1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Empirical Study on Unit-Component Suppliers in Japanese Electronics Industry
| Project/Area Number |
06630036
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
経済政策(含経済事情)
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| Research Institution | Chuo University |
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Principal Investigator |
IKEDA Masayoshi Faculty of Economics, Chuo University Professor, 経済学部, 教授 (30055115)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1994 – 1995
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| Keywords | industries for consumer-goods and office-automation / unit-components / unit-component subcontractors / relationship for technical information exchange / information network / local production / supplier-association / local supplier development |
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| Research Abstract |
(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
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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
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