AI drafts machinery quotes in 195 seconds, chemical quotes in 134 seconds, AIworker report shows

The report arrives as manufacturers face shifting workloads. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' 2025 Economic Structure Survey found employment in production machinery manufacturing at 639,002, down 2.9% from the previous year, which may intensify the burden on experienced quote staff. For chemicals, the Bank of Japan's Corporate Goods Price Index (September 2026 preliminary) showed domestic chemical product prices up 13.3% year-on-year, meaning each raw material revision forces recalculations across packaging formats. AIworker's test with fictional companies illustrates a possible division of labor: AI drafts quotes and flags issues like budget below cost or volume below minimum lot, while sales managers fill in final amounts and quality assurance handles odor and certification inquiries. The company also notes it developed quote-generation AI for a major domestic industrial machinery maker, cutting quote time from 150 minutes to 30 minutes (an 80% reduction), though this figure is separate from the report's results.