戦略研究 (No. 48): コスト削減の視点を変える (March 15, 2010)
すべての日本企業にとって、コスト削減と海外市場の拡大が緊急の課題になっている。日本製品は高性能であるがゆえに、価格が高く国際市場では苦戦するという言い訳はもう通用しない。アジアの太陽電池メーカーが日本市場への進出を加速している。低人件費と併せたコスト競争力を強みに世界市場に進出している。生産性を上げるには、機械が稼動している時により多くの製品を生み出すか、機械が稼動していない時間を無駄としてこれを排除する方法がある。これまで、日本の高い生産性は、無駄な時間を排除するという視点の産物である。日本人の勤勉さから、とにかく労働時間は真面目によく働く。しかしこの視点からのコスト削減は、すでに限界にきている。機械が稼動している時の生産性を上げる視点が必要である。日本企業の労働者が日本舞踊を踊っているとき、海外企業の労働者はフラメンコを踊っている。この現実を直視しないと、さらなるコスト削減は難しい。(Written by Shigeo Sunahara of CBC, Inc.)
No. 48: Flamenco instead of classical Japanese dance (March 15, 2010)
It is an urgent task for every Japanese company to reduce cost and expand the foreign market. It is no longer possible to say that Japanese products are high in price and destined to have a tough game because they are sophisticated and high in production cost. Asian solar battery manufacturers are accelerating their efforts to branch out into Japan. Actually, they are increasing their presence in the global market with cost competitiveness realized by low labor cost. There are two ways available to increase productivity. One is to produce as many products as possible while machinery is running, and the other is to eliminate the time when machinery is idle, that is, keep running machinery with as least idling time as possible. Japanese high productivity is largely thanks to the second way, namely, eliminating fruitless time as much as possible. However, it seems hard to realize further cost reduction by virtue of eliminating fruitless time. That is, we have to shift our attention to increasing productivity while machinery is running. It is important to notice that while workers in Japan are dancing classical Japanese dance, workers in Asia are dancing flamenco. Further cost reduction is hard to realize without paying attention to this difference.
No. 48: Flamenco instead of classical Japanese dance (March 15, 2010)
It is an urgent task for every Japanese company to reduce cost and expand the foreign market. It is no longer possible to say that Japanese products are high in price and destined to have a tough game because they are sophisticated and high in production cost. Asian solar battery manufacturers are accelerating their efforts to branch out into Japan. Actually, they are increasing their presence in the global market with cost competitiveness realized by low labor cost. There are two ways available to increase productivity. One is to produce as many products as possible while machinery is running, and the other is to eliminate the time when machinery is idle, that is, keep running machinery with as least idling time as possible. Japanese high productivity is largely thanks to the second way, namely, eliminating fruitless time as much as possible. However, it seems hard to realize further cost reduction by virtue of eliminating fruitless time. That is, we have to shift our attention to increasing productivity while machinery is running. It is important to notice that while workers in Japan are dancing classical Japanese dance, workers in Asia are dancing flamenco. Further cost reduction is hard to realize without paying attention to this difference.
