A Japanese Factory in Thailand
A Japanese Factory in Thailand
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泰国的日本工厂
DOI：
10.7880/abas.11.55
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发表时间：
2012
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Kiyohiro Oki
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Kiyohiro Oki
摘要：作者进行了深入的实地研究，以检查在泰国的日本工厂在三年期间的改善活动的变化。这项研究表明，要使改善活动有效，首先需要高层管理人员的承诺。此外，由于在改善活动的介绍/推广期间，良好的接受是重要的，因此（B）还需要适合当地文化的推广。在这种情况下，管理者在第一年的介绍期间使改善活动看起来“有趣”，以适应泰国文化和泰国人民的快乐。从第二年开始，改善活动的重点转向更加注重结果。如果从第一年开始就把削减成本作为重点，这些活动就不会被接受，也不会像以前那样深入。关键词：改善活动、海外工厂、日本、泰国、深入的实地调查引言日本企业海外发展的关键是日本生产体系的转移。改善活动是指整个组织积极寻求问题和解决方案，是日本生产系统中众所周知的一部分（Abo，1994年; Aoki，2008年; Ohno，1988年）。1特别是，日本改善活动的一个显着特征是小规模的运营商参与持续改进（Aoki，2008; Wickens，1987）.现有的研究讨论了改善活动转移到海外工厂的可能性（Abo，1994;肯尼&佛罗里达，1993;中村，2000; Taylor，1999）以及转移这些活动的最佳方式（Aoki，2008）。然而，改善活动如何被海外工厂的当地员工实际接受，目前还不清楚。因此，如何在当地员工接受的基础上引进和推进改善活动，几乎没有讨论。因此，本文以日本电脑产品制造商在泰国的子公司A工厂为研究对象。泰国是一个快速发展的国家，日本企业的大规模生产外包与中国竞争。本文通过对海外工厂变革的深入实地研究，阐明海外工厂当地员工对改善活动的接受程度。近年来，许多日本企业在发展中国家而不是发达国家设立工厂。本文的重点是泰国，因为Aoki（2008）已经对中国进行了研究。选择计算机产品制造商的原因是计算机行业的成本竞争非常激烈，即使是海外工厂也需要降低成本。A工厂也需要持续的改善活动。对A工厂的实地研究进行了四次。第一次是在2007年4月5日对A工厂进行了三个小时的访问。这次参观使我们对A工厂有了更深入的了解。接下来，在2007年8月进行了为期一个月的实地调查。在本研究中，作者穿着工厂制服，在工厂的正常工作时间向工厂报告，就像员工一样。作者在工厂办公室借了一张桌子，观察了车间，采访了当地经理，并检查了文件。对车间的观察至少花了30个小时，面谈，包括非正式谈话，至少花了20个小时。次年，2008年5月15日至16日进行了类似的调查。在此期间，工厂的调查每天至少需要8个小时。2009年8月17日至8月20日，为了确认2008年改善活动的结果，在最后阶段再次进行了同样的调查。2007年改善活动A工厂的状况2007年，A工厂有10，000名工人，但其中只有3名是外国人。…
Abstract: The author conducted in-depth field research to examine changes in a three-year period of kaizen activities in a Japanese factory in Thailand. This research showed that for kaizen activities to be effective, (a) commitment from top managers is required at first. Further, since favorable acceptance is important in the introduction/promotion period for kaizen activities, (b) promotion appropriate to the local culture is also required. In this case, managers made the kaizen activities seem "fun" during the first-year introduction period to fit in with Thai culture and the cheerfulness of the Thai people. From the second year on, the focus of the kaizen activities shifted to become more result-oriented. If cutting costs had been the focus from the first year, the activities would not have been favorably accepted and they may not have penetrated as far as they did. In other words, (c) progressive change is required for kaizen activities to be effective.Keywords: kaizen activities, overseas factories, Japan, Thailand, in-depth field researchIntroductionA key to the overseas development of Japanese companies is the transfer of the Japanese production system. Kaizen activities, in which the entire organization actively seeks problems and solutions, are a well-known part of the Japanese production system (Abo, 1994; Aoki, 2008; Ohno, 1988).1 Especially, a distinguishing feature of Japanese kaizen activities is small groups of operators engaging in continuous improvement (Aoki, 2008; Wickens, 1987).Existing researches discuss about the possibility of transfer of kaizen activities to overseas factories (Abo, 1994; Kenney & Florida, 1993; Nakamura, 2000; Taylor, 1999) and the best way to transfer these activities (Aoki, 2008). However, it is not clearly understood how kaizen activities are actually accepted by local employees in overseas factories. Therefore, there is very little discussion on how kaizen activities should be introduced and promoted on the basis of acceptance by local employees.Accordingly, this paper focuses on Factory A, a subsidiary factory for a Japanese computer products manufacturer located in Thailand, a rapidly developing country whose outsourced mass production for Japanese companies rivals that of China. In this paper, in-depth field research on changes in overseas factories is conducted to clarify the acceptance of kaizen activities by local employees in overseas factories. In recent years, many Japanese companies have been establishing factories in developing countries rather than in developed countries. This paper focuses on Thailand, as Aoki (2008) has already conducted a study on China. The reason for selecting a computer products manufacturer is that the computer industry is so cost-competitive that even overseas factories need to reduce their costs. Factory A also requires continuous kaizen activities.Field research on Factory A was conducted four times. The first was a three-hour visit to Factory A on April 5, 2007. This visit enabled a greater understanding of Factory A. Next, a one-month field research was conducted in August 2007. In this research, the author wore the factory uniform and reported to the factory during the regular operating hours of the factory as the employees did. The author borrowed a desk in the factory office, observed the shop floor, interviewed local managers, and inspected documents. The observation of the shop floor took at least 30 hours and the interviews, including informal conversations, took at least 20 hours. The following year, a similar survey was conducted in May 15-16, 2008. During this time, the surveys at the factory took at least eight hours each day. In the final phase, the same survey was repeated in August 17-20, 2009, to confirm the results of the kaizen activities in 2008.Kaizen activities in 2007Status of Factory AIn 2007, there were 10,000 workers at Factory A, but only three of these were expatriates. …