ABSTRACT
This chapter examines why Japanese automakers have been able to demonstrate longstanding international competitiveness, even as Japanese electronics manufacturers have not been able to do the same. The Japanese word monozukuri, when combined with management, covers the repeated creation and delivery of valuable design information to customers. The superior performance of Japanese automakers in product engineering and vehicle assembly has been well established in the literature. This chapter investigates how Japanese automakers have been able to achieve the smooth flow of design information between product engineering and assembly. Japanese automakers became major players in the world auto industry in the 1970s, with their exports of small cars to the United States. The degree to which Japanese automakers will be able to meet the challenges and harness the opportunities before them is an open question, but given the trajectory of the last few decades, it seems reasonable to expect continued strength from Japan in the auto industry.
