Monozukuri: characteristics of this production method

The production method known as Monozukuri can be adapted to many types of companies.

Throughout history, a multitude of ways of producing have been developed, seeking the highest possible efficiency.

In this sense, Japan has always been a pioneer and has provided some of the most popular methods, which have been adopted by many industries around the world. This is the case of the Monozukuri method. Here we will discover what it consists of and what its main characteristics are.

What is Monozukuri?

Monozukuri is a form of production whose objective is the maximum optimization in each step of the manufacture of the final product.. The terminology comes from Japanese and literally means the process of making something. It comes from an ancestral Japanese philosophy, dating back more than 4000 years, whereby craftsmen tried to put all the importance in the object they are creating and in its details.

Subsequently, this philosophy was adapted to the emerging industry, being adopted by many automotive and other companies, such as Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Toshiba or Sharp. Perhaps the key to its popularity is that Monozukuri seeks to dilute the separation of the different departments of the company so that all workers see themselves as members of a common team and each task is seen as fundamental to the ultimate goal.

Another advantage of Monozukuri is its versatility and flexibility. instead of opting for rigid guidelines, it is based on approaches that are adaptable to the type of organization that adopts this methodology, leaving a lot of room for flexibility.It therefore leaves a lot of room for interpretation. In fact, the Monozukuri as such would be the very idea that remains engraved in the operators and makes them collaborate as bees in a beehive, optimizing the work chain along its entire length.

The Monozukuri method has several fundamental principles that make it different from other forms of production. To begin with, continuous improvement is sought in all work processes, and the ultimate goal is to achieve a product of the highest quality that has been created in the most efficient way. On the other hand, if a problem arises, it has to be solved through given processes, which turn it into an opportunity for improvement.

This problem solving is not the responsibility of any one person, but of the whole team.. All operators are familiar with the production process and must be involved in finding the root causes of problems in order to eliminate them and thus achieve a more efficient system in the future. This is a never-ending process of improvement, as better methods can always emerge and must continue to be applied.

To this end, it is essential not to lose sight of the companies that make up our competition, because we can always learn from them and enter into a feedback spiral that will continue to find ways to optimize procedures and thus be increasingly efficient, being able to offer the end customer a product of the highest quality.

Cultural adaptation

We have already seen what the Monozukuri method consists of, and that it comes from a truly ancient philosophy and beliefs, forming part of the traditional knowledge of Japan. We have also seen that it is not a rigid methodology, and therefore has sought to adapt to the different places where it has been exported, since it is clear that the way of working and the personal characteristics of each region of the world are very particular, and therefore a rigid working method would be difficult to extrapolate from one place to another.

One of the most popular derivations of the traditional Monozukuri is Monozukuri Genbawhich adapts the work methodology to companies located in tropical environments, since the idiosyncrasy of the inhabitants of these areas is very different from that of the Japanese or Western countries. In this way, Monozukuri Genba takes advantage of the passion of Latin people and achieves a work discipline through these characteristics.

This is an example of why it is essential to take into account the socio-cultural characteristics of a population before implementing a particular methodology, since it may have been developed by people with totally different lifestyles and work styles and, therefore, prior adaptation is necessary if we want to succeed in implementing the new philosophy.

The Monozukuri Genba would be the most popular adaptation, and in fact has a very characteristic system of levels that seeks maximum efficiency in the implementation in this type of country.. It is such a detailed topic that it deserves a full section below.

Levels of the Monozukuri Genba

Monozukuri Genba is based on four different levels of maturity that seek to achieve different objectives. It is essential to apply each level correctly before moving on to the next, in order to achieve the most powerful effect possible. Let's see what the implications of each one are and how they are carried out.

1. Standardization

This is the initial level, with which we would start working. The fundamental objective at this point is to standardize the different positions in the company, seeking maximum skill and discipline.The main objective at this point is to standardize the different positions in the company, seeking the maximum skill and discipline of the operators in each of them. This is the way Monozukuri Genba enters the organization, establishing the basis for what will follow.

Methodology

At this second level employees are provided with a series of methodologies to learn how to perform work process analysis, detecting and solving problems, and how to analyze and solve them.and to detect and solve any problems that may exist in an optimal way. The methods used are variable and are adapted according to the type of industry and the idiosyncrasies of the workers, some of them being the Russian TRIZ, the QC story, or the five whys, both of Japanese origin.

Aside from those already mentioned, the most popular methodology is known as Quick Response Quality Control, or QRQC, is the most popular methodology. (Quick Response Quality Control), which seeks to optimize response times in the resolution of a problem so that, as soon as it is detected, a standardized process is implemented to solve it in the shortest possible time.

3. Improvement

Once we reach level 3, the next objective is to continue improving in the use of the Monozukuri Genba method. Here comes into play another methodology, known as Kaizen, also of Japanese origin.. As with the teachings we saw in the previous point, with respect to the Kaizen method we can also choose between different modalities, depending on the characteristics of our company.

Thus, we can select Kaizen groups, based on Kaoru Ishikawa's quality circles.. Each group consists of four members, plus an advisor and a group leader. They will have to use the so-called quality route to improve, over the course of a full year, the production processes that correspond to them, eliminating all problems that arise.

Another option would be the 2-day 2-hour kaizen, which uses that time (either two days or two hours) to identify possible procedures in a production position. to identify possible procedures at a workstation that could be optimized, and implement these improvements immediately.

There would also be the three different types of Kaizen Kobetsu, to improve individual performance depending on the complexity of the task. Finally we would have the Kaizen Teian, which is based on the principle of the usefulness of the idea if it is carried out.

4. Capitalization

We come to the last level of Monozukuri Genba. Ehe fourth level is benchmarking, or in other words, comparing oneself with the different competitors in the sector in order to check where we are and whether we are at the right point. to check where we are and whether the improvements made throughout the Monozukuri Genba process have been effective and have fulfilled the forecasts made at the beginning. If the process has been carried out correctly, our organization should be ready to compete with all the others at an optimal level.

The Monozukuri Genba methodology makes clear the importance of the base of the pyramid, that is, the processes carried out by all operators, to achieve the competitiveness sought, based on the total efficiency of all employees. That is why each and every one of them is essential to achieve the common goal sought by the company, which after all is a team of which all are part.

Bibliographical references:

• Aoki, K. Staeblein, T., Tomino, T. (2014). Monozukuri capability to address product variety: A comparison between Japanese and German automotive makers. International Journal of Production Economics. Elsevier.
• Heller, D.A., Fujimoto, T. (2017). Monozukuri management: Driver of sustained competitiveness in the Japanese auto industry. Japanese Management in Evolution.
• Kovacic, M. (2018). The making of national robot history in Japan: monozukuri, enculturation and cultural lineage of robots. Critical Asian Studies. Taylor & Francis.
• Toda, K., Salazar, A., Saito, K. (2012). Automotive Painting Technology: A Monozukuri-Hitozukuri Perspective. Springer.