The automotive industry is the nation’s struggle against strong headwinds. The Foundation’s domestic production has been marred by record appreciation of the yen, while overseas, South Korea and other automakers are rapidly catching up with colleagues from Japan. On the occasion of the Tokyo Motor Show 2011, which will run through Sunday, a series of three installment will examine the current state and challenges facing the automotive industry.
There are hand-made equipment for automatically binding machine bolts at Mazda Motor Corp. ‘s engine factory in Hiroshima. Electric screwdriver moves into top three in a row, fueled by the power that drives the production line. Designed and manufactured by Mazda employees to only 70,000 yen, the device has been cut energy costs by about 5 million yen per year.
Mazda has put much effort into “karakuri kaizen” campaign, which seeks to make production more efficient by collecting and introducing innovative ideas from Mazda employees. Traditional mechanical Karakuri Dolls are moving without power, while kaizen means repair.
Plant Manager Junichi Muroi said flatly, “racking we can improve the technical skills in production line.”
These efforts have combined to reduce the cost of Mazda’s by 11.2 billion yen business year ending in March.