THE BRIDGE

tag Loftwork

Loftwork, Cafe Company and Panasonic set up collaboration site for startups in Shibuya

SHARE:

This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology. In view of Panasonic celebrating its centennial in 2018, the Osaka electronic company has set up this July with startups Loftwork and Cafe Company – under the banner of “setting up an experimental space that seeks to enrich the world over the next hundred years” – a collaborative space in the area just south of Japan Railways Shibuya station. The three-story structure dubbed 100BANCH comprises the “Loft” collab space on the top floor supported by Panasonic and the “Garage” work space for members on the second floor. The ground floor will be occupied by “Kitchen” which will be a cafe space operated by Cafe Company. Shibuya is a hotbed of startup in Japan, and Panasonic, which started out small a century ago, wishes to support such companies taking on business challenges. The opening ceremony brought together some of the slated occupants of the building, ranging from an aquaponics venture with the backing of Assoc. Prof. Hiroyoshi Iwata of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, to a Non-Profit Organization project (Re:recipe) looking to invigorate regional cities…

This is a guest post authored by “Tex” Pomeroy. He is a Tokyo-based writer specializing in ICT and high technology.


In view of Panasonic celebrating its centennial in 2018, the Osaka electronic company has set up this July with startups Loftwork and Cafe Company – under the banner of “setting up an experimental space that seeks to enrich the world over the next hundred years” – a collaborative space in the area just south of Japan Railways Shibuya station.

The three-story structure dubbed 100BANCH comprises the “Loft” collab space on the top floor supported by Panasonic and the “Garage” work space for members on the second floor. The ground floor will be occupied by “Kitchen” which will be a cafe space operated by Cafe Company. Shibuya is a hotbed of startup in Japan, and Panasonic, which started out small a century ago, wishes to support such companies taking on business challenges.

The opening ceremony brought together some of the slated occupants of the building, ranging from an aquaponics venture with the backing of Assoc. Prof. Hiroyoshi Iwata of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, to a Non-Profit Organization project (Re:recipe) looking to invigorate regional cities by introducing to travelers unique local dishes that can be found all over Japan.

Japan’s Loftwork unveils hardware startup community site at SXSW

SHARE:

See this story in Japanese. South by South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas is always a fun event for digital enthusiasts, and more than a few Japanese people and companies make the long haul to attend. The folks behind FabCafe, a community venue for designers and hardware manufacturing entrepreneurs in Tokyo, have a presence at SXSW this year, where they provided hot coffee and communicated their concept to other exhibitors and attendants. But they also have some good news to share, as Tokyo-based digital production company Loftwork, which owns FabCafe, has launched a portal site called Factory.org where people can share information on hardware startups, manufacturers, venues for gatherings, and events. The startup aims to share the information not only with the Japanese community but also with hardware communities around the world. In my own SXSW experience, Japanese startups have been always been proficient makers of hardware, even before the digital manufacturing industry became trendy. So I’m really glad to see a Japanese company trying to take the lead in the global movement in this way. There are more than a few websites that profile startups, most notably CrunchBase, AngelList, and Japan’s Creww.me come to mind. Here at SD Japan,…

fabcafe-at-sxsw2013
Setting up FabCafe at SXSW 2013 (courtesy of Loftwork, reproduced with permission)

See this story in Japanese.

South by South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas is always a fun event for digital enthusiasts, and more than a few Japanese people and companies make the long haul to attend. The folks behind FabCafe, a community venue for designers and hardware manufacturing entrepreneurs in Tokyo, have a presence at SXSW this year, where they provided hot coffee and communicated their concept to other exhibitors and attendants. But they also have some good news to share, as Tokyo-based digital production company Loftwork, which owns FabCafe, has launched a portal site called Factory.org where people can share information on hardware startups, manufacturers, venues for gatherings, and events.

The startup aims to share the information not only with the Japanese community but also with hardware communities around the world. In my own SXSW experience, Japanese startups have been always been proficient makers of hardware, even before the digital manufacturing industry became trendy. So I’m really glad to see a Japanese company trying to take the lead in the global movement in this way.

There are more than a few websites that profile startups, most notably CrunchBase, AngelList, and Japan’s Creww.me come to mind. Here at SD Japan, we’re also developing something like that, which you can find at data.startup-dating.com. But as far as I know, there hasn’t been any such database service specializing in manufacturing and hardware startups. These companies often crowdfund from sites like Kickstarter, Indiesgogo, or Campfire. And while those sites usually keep you up to date on the fundraising aspect, they lack deeper information like what the startups are doing now, or what products they might have developed in the past. It’s good to see Factory.org making an effort in this way. For Japanese startups out there, you can consider Factory to be a media hub to transmit your presence overseas.

factory_img

moonspeechpartyMeanwhile, to mark FabCafe’s presence at SXSW2013 and its launch of Factory.org, Loftwork is now planning to hold something called a ‘Moon Speech Party‘ on the evening of March 11th (local time in Austin), where Japanese entrepreneurs can come together and make speeches to other SXSW-ers. Japanese watch maker Seiko is sponsoring this event, serving complimentary Japanese sake to everyone there. Joi Ito, the director of the MIT Media Lab is invited as a special guest. As I write this the event is fully booked, and that should mean great opportunities to connect with the global community.

On a related note, Korean startups are also planning to hold a party called Geeks from Gangnam at the same time, but a different venue in Austin.

3D printers too expensive? No problem. Fabrication workshops coming to Tokyo’s CUBE

SHARE:

3D printing and digital fabrication is one of those rare technological developments that has overwhelming potential. But it can be a very expensive activity to break into. Last November, a 3D studio called CUBE opened at Shibuya in Tokyo, providing a place to test expensive 3D printers and scanners which would otherwise be inaccessible for most individuals due to their extremely high costs. The studio will hold workshops and coursework to train individuals in the use of this 3D equipment. CUBE is located on the second floor of the same building as FabCafe, a “laser-cutting” cafe run by Loftwork. The lineup of equipment installed at CUBE includes: 3D printers: manufactured by 3D Systems (US), Projet series, Vflash and others 3D scanners: manufactured by Breuckmann (SmartSCAN-HE, Body-SCAN), S3 scanner (US) 3D software: FreeForm (US), rapidformXOR/XOV (South Korea), 3D-CAD/CG The above image is of a plastic wrench produced by a 3D printer. It was distributed to the participants of CUBE’s opening ceremony held in October. As you can see, even the rotating adjustment section is included, and that sort of detail is indicative of the enormous potential of 3D printing. The possibilities are practically endless. The book The Pirate’s Dilemma also makes…

3d studio cube

3D printing and digital fabrication is one of those rare technological developments that has overwhelming potential. But it can be a very expensive activity to break into.

Last November, a 3D studio called CUBE opened at Shibuya in Tokyo, providing a place to test expensive 3D printers and scanners which would otherwise be inaccessible for most individuals due to their extremely high costs. The studio will hold workshops and coursework to train individuals in the use of this 3D equipment. CUBE is located on the second floor of the same building as FabCafe, a “laser-cutting” cafe run by Loftwork.

3d studio cube 2

The lineup of equipment installed at CUBE includes:

  • 3D printers: manufactured by 3D Systems (US), Projet series, Vflash and others
  • 3D scanners: manufactured by Breuckmann (SmartSCAN-HE, Body-SCAN), S3 scanner (US)
  • 3D software: FreeForm (US), rapidformXOR/XOV (South Korea), 3D-CAD/CG

3d studio cube 3

The above image is of a plastic wrench produced by a 3D printer. It was distributed to the participants of CUBE’s opening ceremony held in October. As you can see, even the rotating adjustment section is included, and that sort of detail is indicative of the enormous potential of 3D printing. The possibilities are practically endless.

The book The Pirate’s Dilemma also makes mention of 3D printing, pointing out that major manufacturers such as Sony, Adidas, BMW already use 3D printers when creating in-house prototypes of goods that will ultimately be manufactured at scale. Prototyping is also one of the essential elements in the Design Thinking method, and the simplicity of preparing prototypes using this new digital fabrication technology could spur a wave of innovation.

3d studio cube 4

CUBE, which gives people hands on experience with some of the most advanced equipment in the world, will be highly valued in Japan, where a new wave of manufacturers seem poised to sweep the nation.