AI Robots to Aid Cambodian Confectionery Sector Amid Skills Gap and Labor Shortage

Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robots, under development in Japan, are generating expectations as a solution to the long-standing challenges of skills inheritance and severe labor shortages in Cambodia's confectionery industry. The technology, which digitizes the "tacit knowledge" such as the experience and intuition of skilled artisans for rapid acquisition by robots, presents new possibilities for an industry struggling with a lack of successors. Notably, the Baumkuchen-cooking robot "Theo," developed by Kobe-based confectionery manufacturer Juchheim, utilizes cameras and image sensors to learn the cooking techniques of skilled workers and determine optimal cooking conditions. It is reported that the cooking techniques for Baumkuchen, which traditionally take several years to master, can be learned in just a few days. Juchheim currently loans this system to approximately 20 businesses nationwide and aims to expand this to 100 companies by the end of the fiscal year. The company's president stated, "It can greatly help the food service industry, which is facing a shortage of successor workers." Similar technologies are being applied in various fields, such as by TechMagic Inc., which develops stir-fry cooking robots, and Dentsu Inc., which developed the "Tuna Scope" system for evaluating tuna quality. These technologies digitize the "tacit knowledge" cultivated over many years by artisans, enabling efficient skills transfer. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the ratio of job openings to job seekers in the food service industry stands at 2.31, significantly higher than the all-industry average, indicating a severe labor shortage. The automation of cooking techniques through AI is spreading across the industry as a measure to address such labor deficits. In Cambodia, too, labor shortages in the food and service sectors are becoming apparent with the recovery of the tourism industry. The introduction of such AI technologies developed in Japan could contribute to the sustainable development of domestic industries. In particular, the inheritance of traditional confectionery manufacturing techniques is also important from the perspective of cultural preservation, and AI robots are expected to play a role in this. Source: Phnom Penh Post