Empirical Study on Unit-Component Suppliers in Japanese Electronics Industry

(1)在日本的消费电子和办公自动化行业中，作为最终产品关键要素的部件，在大多数情况下是由供应商提供的，而不是由最终生产商制造的。而在欧洲和美国，由于难以在当地采购，日本的移植器官一方面被迫从日本或东南亚自己的移植器官进口，另一方面则被迫在自己的工厂组装。本研究的重点是上述单位部件采购的对比，并试图澄清日本的特点，并研究在欧洲或美国发展和支持此类供应商的可能性。(2)在选择了消费电子和办公自动化行业的典型制造商后，我们根据事先准备的问卷进行了工厂走访和管理人员访谈。(3)我们从经验上发现，供应商在日本发展业务时，由于与客户保持着长期稳定的关系，他们会以非常亲密的方式与客户交流技术信息。顾客和供应商之间的这种信息交流不应被单方面视为从顾客向供应商转让技术。应注意供应商在合作中的贡献，供应商甚至在特定领域采取技术主动；没有供应商的这种贡献，大公司不可能实现一些主要产品的发展，如录像机或复印机。在欧洲或美国，缺乏这种密切和稳定的合作，例如录像机或复印机的开发无法完成。我们可以注意到，在日本，建立在供应商协会基础上的信息网络的发展旨在鼓励分包商的制造开发能力。(4)日元的高升值使得日本单件零部件出口越来越困难，加速了单件零部件供应商向已建立总装厂的国家的设施转移。当转移到欧洲或美国不现实时，亚洲国家代替它们成为受益者。在欧洲和美国的大多数情况下，日本的成套设备制造商并没有成功地指导或发展当地的供应商。最近，欧盟国家正在与日本企业和通产省合作开展供应商发展项目；实现这个目标还需要很长时间。少

(1) In Japanese consumer-electronics and office-automation industries, unit-components which are key elements of final products, are provided by suppliers for the majority of cases, not manufactured by final producers. Whereas in Europe and USA,due to difficulties to procure them locally, Japanese transplants are forced, on one hand, to import them from Japan or their own transplants in South-East Asia or, on the other hand, to assemble them in their own factories. This study focuses on the above-mentioned contrast in unit-components procurement and tries to clarify the Japanese characteristics and to examine the possibilities to develop and to support such a kind of suppliers in Europe or USA.(2) After selecting typical manufacturers in consumer-electronics and office-automation industries, we visited factories and interviewed managers following the questionnaire previously prepared.(3) We found empirically that, when the suppliers are growing the business in Japan, they exchange tech … More nical information with their customers in a very intimate manner due to long and stable relationship kept with their customers. This exchange of information between customers and suppliers should not be regarded unilaterally as a transfer of technology from customer to suppliers. The contribution of suppliers in this cooperation should be noticed and suppliers even take the technical initiative in particular fields ; without this contribution from suppliers, large firms could not have achieved the development of some of major products such as VTR or photocopier. In Europe or USA where this intimate and stable cooperation is absent, the development of VTR or photocopier, for example, could not be completed. We can note in Japan the evolution of information networks established on the supplier-association basis aiming to encourage manufacturing-development capabilities of subcontractors.(4) High appreciation of Yen makes more and more difficult to export unit-components from Japan and accelerates the transfer of facilities of unit-component suppliers to the countries where the final assembly plants are already established. When the transfer to Europe or USA appeared not realistic, Asian countries substituted them as the beneficiaries. Procurement of unit-components by local suppliers has not been fulfillled for the majority of cases in Europe and USA where Japanese set makers have not successfully instructed nor developed local suppliers. Recently, EU countries are carrying on supplier development project in cooperation with Japanese firms and MITI ; it still takes long time to fulfilll the objective. Less