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Anjouli Lissette Ayala Moreira

M.Sc. Edwin Desintonio
Produccin I (1997)
21 May 2014
Companies Strategies to Success in the World
H. Yamashima in his Challenge to World-Class Manufacturing paper provides an
insight into Japanese manufacturing systems evolution and gives basic strategies to
companies which goal is to reach a World-Class Manufacturing status. The author also
explains the important role that Total Quality Management (TQM), Total Maintenance
Management (TPM) and Just-In-Time (JIT) techniques play in the conversion of a common
company into a company that is qualified to compete and success in any market of the world.
Japanese firms have improved their manufacturing techniques over the years by
adding different areas and departments, such as Research and Development, and management
strategies to their activities. All these changes have had place in a continuous improvement
process in their history, they have faced four periods where manufacturing strategies have
had different changes and developments; In the first phase companies focused in increasing
production volume due to the high demand of goods, entering into a mass production period,
but sooner the market became more demanding and it forced companies to move along to a
new era, where they had to produce diversified goods in order to fit different kind of market
needs; this led to introducing new concepts, measures and research to keep meeting the
market requirements and the production costs level at its minimum. As years came over the
market changed and peoples needs turn into more specific which made companies turn into
the concept of mass customization, this evolution of companies also had to face a new
angle, which was the environmental responsible global tendencies that where gaining power
into the decision-making, the world needed and needs green manufacturing industries which
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are committed with the conservation of the environment and sustainability, this tendencies
led to the final phase which was focused in profit-making green products.
So, the evolution of Japanese firms is a good indicator an example of how other
companies around the world have accomplished or can do so the World-Class Manufacturing
status, but market requirements and new global tendencies are not the only factor to reach this
status, there also three techniques that are interrelated which help to the consecution of this
goal.
Every company that wants to reach the WCM status needs good maintenance
practices to ensure full availability of their machines due to have a high response speed to
market requirements, TPM lets industries reach this maintenance level, but its not an easy to
apply practice so companies need to have a strong commitment to adopt this system and get
focused on their objectives in order to overcome obstacles.
You need a strong TPM system in your company due to apply a JIT system, because
Just-In-Time needs a fast level of response from the firm in order to commit demands. The
main system among these two is TQM because it involves both, TPM and JIT, and it makes
everything works aligned to increase productivity, meet customers expectations and reach
the main objective which is to become a company that others want-to-be-like because of the
systems applied, organization and management of every area involved in it.
Any company, no matter how large it is or if it has facilities around the world or not,
can become a World-Class Manufacturing company, its just matter of hard work,
perseverance, processes synergy, human-integrated manufacturing, environmentally sensitive
production and a vision of constant improvement opportunities to achieve success.