI and achieve autonomy in manufacturing floor operations.

(1) Development of AI Agents for Optimizing Machining Processes

We will develop AI agents that automatically formulate and suggest machining process designs, including methods, sequences, and cutting conditions, tailored to specific parts.

Designing machining processes requires specialized knowledge and experience, and transferring knowledge and decision-making criteria related to process design has become challenging due to the declining number of skilled technicians. The AI agents to be developed through this initiative will make such tacit process design knowledge available throughout the organization, which will contribute to standardizing work quality and reducing production lead times.

(2) Development of AI Agents for Production Schedule Optimization

We will develop AI agents that formulate and propose optimized production schedules for machine tools and automation systems, taking into account production plans, equipment utilization status, component inventory information, and on-site operational know-how.

As process management becomes increasingly complex due to factors such as high-mix, low-volume production, it has become critical to rapidly revise production schedules in response to changing conditions, such as sudden component shortages or urgent orders. The AI agents will support prompt revision of production schedules and flexible production responses, aiming to improve equipment utilization rates and ensure stable production.

(3) Development of Robot Behavior Learning Environment

To enable the autonomous operation of automation systems such as robots and transport devices, we will build a robot behavior learning environment utilizing ABEJA Platform.

In this environment, tasks ranging from the collection and storage of operational data from the manufacturing floor to the training and evaluation of AI models, as well as the verification of operations on actual equipment, will be carried out comprehensively. The aim is to achieve advanced automation and autonomy for robots and transport devices.

　■ Outlook

ABEJA and Yamazaki Mazak will develop AI agents that propose optimizations for process design and production schedules, as well as a robot behavior learning environment aimed at implementing Physical AI, with the goal of achieving autonomy on the manufacturing floor.

Furthermore, by leveraging ABEJA Platform to utilize data and on-site know-how obtained from manufacturing sites for continuous learning and improvement, we will develop AI agents that adapt to the specific production environments of each of Yamazaki Mazak’s client companies.

In the future, we will implement the AI agents developed through this initiative into Yamazaki Mazak’s machine tools and related automation systems to support their client companies in improving productivity and reducing costs, thereby contributing to sustainable manufacturing.

*Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “White Paper on Manufacturing”

　■ About Yamazaki Mazak Corporation

Since its founding in 1919, Yamazaki Mazak has supported the global manufacturing industry by developing and manufacturing machine tools. Today, the company operates production, sales, and service locations both domestically and internationally, offering a wide range of products, including multi-tasking machines, machining centers, CNC lathes, laser processing machines, and automation systems.

In addition, the company is actively developing proprietary CNC technologies—including MAZATROL—as well as digital solutions that enhance efficiency on the production floor, remaining committed to improving customers' productivity and realizing sustainable manufacturing.

Office Address: 1-131 Takeda, Oguchi-cho, Niwa-gun, Aichi Prefecture

Establishment: 1919

Representatives: Tomohisa Yamazaki, Chairman and Representative Director

　　　　　　　 Takashi Yamazaki, President and Representative Director

Products: Hybrid multi-tasking machines, multi-tasking machines (multi-function machining centers), 5-axis machining centers, CNC lathes, CNC control systems, vertical machining centers, horizontal machining centers, laser cutting machines, automation systems, CAD/CAM systems, manufacturing support software

URL ：https://www.mazak.com/jp-ja/

　■ About ABEJA, Inc.

Guided by its corporate philosophy, “Implement a Fruitful World,” ABEJA operates an enterprise platform business centered on ABEJA Platform, enabling customers to successfully implement AI in real-world operations and achieve continuous advancement. ABEJA Platform is an implementation foundation that enables AI to move beyond Proof of Concept (PoC) and into actual production. By integrating decision-making through Agentic AI with execution via Physical AI, it comprehensively handles data, decision-making, and operations to support the advancement of business operations in the real world. Furthermore, based on an architecture premised on “Human in the Loop”—where humans and AI collaborate—it enables the production deployment of AI from the initial stage, realizing “Zero PoC.” This makes it possible to continuously enhance AI while integrating it into business processes, even for mission-critical operations.

Office Address: Bizflex Azabujuban 2F, 1-1-14 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0073, Japan

Establishment: September 10, 2012

Representative: Yousuke Okada

Business: Enterprise Platform Business (Enabling customers to successfully implement AI in real-world operations and supporting its continuous advancement)

URL ：https://abejainc.com