Research and Study on Automobile Development System and Development-Supporting Industries after the Blast of "Bubble " Economy in 1990s in Japan

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1) Japanese automobile makers are heading rapidly toward modularization as well as their European and American competitors. During this research project, we have visited and interviewed module-suppliers which are producing Cockpit-module, Front-End-Module and Door-module etc. We have analyzed the present situation of development for modules in cooperation with car makers, cost reduction effects, transport rationalization effects, selection of second-tier suppliers, the present situation of competition with European module-suppliers and so on.2) Development lead time of a new model was thirty months period in the past. Actually automobile makers have reduced it to fourteen or eighteen months thanks to introduction of sophisticated information technology such as three-dimensional-CAD/CAM and simulation technology. Firms in development supporting industries, such as tool-makers, body welding jig makers, prototype makers and so on, have realized recently following technological and managerial innovations: (1) Unification of information through three-dimensional-CAD/CAM; (2) Speeding up of machining through high speed NC machines, omission of grinding process, instauration of fully automated operation through night; (3) Omission of model preparation which has often happened among prototype makers and disappearance of model makers as a consequence; (4) Omission of prototype tools through direct machining of mass production tools which is seen among tool makers for injection mould; (5) Sharing of information between customer and tool makers through dispatch of tool makers' guest engineers.