Chuo Vision Institute releases manufacturing SaaS cost reduction report

Chuo Vision Institute has released a strategic report focused on the manufacturing sector, detailing trends in reducing SaaS expenses through AI-driven in-house development. The report highlights a shrinking manufacturing workforce in Japan, noting that the number of employees decreased from 10.46 million in 2024 to 10.33 million in 2025.

As companies increasingly rely on cloud services to manage production and inventory, the report explores how generative AI is enabling firms to develop their own business tools. This shift aims to address the low rate of in-house software development in Japan compared to the United States and Germany, potentially allowing manufacturers to replace expensive third-party SaaS with customized internal solutions.