| |
FICCI Japan Cell
Y. Sei |
Japanese mission visited
factories of Sony and Honda in the afternoon of 30th and
31st October 2000 respectively.
Sony installed many of used machine and equipment from
Japan, and they have made use of packing materials from
Japan to make many desks and table in the factory. I had an
impression as if I were in the factory of just after World
War II. A Japanese staff of Sony was saying ' This is a
factory of 1960's.' But among those hand made equipment some
machines or equipment were shining, those were the most
modern inspection and testing machines and equipment.
Sony factory was originally shoemaker's factory and they
added new wings to that. Some portion of the floor of
factory were paved by Kota stone nicely and evenly, for Kota
stone flooring was than more economical than concrete
flooring. They minimized the cost of construction of the
factory.
It kept very neat and clean inside of the factory and not a
single dirt was observed at all.
Ten minutes every morning before entering daily work they
have been cleaning places surrounding their own working job
site including general manager of the factory.
The factory locates in the village called Dharuhera on
Jaipur road about 70km down south of Delhi. High school
graduated girls and boys are coming to the factory by 11
buses and working in uniform since 1995. GM of the factory
also puts on the same uniform. They take a lunch in the same
canteen. There are no discrimination by gender, and
nationality and a half of group leaders are females. The
stability of work force is 97%, which is the best of Sony
factories in Asia. They assesses that the endowments of
Indian are rather good; the skillfulness of the fingers,
good eyesight, patient at work, never loafing on the job and
full of faithfulness or of fidelity to the company. Indian
endowments are not less than Malaysian is. Sony puts
hub-center in Malaysia.
Workers on the belt conveyer are working with sparkling eyes
and mounting or assembling 70 tips and parts onto the basic
board by hand to make up international level of quality of
TV. They are not looking the design map at all in front of
them, but all of them know where and how to put by heart. It
is rather surprise to know the best quality world famous
Sony TV is hand-made at all. Final check or test at the end
of conveyer belt is proving almost 100% OK. They are
manufacturing about 3lac TV sets per annum and they will
change system to automatic when production reaches one
million. Presently Sony is making TV manually in hand-made
factory in India without damaging their brand image.
Sony is using 70% of Indian-made parts and components for TV
set excluding a picture tube, which is imported from
Singapore. Sony is saying they can make any electrical goods
in the present factory is enough demand exist.
Honda car factory locates in Greater NOIDA crossing the
Yamuna, and it takes s little over one hour.
Honda factory is less automated than Toyota factory in
Bangalore. A staff of Toyoda was commenting that Honda
factory was based on the original point of car
manufacturing. Workers there were doing job lively and gave
very good impression to us. They are manufacturing about
1000 cars monthly and aiming to increase to 2000.
Japanese staff are assessing endowment of Indian workers
good, especially skillfulness of the fingers, good
eye-sight, patient and very good sense of hearing. Hearing a
few minutes blow of engine just made-up they can point out
good or bad with detailed description of bad. These sense is
superior to Japanese. Honda is manufacturing cars in
Thailand and they assesses Indian is better than Thai.
Mr. Abe of Sony General Manager of the Factory, ' We are
looking matters at the same level of Indian workers eye. We
are doing our best efforts to draw good endowment of Indian
workers but never push and force one-sidedly.' Morita-ism is
looked to penetrates into the level of workers.
Honda's work rules is rather volumes but in addition to that
there is a booklet that explains what Honda-ism.
There is something common between the two. Wages for the
workers are not so high compared with other factory around
them, but all are working lively and eagerly. Factory is not
equipped with ultra-modern automatic machines but
manufacturing international quality based on original point
of making goods. After observation of two factories, we
would better to forget about the legend of 'India is not
good at making goods.' |
|