CONTENT BY THE WORLDFOLIO

The hidden yet indispensable value of monozukuri
Working behind the scenes as the true purveyors of monozukuri craftsmanship, Japanese companies develop essentialparts, components and machinery for the electronic devices and systems at the heart of Industry 4.0.
If there is one word that is synonymous with Japanese manufacturing, it is undoubtedly “quality”.
From cars and electronics, andonto high-tech engineered components and manufacturing machinery, Japanese manufacturers’
painstaking attention to detailhas ensured the long-standing
reputation of the ‘Made in Japan’brand across the globe.
This distinctive and unmistakable quality for which Japan is renowned can be mainly attributed
to monozukuri, a long-standing
philosophy held by Japanese manufacturers that focuses on pride,skill, dedication, high-quality production and the constant pursuitof innovation and perfection.
Toyota made the term become
globally recognized in the world of
business some years back. The automobile maker’s reputed Toyota
Production System is firmly basedon the monozukuri philosophy, or
what it calls an “all-encompassing
approach to manufacturing.”“The essence ofmonozukuri is in thenumerous components
and materials essential
to the manufacturing
processes”
Motoshi Shinkai,
President & CEO,Nippon Seisen Co., Ltd.
Toyota remains the global
ambassador of monozukuri atthe consumer level. But far fromthe eye of the end consumer,
there are thousands of Nippon
companies that work behindthe scenes, building high-quality
parts, components and machinery for top tier firms both athome and abroad. It is in thisB2B segment that monozukuri
really shines through, and that isparticularly the case in the fieldof electronics manufacturing.
“When talking about monozukuri , our natural inclination
is to focus our attention on the
final products when in fact theessence of monozukuri is in thenumerous components and materials essential to the manufac-

turing processes,” says Motoshi
Shinkai, President and CEO of
Nippon Seisen, a leader in the
manufacture of stainless-steelwires, metal fibers and filters.
Nippon Seisen, for example,
develops super fine wires that areessential to the manufacture oflaminated capacitors found insidesmart phones. “When producing
laminated capacitors, electronic
components manufacturers cannot build their circuit during
screen printing without Nippon
Seisen’s Micro & Fine Technology
15μm stainless steel super finewires,” adds Mr. Shinkai.
Industry 4.0
Amid the shift to Industry 4.0,
Nippon Seisen sees huge potential
in developing stainless steel wires
for semiconductor manufacturing equipment related to 5G, IoT,CASE (Connected, Autonomous,Shared and Electric) vehicles,
medical and renewable energy.
And indeed, Industry 4.0 technologies are a priority focus for many
Japanese companies involved inthe electronics industry, particularly those that develop state-ofthe-art machinery used to manufacture the latest semiconductors,
such as Tokyo Electron (TEL).
“New technologies such as IoT,
5G, and AI have been drasticallychanging the semiconductor
production process,” says TEL
president Toshiki Kawai. “As a result, the semiconductor industry
is undergoing rapid technologi-

cal innovation and the market ischanging rapidly.”
In response to the rapidlychanging market, TEL continues
to invest heavily in R&D to develop
the semiconductor manufacturing
equipment for high-demanding
clients looking to get ahead in theIndustry 4.0 era. Indeed, as Mr.
Kawai points out, working closelywith clients to understand theirneeds is an essential part of themonozukuri process.

“Monozukuri is all abouthigh-quality products
built thoroughly andwith precision”
Toshiki Kawai,President & CEO,Tokyo Electron Ltd.
“ Monozukuri requires manydifferent steps, and communication is key in order to be able torespond clearly and effectively
to each client’s unique needs,” hesays. “Monozukuri is all about highquality products built thoroughly
and with precision. At Tokyo Electron, we are striving to adapt to
the needs of our clients and theirchanging environments.”
Another company bringing
monozukuri to the forefront in
the Industry 4.0 era is artron.
Working as both a trading company and manufacturer, artron
supplies industry-leading products and solutions for clients

across several industries – fromcameras, sensors and radars
for the latest automobiles, andLCD displays, touch panels andprinted circuit boards for mobile
devices; to factory automationequipment and state-of-the-art
medical devices.
Already a leading international player, artron has takenmonozukuri manufacturing
global through its growing network of international production
bases. “We have been realizing
monozukuri all over the world
since 2016,” says president andCEO, Akio Shigeta.
“Currently we have fourteen
facilities outside Japan to localize manufacturing and we are
not looking to halt our expansion
there. Areas could include Africa,
South America or South East
Asia—the sky is the limit!”
The advent of Industry 4.0
has also compelled Japanesecompanies involved in the ink
manufacturing industry toadapt and diversify. In the caseof Teikoku Printing Inks, which
supplies high-quality inks for awide range of industrial applications, the company’s R&D isfocusing on developing inks thatare compatible with the latest
sensor technologies.
“Our main focus is on sensors used in automatic driving or even vending machines,
where an invisible lens detects
the customer’s age and gender
information to offer purchasesuggestions. Our R&D operates
also with the basic principle that
we are making products, especially inks, that are decorative
but also functional and allow
the latest sensor to penetrate,”
explains president, Nobunari
Sawanobori, who stresses theimportance of monozukuri in
Teikoku’s product development.
“ Monozukuri is very important for Japan, and to us specifically because our elders
worked extremely hard to build
the economy and country backup after such a devastating war
and monozukuri is how they did
that. We believe their soul andcharacter is within the practicesof monozukuri.”