2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
the Hybridization of the German production model and the Japanese production model
| Project/Area Number |
10630122
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Business administration
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| Research Institution | MEIJI UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
KAZAMA Nobutaka School of Commerce, Meiji University, /Prof., 商学部, 教授 (60130803)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1998 – 2000
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| Keywords | auto industry / lean production / team work (or group work) / the German Production Model / humanization of work / modular production / mega-competition / platform strategy |
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| Research Abstract |
The German production model which developed after the first oil crisis was based on two pillars of flexible technology and skilled workers (Facharbeiter) provided by the German dual system of vocational training. The aim was to develop the "intelligent" flexible production system, which made use of these two strengths and allowed the production of diversified quality products. This intelligent working structure could be characterized by task integration and an up-grading of production work and aimed for the humanization of work and the rising of productive efficiency. But since the issue of the book by Womack et.al., the German car manufactures are now testing or instituting group or team work extensively, following the Japan-oriented "lean production" or "transplant" concepts.
Through this study, I have revealed the following points.
1) Certainly the German car manufactures have learned the the Japan-oriented "lean production" or "transplant" concepts, have introduced these concepts. However these manufactures have not imitated, but added the original innovation of production, particularly Modular concept and platform strategy and have borne the fruitful result in terms of cost reduction and the improvement of productivity.
2) There is under debate in the German auto manufactures about the character and value of group work. This study have identified two types of group work (or team work), i.e. structurally innovative (or self-organized) group work and structurally conservative group (or the "standardized" work group). In l990s. rather for the latter than for the former the sympathy have increased among the manager.
This study have examined these trends of rationalization in the German car manufactures in l990s. But this study could not sufficiently examined the trends of rationalization in Japanese car manufactures in 1990s
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