1st Edition

Manufacturing Technology Transfer A Japanese Monozukuri View of Needs and Strategies

By Yasuo Yamane, Tom Childs Copyright 2013
    236 Pages 71 B/W Illustrations
    by Productivity Press

    Based on a bestselling book originally published in Japanese, Manufacturing Technology Transfer: A Japanese Monozukuri View of Needs and Strategies offers time-tested methods and little-known tips for achieving successful transfer of technology along with the skills required to operate that technology. Designed to support a series of lectures on technology transfer within a master’s course on the management of technology, it presents the results of years of research carried out at Hiroshima University.

    The book delves into the authors’ decades of experience transferring technology between Japan and the rest of the world, particularly to developing countries from where much of the world’s future economic growth is expected. It contains case studies of successful technology transfers from both the ship building and food equipment industries. Its wide-reaching coverage examines methods of skill transfer, production management, and manufacturing company classification.

    Introducing readers to the engineering activities that occur within the manufacturing industry, the book illustrates the engineering technology activities involved in manufacturing, along with the production management activities required to support them. It also explains how job simulators can help shorten learning times in the manufacturing industry in the same way that flight simulators are used to teach flying skills to pilots.

    The book outlines a framework for teaching and learning processes that can be visualized in terms of an S-shaped learning curve. It explains how technology transfer overseas should be supported by contractual agreements between the parties concerned. Detailing the legal/contractual responsibilities for all parties involved, it also describes what you should do if problems arise during the transfer.

    Integrating previously unpublished research results with illustrative case studies, this book is suitable for a wide audience within the manufacturing industry—including manufacturing engineering students in both developed and developing countries, those responsible for the development of manufacturing engineers in industry and elsewhere, and anyone interested in the international activities of Japanese manufacturing companies.

    Manufacturing Industry
    The Machine Tool Manufacturing Process 
         Design
         Production Engineering
         Machining
         Assembly
    Information and Object Flows in Manufacturing
    Compatible Manufacturing Methods
    Changes in Processing Accuracy
    Classification of Manufacturing Industry and Products by Number of Parts and Processing Accuracy
    Industrial Field and the Type of Technical Skill Required
    Abilities Required by Engineers and Technicians
    Discussion Questions

    Learning Curves and Their Utilization
    The Learning Curve
    Engineering Equivalents to the Learning Curve
    Specification of Skill Levels by Means of Learning Curves 
         Specification of Skill Levels and Its Benefits 
         Individual Learning Curves and Learning Curves According to Work 
         Evaluation of Individual Skill Levels 
         Evaluating a Company’s Technical Competence 
         Learning Curves and the Lifetime Employment System
    Industry Field Surveys
         Skill Levels and Learning Times
         Age and Service Years of Staff
         Companies’ Technical/Skill Level Estimated from Service Years
    Skill Level and Standard Deviation
         Proficiency Measurement
         Skill Level and Standard Deviation
    Discussion Questions

    Skill Transfer in Manufacturing Industries
    Technology and Skill Transfer
         Skill Transfer from the Time of Chuang Tzu
          Technical Skill Classification
          The Teaching of Technical Skills
          Learning Curve Time Reduction
              The Early Period
              The Fast Learning Period
              The Maturity Period
    Work De-Skilling
         Historical Examples
         Limits to De-Skilling
         Mechanization and Automation of Skillful Work
         Skill Level and Automation
    The Security of Technology Transfer
          Human Resources
         Material Things
         Information
    Turnover Rate and Technology/Skill Transfer
    Discussion Questions

    Virtual Manufacturing to Speed Up Learning
    Hand Scraping
    An Experimental Study of Expert Scraping Judgments
    Hand Scraping Strategy
    Computer Simulation of Scraping
         High-Point Marking
         Interpretation and Judgment
         Scraping
    Computer Simulation and Education
    Discussion Questions

    Production Management and Technology Transfer in Manufacturing
    Production Management
         Production Activities and Management
         Production Systems and Their Features
    The Product Life Cycle
         Management Technologies in the Product Life Cycle
         Production Strategy in the Product Life Cycle
    Technology Transfer and Management of Technology
         Appropriate Technology Transfer and the Role of Management
         Importance of State of Development
         Importance of Human Resources
         Importance of Market Competition
         Importance of Strategic Factors
         Technology Strategy and Issues of Management Technology
              Offensive Strategy
              Defensive Strategy
              Imitative Strategy
              Dependent Strategy
              Traditional Strategy
              Opportunity Strategy
         Strategic Technology Transfer and Sustainable Development
    Discussion Questions

    Overseas Expansion and Technology Transfer
    Special Features of Technology Transfer Overseas
    Historical Background to Overseas Technology Transfer
    Overseas Expansion and Conditions of Technology Transfer
         Strategy in Technology Transfer
         Statistics of Overseas Expansion
         The Content of Technology Transfer
         Important Considerations in Overseas Technology Transfer
         Procedures of Technology Transfer
    Future Trends in Overseas Technology Transfer
    Discussion Questions

    Technology Transfer and Legal Affairs
    Function of Legal Affairs in Technology Transfer
    Example Framework of Agreement Covering Technology Transfer
         The States of Technology Transfer
         The Basic Agreement
         The Technological License Agreement
         The Technical Staff Dispatch Agreement
         The Technical and Operation Staff Training Agreement
         The Engineering Agreement
         The Plant Construction Agreement
         The Machinery Procurement Agreement
    Common Points to Note in the Various Agreements’ Legal Affairs Articles
         Party to the Agreement
         Signer to the Agreement
         Effective Period
         Agreement Transfer (Assignment)
         Governing Law
         Controlling Text
         Entire Agreement
         Supplement to or Amendment of Agreement
         Force Majeure
         Termination of Agreement
         Settlement of Disputes
         Arbitration
    Discussion Questions

    Technology Transfer from Participants’ Viewpoints
    Background of Technology Transfer
         The Scope of This Chapter
         Japan’s Needs for Technology Transfer
         Asian Nations’ Needs for Technology Transfer
    New Technology Transfer—Issues That Should Be Tackled
    A Technology Transfer Survey
         Purpose of the Investigation
         Survey Outline
    Results from the Survey
         Issues as Seen by Receiving Sides
         Issues as Seen by Transferring Sides
         Country-Specific Issues
    Road Map for Resolving Problems
         Differences between the Transferring and Receiving Sides
         Issues Arising at the Individual Level
              Cause 1: The Personality of the Individual in Charge
              Cause 2: Not Understanding the Technology Transfer Agreement and Its Range
              Cause 3: A Language Barrier
              Cause 4: Insufficient Basic Learning and Skills on the Receiving Side; and also
              Cause 5: Inherent Problems in the Transfer Process
         Issues Arising at Transferring Company Level
              Cause 1: Unclear Agreement Documents and Lack of Mutual Understanding
              Cause 2: Inadequate Risk Management
              Cause 3: Agreement Documents Not Anticipating All Problems
              Cause 4: Difficulties in the Management of Technology (MOT) 
         Issues Arising at an Educational Level
              Cause 1: Insufficient Basic Education
              Cause 2: Shortage of Cultural Exchange Education
              Cause 3: A Language Barrier
         Issues Arising at Local and National Levels
              Cause 1: The Business Environment and Laws of the Receiving Country
              Cause 2: Insufficient National Support
         Communication and Language Barriers
    Discussion Questions

    Overseas Expansion Technology Decision Making
    Overseas Expansion and the Learning Curve
         A Way of Thinking to Underpin Overseas Expansion
         Is the Learning Speed Different Overseas?
         Decisions to Be Made When Expanding Overseas
    Problems after Transfer
    Overseas Expansion Decision Making Using Block Diagrams
         Benefits of Block Diagrams
         A Costing Example, with Quality and Defect Rate Constraints
    Discussion Questions

    Example of Shipbuilding Industry in Overseas Technology Transfer
    General Survey of Shipbuilding Transfers and Selection of Successful and Unsuccessful Cases
         Comparison Measures
         Survey Results
         Selections of Successful and Unsuccessful Cases
    Case Study 1: Tsuneishi Heavy Industries
         Background to Overseas Expansion
         Selection of the Place
          Selection of Local Partners
         Technology Transfer in THI
    Case Study 2: Technical Cooperation in Shipbuilding to Indonesia
         Outline of Indonesia’s Shipbuilding Industry
         Development of Indonesian Shipbuilding Industry
              An Initial Success Story (the Origin of the Indonesian Shipbuilding Industry)
              The Caraka Jaya, Mina Jaya, and Other Projects
              Japanese Assistance to Indonesian Shipbuilding Industry
         Problems of Indonesian Shipbuilding Development
              Problems of National Projects
              Problems of Alienation from the Needs of the Shipping Industry
              Management Problems
              Methods for Introduction of Technology
    Conclusion
         Tacit Knowledge
         Construction Strategies
         Supply Chain Problems
         Motivation and Management Problems
    Discussion Questions

    Example of Overseas Expansion (Food Machinery)
    The Subsidiary Companies’ Products
    Manufacturing Effectiveness and Costs
    Other Factors to Consider
    Overseas Expansion Example: Thailand
    Summary
    Discussion Questions

    Index

    Biography

    Yasuo Yamane received his undergraduate engineering education from Hiroshima University before taking a position as a machine tool designer with the Toshiba Machine Tool Company. He gained his doctoral degree, again from Hiroshima, in 1980, before commencing an academic career. He has been a professor (1983-present), Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering (2005-2009), and the Director of Hiroshima University’s Venture Business Laboratory (2000-2003) and Collaborative Research Centre (2003-2005). He is currently (2009-present) the Vice President of Hiroshima University with a special responsibility for international affairs. It is this broad background experience, added to his career-long special researches in metal machining, machine tool design, and technology transfer, that has given him the insights and desire to develop the present book’s scope and contents. He is also a co-author of the advanced level text book Metal Machining: Theory and Applications.

    Tom Childs was the lead-author of the book Metal Machining: Theory and Applications. He received his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Cambridge University. From 1989 until his retirement in 2008 was Professor of Manufacturing Engineering in the School of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Leeds. He has published some 200 papers in the areas of metal machining and more generally on friction and wear in engineering components. He has spent three extensive periods as guest scholar / visiting professor in Japan, at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Osaka University and most recently Hiroshima University. It is these and other exchanges that have given him an interest and insight into the origins of Japanese manufacturing skills and culture (sometimes described by the word ‘monozukuri’ in Japan) and which underpin his co-authorship of this book.

    I am on a committee to start a new program in manufacturing engineering on our campus this fall and this book will help us define the types of student outcomes and research goals we need to have. We are now having to move to a more holistic, modeling, optimization and global manufacturing view which includes more management and strategy which is covered in this book.
    —Mark Henderson, Arizona State University

    Very nice topic and I especially enjoyed Chapter 9 with its model and thinking-processes for how (or not) to expand overseas and outsourcewell done.
    —Paul Wright, University of California, Berkeley