Japan is an interesting place. It is the country of big harmony. Our sensei (teacher) taught us first day that if we we wanted to have a good trip we had to understand that Japanese care about haromony. Everything needs to blend and fit together. Obviously the puts us Americans at a disadvantage because we...well we don't fit it. Being extra polite is important--learning to say good morning, thank you and doing a lot of bowing is a step toward rebuilding the harmony.
The trip has been to look at companies that are successfully applying lean methods. In any case we have have visited 3 great companies in the last 3 day Omoron, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Anyway at the risk of boring you and the kids here are a few highlights:
Omron is really an amazing company with an amazing history comitted to building a better community. This plant employees most handicap people. Despite economic pressure to manufacture in China where the labor is cheaper, Omron has shown that they can be a profitable manufacturer of electronics while still providing people with disabilities a place to work. The sign here reads, "Not a charity but a chance". A tour through there facility would amaze anyone.
Toyota motor company headquarters is located in Toyota City. It is not uncommon for large companies in Japan to actually own the city. The company promises some ecenomic stability in exchange for some political clout to develop a city that supports their opperation as needed. It seems to work.
Toyota is a lot of robots in their manufacturing so it is not suprising to see some of the innovations on display at the Toyota museum.
The trip has been to look at companies that are successfully applying lean methods. In any case we have have visited 3 great companies in the last 3 day Omoron, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Anyway at the risk of boring you and the kids here are a few highlights:
Omron is really an amazing company with an amazing history comitted to building a better community. This plant employees most handicap people. Despite economic pressure to manufacture in China where the labor is cheaper, Omron has shown that they can be a profitable manufacturer of electronics while still providing people with disabilities a place to work. The sign here reads, "Not a charity but a chance". A tour through there facility would amaze anyone.
Toyota motor company headquarters is located in Toyota City. It is not uncommon for large companies in Japan to actually own the city. The company promises some ecenomic stability in exchange for some political clout to develop a city that supports their opperation as needed. It seems to work.
Toyota is a lot of robots in their manufacturing so it is not suprising to see some of the innovations on display at the Toyota museum.
I caught the tale end of this robot playing the trumpet. It sounded really good... I wish I actually would have got the robot playing instead just waving.
This futuristic car is quite amazing. When positioned down it has a low center of gravity and can travel very fast. When upright is has the maneuverability of a wheel chair.
1 comment:
I think we Americans could learn a lot from the Japanese. Harmony, imagine that in the US. Thank you for the lesson. Enjoy your trip!
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