CEATEC 2023 was held at Makuhari Messe from October 17-20, 2023. Based on its concept "Toward Society 5.0," exhibitors displayed how they are "aiming to realize Society 5.0, which balances economic development with solutions to social issues, bringing together technology, information, and people from all industries and business sectors to envision the future through 'co-creation'". Mitsubishi Electric Group exhibited a variety of products, services, and technology based on the concept of transforming itself into a "recycling-oriented digital engineering company" that contributes to the realization of a sustainable society through a wide range of technology and co-creation, including cutting-edge technology and integrated solutions, as stated in its corporate strategy. Mr. Akira Komada of the CX Communication Department, Corporate Advertising Division, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, who worked as the executive committee - Mr. Yoshiki Ono of the Research & Development Public Relations Strategy Group, Planning & Administration Department, Corporate Research & Development, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - and Mr. Yasuyuki Nakae of the Public Relations Group, Marketing Planning Department, Automotive Equipment Planning Department, Automotive Equipment Marketing Division, Automotive Equipment Group, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, look back on the exhibition, their passions and achievements in CEATEC 2023.

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- CEATEC 2023 promoted to balance economic advancement with the resolution of social issues with the concept of "Toward Society 5.0". How did Mitsubishi Electric understand this goal?

Komada: We thought that the economic advancement and resolution of social issues advocated by CEATEC would ultimately lead to the realization of sustainability. Since Mitsubishi Electric Group is positioning the realization of sustainability as the cornerstone of its management, we believe that CEATEC is looking in the same direction.

- This year, Mitsubishi Electric exhibited in three different zones related to sustainability: "Global environmental protection," "Safety/Security society," and "Vibrant lives of all people." As a member of the executive committee, how did you come up with this style?

Nakae: There were two points on our mind on booth planning. First was how to clarify the problems in today's society to convey our approach to address them. Second was how to get visitors to feel the future we showed will affect them.

Komada: In terms of internal operation, we have made sure that everyone can be facing the same direction in the process of making decision. On the planning phase, we involved members from various divisions in the discussion of our exhibit concepts and themes. Also, we shared them with executive committee members to make a consensus at the meetings. Since we think of CEATEC as a "corporate exhibition," not a trade show, one of our missions was to express the commitment of the entire Mitsubishi Electric Group to realize sustainability, in addition to a variety of our latest technology. The actual outcome of this attitude is that Mitsubishi Electric Group is transforming itself into a "Circular Digital-Engineering" company that is contributing to sustainability.

- It was interesting to see and touch a variety of services at the venue, with speakers on stage to talk about them, and exhibits demonstrating them.

Nakae: Looking back my experience at CES (the most powerful technology event held in the U.S.), I felt that hands-on exhibits and moving objects were naturally eye-catching. Also the exhibits get empathized if visitors can imagine themselves using them, and the heart is moved if someone can relate to the exhibits in some way. I think it is easier to imagine such things through hands-on demonstrations.

Komada: CEATEC is a unique opportunity for visitors to experience things in a real environment. Therefore, in order to differentiate from online experiences, we prioritized technology and services that could be demonstrated and experienced on-site as much as possible.

Ono: Corporate Research & Development, which I belong to, is a division that has research and development laboratories for new technology, and since CEATEC is a place where various kinds of technology are introduced to the public, we also saw it as an event where new technology could be unveiled and experienced. In line with the theme decided by the entire company, the Corporate Research & Development decided what technology to showcase based on what we are passionate about, and what we’re challenging ourselves to develop. As a result, we decided to display AVATAR solutions and other technologies so that visitors could see and experience them as much as possible.

- Mitsubishi Electric is committed to "Changes for the better." Was this concept reflected in your exhibit at CEATEC?

Komada: "Changes for the Better" is Mitsubishi Electric Group’s attitude to "always strive to achieve something better". We don't go out of our way to put it into words and discuss it, but I think it's a natural connection because the CEATEC exhibition is also an exhibition that embodies our corporate stance.

- What were your thoughts on this year's CEATEC? Personal opinions are welcome.

Ono: When I was a researcher, I once exhibited an R&D technology that was far from commercialization at a similar exhibition, but I received encouraging words from visitors even for such technology. Since it is a good experience for researchers to be seen, evaluated, and receive feedback, we want our in-house researchers to experience this as well, and we believe it will lead to increased motivation. Of course, I know that our in-house researchers want to make the world a better place in the spirit of "Changes for the Better," where technology is brushed up to create even better technology. I also hope that visitors to CEATEC can experience the new technology that has been created with such will.

Nakae: On preparation for CEATEC, people in the technology department gave me good stimulation every time I talked to them. I realized that it is important to gather a variety of knowledge and imagination to create ideas. Also, I was really surprised to learn that this kind of technology existed and genuinely surprised to see how amazing it was. I was motivated by the idea that I belonged to such a company. Of course, it is necessary to look outside the company, but I think the first step is to understand the plethora of technology that exists within Mitsubishi Electric and how they are used. I felt that exhibiting at CEATEC was a good opportunity for our employees to come into contact with and learn about the technology of other divisions.

- What were some of the challenges you faced while preparing for this exhibition?

Nakae: When we talk about a sustainable society, some people may have an image of using and reusing things all the time. However, no matter how valuable the activity is for society, it will lead stagnant if we keep doing the same thing over and over again. In the spirit of "Changes for the Better," Mitsubishi Electric Group must continue to use knowledge and data to create new products of value, and it is difficult to show our attitudes to take on new challenges with the goal of creating new items of value effectively.

- What were some of the things you had to work on in addition to the difficulties?

Nakae: Well, one was the demonstration of an autonomous driving robot. I think we were able to propose the new value of this autonomous driving robot that can move not only horizontally but also vertically. We were also able to show that we are taking on the challenge of exploring a wide range of possibilities by developing services not only on our own, but also in collaboration with the American startup, Cartken.

Komada: At CEATEC this year, the theme of the exhibition was "co-creation," which means creating together to realize sustainability, and I think we were able to showcase the co-creation with Cartken's technology. In addition, the exhibit by the Advanced Technology R&D Center, AVATAR Solution - which Mr. Ono mentioned earlier - was also created through "co-creation" in collaboration with others.

Ono: There are so many things we wanted to convey, but we paid attention to how intuitively and clearly we could communicate them from the visitors' point of view. The content of the technology had to be expressed in a way that was easy to understand, and the difficulty was to make sure that visitors could comprehend it in the limited time available to them.

Komada: From the point of view of the Corporate Advertising Div., it was impossible for us alone to create the exhibit for the entire company. That’s why I asked Mr. Ono, Mr. Nakae, and the other members of the executive committee to work together. I strongly believe that this CEATEC wouldn't have been possible without everyone's cooperation to make our exhibition even better. They heard the opinions of the various employees involved in the exhibited items and sometimes discussed with them. As Mr. Nakae said, if you look around the company, there are various types of technology and people, just as Mitsubishi Electric has developed numerous, excellent services and has produced much technology that contributes to society. But our creations won't spread without recognition and understanding through our exhibitions, and won't lead to a better future.

- What kind of future do you want to pursue after your experience at this exhibition?

Nakae: This overlaps with what I have said so far, but I would like to gain knowledge from various sources, use my imagination, and work as if I were already in that future, thinking about what I would like to see happen or what I would do. I would like to broaden my perspective and absorb information, knowledge and experience with my own antennae, doing a bit more than just what is immediately in front of me.

Ono: It was stimulating to see the booths of other companies at the exhibition site, and we in the Corporate Research & Development will continue to think about how to exhibit better technology while seeking ways to present them in a Mitsubishi Electric way.

Komada: In addition to your points that employees will be stimulated by the exhibition, I would like to keep in mind that our employees will be glad that we exhibited as a member of the Corporate Advertising Div.. Mitsubishi Electric Group aims to be a "Circular Digital-Engineering" company, and we believe that exhibiting at a place like CEATEC will create a good cycle in which employees take something back from their interactions with visitors, other companies, and employees from other divisions of the company, create even better services, and exhibit them again.

Written by Our Stories Editing Team