I have studied chemistry and informatics and worked on digitalization at a chemical manufacturer. In recent years, the Japanese chemical industry has been in a difficult position due to the catch-up of foreign companies. Chemical companies have traditionally believed that data should be protected, and the hurdles to sharing information outside the company were high, making speedy collaboration with other companies difficult. Due to the dispersion of information, digital technology such as AI, which has been evolving in recent years, still needs to be fully utilized.
To overcome this situation, we established CrowdChem, which has a neutral position and aims to collect, utilize, and provide helpful information to the chemical industry. By providing valuable information to all companies promptly and creating many opportunities for collaboration among companies, we will support the realization of manufacturing that meets the world’s needs and lead to the resolution of many social issues that will emerge in the future.
Also, the working population is declining in Japan, primarily due to the aging population. I have seen situations where people with high skills had no choice but to retire for various reasons, for example, people who had no choice but to retire due to family reasons such as retirement age, childcare, or nursing care. It is also essential to create an ecosystem where such people’s knowledge and experience can be utilized in the industry where labor shortages are being called out.
Founder of CrowdChem, Hisataka Ikebata 