Japanese Manufacturing Plants Research Articles

Purchase or generate? An analysis of inter-fuel substitution and electricity generation in Japanese manufacturing plants

As the manufacturing industry is one of the largest contributors to global emissions, decarbonization of the production line is a key aspect in the fight against climate change. In this study, we examine the level of substitutability between fossil fuel and electricity. Using data on Japanese plants from 2004 to 2020, we estimate the elasticity of substitution between the two inputs and find that a 1 % increase in electricity prices results in a 6.55 % increase in fossil fuel consumption. Our paper also contributes to explaining mechanisms behind inter-fuel substitution, with a special focus on electricity and fossil fuel through cogeneration. We find that substitutability is highly sector-dependent, and identify the pulp & paper, iron & steel, chemicals and cement to be sectors with substitution capacity. These sectors see an increase in their electricity generation, the magnitude of which is estimated between 0.004 % (cement) to 0.23 % (iron & steel). Iron & steel and cement also increase their consumption of coal to power generators by 0.06 % and 0.005 %, respectively. Our findings suggest the need for taxation of both fuel and electricity together, to discourage further substitution attempts that would hinder decarbonization efforts.

Developing Action Plans Based on Machine Learning Analysis to Prevent Sick Leave in a Manufacturing Plant.

We aimed to develop action plans for employees' health promotion based on a machine learning model to predict sick leave at a Japanese manufacturing plant. A random forest model was developed to predict sick leave. We developed plans for workers' health promotion based on variable importance and partial dependence plots. The model showed an area under the receiving operating characteristic curve of 0.882. The higher scores on the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire stress response, younger age, and certain departments were important predictors for sick leave due to mental disorders. We proposed plans to effectively use the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire and provide more support for younger workers and managers of high-risk departments. We described a process of action plan development using a machine learning model, which may be beneficial for occupational health practitioners.

Adjusting to China competition: Evidence from Japanese plant‐product‐level data

AbstractThis study examines how the product mixes of Japanese manufacturing plants have been impacted by the rise of China imports over the period 1997–2014. It focuses on the way plants are embedded in their local environment mitigates this causal relationship. We find evidence that China import competition induced both product downsizing and product exit within Japanese manufacturing plants. Moreover, we find that those negative effects differ across plants according to various plant characteristics including the spatial organization of their parent firm, and the degree of their exposure to external agglomeration economies.

A comparative study of quality management practices between Vietnamese and Japanese manufacturing plants

This study aims to investigate impact of quality management practices on operational capabilities in Vietnamese and Japanese manufacturers, and then, compare the impact between two countries. Statistical techniques are applied to analyse data collected from 25 Vietnamese and 22 Japanese manufacturing plants through an international joint research called high performance manufacturing (HPM) - round 4 in 2014-2015. Analytical results indicate positive impact from supplier involvement in quality improvement and process control but negative impact from feedback and continuous improvement and learning on operational capabilities. The impacts of supplier involvement in quality improvement and feedback practices are significantly different between Japanese and Vietnamese manufacturing companies. The results provide empirical evidence on the implementation quality management practices in different countries, and offer some insights into performance improvement in both developed and developing countries.

The Japanese Production System and Its International Transferability

The Japanese production system has an ethnic or national basis. There are considered to be three production components of the system-shop-floor-centred work organization, waste-free production control, and participative management in the context of cooperative labour relations. For each of these, it is possible to set up a Japanese-type'. The author is conducting research into the overseas operations of Japanese subsidiaries in automobile assembly. Japanese multinational enterprises presumably try to apply the system to their overseas operations to take advantage of its strengths; however, given that they have moved into a foreign country, presumably Japanese enterprises have to adapt to the management environment of the local area. This research investigates the following questions: (i) Does this 'application' and 'adaptation' result in a dilemma? (ii) What is actually being applied and what has not been possible to apply? (iii) How well is the balance between 'application' and 'adaptation' being achieved? According to surveys of Japanese manufacturing plants in North America, Asia, and Europe, the application of the system is possible. Of course this does not mean that it can be applied 100%. The pattern of application varies according to the management strategy of the Japanese enterprises.

Japan’s participation in global value chains: splitting the IO table into production for export and domestic sale

This paper examines Japan’s participation in global value chains (GVCs). To this end, we use plant-level data for Japan to split output in each industry in Japan’s manufacturing sector into output for export or domestic sale and create an extended multi-country input–output table (MIOT). We then compute trade in value added (TiVA) indicators to examine the participation of Japanese manufacturing plants in GVCs. Our estimates suggest that Japan’s forward participation in GVCs is lower than suggested by estimates computed from a traditional MIOT. We infer that this result is due to high cross-border production fragmentation as well as the large presence of Japanese multinational companies in global manufacturing and the high volume of intra-firm trade in Japan’s manufacturing sector. We conclude that considering firm heterogeneity in production for export and domestic sale in MIOTs provides a more accurate understanding of global production fragmentation.

Multi-Product Firms and Product Switching in Japan

This paper explores role of multi-product plants and product switching in the Japanese manufacturing sector. While a substantial body of work has explored the importance of the extensive margins of plant entry and exit in employment and output flows, only recently has research begun to examine the adjustment across products within establishments and its importance for plant and aggregate output and employment flows. Using a novel, annual plant-product data set covering all Japanese manufacturing plants with more than 4 employees from 1992 to 2006, we provide the first evidence on the role of multi-product plants in Japanese manufacturing and how the product mix and the plant mix have changed over time. Unlike previous studies we are able to track annual changes in the product mix. The period covers a major decline in manufacturing activity and we show that the mix of products and output shifted strongly towards larger multi-product plants that are part of multi-establishment manufacturing firms.

Relational Inequality: Gender Earnings Inequality in U.S. and Japanese Manufacturing Plants in the Early 1980s

We examine the relational model of inequality using samples of employer-employee matched data from manufacturing plants in the United States and Japan. We argue that gender is a salient status characteristic in both the United States and Japan, but because of differences in gender politics, wage inequality will vary more across U.S. workplaces than Japanese workplaces. We find this claim to be supported, and then we model this variation as a function of exploitation and opportunity hoarding processes. Women's exclusion from high-wage plants and gender-linked claims-making resources help to explain between and within plant wage variation in U.S. workplaces. In Japan, where gender distinctions were less locally contested, access to lifetime employment and gender differences in labor supply generate local gender wage gaps. This paper provides evidence on the utility of relational inequality theory and an empirical strategy to observe the exploitation and opportunity hoarding mechanisms.

Empirical Manufacturing Line Designs in Japanese Automobile Plants

Manufacturing line (ML) designers have understood that simulation studies can help to form a more reliable ML than conventional methods that for the most based upon engineering experiences. However, the use of simulation has not been applied much in designing the ML, and a confident method of designing a new ML or modifying the capacity of a current manufacturing line (CML) has remained a task in Japanese automobile manufacturing plants. The main purpose of this research is to propose a new perspective of a simulation study in Japanese automobile industry from an empirical point of view to implement the framework for designing a ML. The second purpose is to introduce the method and analytical procedures of modifying a CML utilized by a linear programming (LP) model for selecting alternatives for simulation study. The proposed method was applied in an actual design project to confirm the feasibility of the framework.

Predictors of Japanese Workers' Motivation to Use the Results of Worksite Health Checkups in Their Daily Health Management

Japanese law stipulates that workers undergo worksite health checkups. If workers do not use their results of those checkups in their daily health management, the merit of this law will not be realized. Therefore, it is important to identify the predictors to improve their motivation to use the results of health checkups. We investigated those predictors by using a questionnaire survey. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted for 1,791 subjects (1,530 males and 261 females) at a Japanese manufacturing plant. The average age of enrolled subjects was 42.0 years (standard deviation [S.D.], 13.4 years). The average age of male subjects was 42.3 (S.D., 13.8) years and that of the female subjects was 39.9 (S.D., 10.4) years. The results revealed that as workers advanced in age, they maintained their motivation more to use those results. Women maintained their motivation more than men. Workers who believe that their health depends on the influence from physicians and healthcare providers in hospitals felt motivated. Workers who realized the effectiveness of those checkups to maintain good health, who knew how to adopt an appropriate lifestyle, and who were given consultations with physicians when they received their health checkups, felt motivated. Regarding the healthcare organizations' and occupational health staffs' responsibilities, only detecting illness early is not sufficient. Those healthcare providers must value more primary prevention. Our findings can be applied to various occupational health activities, including health consultations, health education seminars, and providing appropriate instruction on how to interpret the results of the worksite health checkups.

Gesture as a Situated Communicative Strategy at a Japanese Manufacturing Plant in the US

Gesture as a Situated Communicative Strategy at a Japanese Manufacturing Plant in the US

Factors Associated With Workers' Perceived Helpfulness of and Need for Health Consultations Given by an Occupational Physician at a Japanese Manufacturing Plant

The aim of this study was to clarify measures for improving the functionality of health consultations by occupational physicians, by examining factors associated with workers' perceived helpfulness of, and need for, these consultations. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted at a Japanese manufacturing plant. Multiple regression analyses showed that workers' perceived helpfulness of, and need for, health consultations given by an occupational physician was held in common and significantly associated with the occupational physician's dedication and complete protection of privacy. For health consultations given by occupational physicians to be effective, it is necessary to help employees realize the physicians' outstanding dedication and to convey to the workers the absolute assurance of their privacy protection.

Survey of the Degree of Examinees' Satisfaction with Instructions on How to Read Results of General Health Checkups at a Workplace

To clarify measures for making clearer instructions on how to read the results of general health checkups in a workplace by surveying the views of workers on these instructions, an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted at a Japanese manufacturing plant. The responses of 984 male workers were analyzed. The average age of the subjects was 32.1 yr (range, 19-60 yr). Regarding the instructions, 4.1% of the subjects answered "definitely sufficient," 58.9% "somewhat sufficient," 28.0% "neither sufficient nor insufficient," 8.1% "somewhat insufficient" and 0.8% "definitely insufficient." Multiple regression analysis showed that the degree of examinees' satisfaction significantly correlated with the health condition (standard partial regression coefficient =0.189, p<0.001), knowledge of health management (standard partial regression coefficient =0.095, p=0.014), and fear of lifestyle-related diseases (standard partial regression coefficient =0.095, p=0.009). The adjusted R square value of the multiple regression analysis was 0.064. It is necessary to provide more detailed information to those with poor health. Because the instructions contain many difficult medical terms, health professionals must give instructions that are easy to understand. Those feeling fear of lifestyle-related diseases may already know how to read checkup results. It is necessary to promote awareness of lifestyle-related diseases targeting people unfamiliar with such diseases.

An empirical analysis of just-in-time production in Japanese manufacturing companies

This paper focuses on the requirements for just-in-time (JIT) production systems and the roles and consequences of JIT production for manufacturing companies. The paper reports nine reliable and valid measurement scales concerning JIT production practices for 46 Japanese manufacturing plants. Based on these measurement scales and a summarized super-scale, it is proved that JIT production systems contribute to improving competitive performance, and that efficient equipment layout has a strong impact on the competitive position of the manufacturing plant. More importantly, JIT production interacts with other operations management areas. Fourteen scales are closely correlated with JIT production. They jointly characterize a committed and coordinated organization, high problem-solving competence of human resources, a solid base for total quality management, stable or predictable information systems, inter-functional technology development, and the business/manufacturing strategy encouraging functional integration.

Location decisions of Japanese new manufacturing plants in China: a discrete-choice analysis

This paper adopts a conditional logit model to empirically examine the location choices of Japanese greenfield manufacturing foreign direct investment among Chinese provinces. It is hypothesized that its location decisions in China would be determined by the provinces’ market sizes, infrastructure capacities, labor, land, and energy costs, agglomeration effects, labor quality, and policy incentives. A Hausman–McFadden test is conducted to test whether the independence from irrelevant alternatives assumption of the conditional logit model is violated.

A Mental Health Care Program and Sickness Absence in a Japanese Manufacturing Plant

Journal of Occupational HealthVolume 45, Issue 4 p. 234-237 Case StudyFree Access A Mental Health Care Program and Sickness Absence in a Japanese Manufacturing Plant Takashi Shimizu, Takashi Shimizu Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental HealthSearch for more papers by this authorShouji Nagashima, Shouji Nagashima Department of Occupational Health, Ichihara Works, Mitsui Chemicals Co.Search for more papers by this authorTetsuya Mizoue, Tetsuya Mizoue Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyushu University, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorShoji Nagata, Shoji Nagata Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental HealthSearch for more papers by this author Takashi Shimizu, Takashi Shimizu Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental HealthSearch for more papers by this authorShouji Nagashima, Shouji Nagashima Department of Occupational Health, Ichihara Works, Mitsui Chemicals Co.Search for more papers by this authorTetsuya Mizoue, Tetsuya Mizoue Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyushu University, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorShoji Nagata, Shoji Nagata Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental HealthSearch for more papers by this author First published: 22 August 2003 https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.45.234Citations: 4 Correspondence to: T. Shimizu, Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1–1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka 807-8555, Japan AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume45, Issue4July 2003Pages 234-237 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Case Study of a Japanese Manufacturing Plant in Belgium

Case Study of a Japanese Manufacturing Plant in Belgium

Contribution of manufacturing departments to technology development: An empirical analysis for machinery, electrical and electronics, and automobile plants in Japan

This paper focuses on the role of manufacturing departments in product and process technology development, with its relationship to other main fields of production management. We suggest five measurement scales concerning the technology development activities of manufacturing departments and show that three of the scales, effective process implementation, inter-functional design efforts and product design simplicity, are reliable and valid for 46 Japanese manufacturing plants. Using these measurement scales and a summarized super-scale of technology development, we empirically examine inter-industry and inter-class differences in the involvement of manufacturing departments in technology development and its relationship with other operations management practices and competitive performance to evaluate the contribution of manufacturing departments to technology development. A series of canonical correlation analyses demonstrate that the involvement in technology development is strongly influenced by human resource management, information systems, quality management, and manufacturing strategy, and that it plays a decisive role in determining the competitive performance of the manufacturing plants.

The Whispering Shadow: Collectivism and Individualism at Ikeda-Hoover and Nissan UK

Despite recent interest in the character of individual dissonance in the workplace less attention has been given to the nature of collectivism in the context of restricted trade union behaviour. While findings on conflicts associated with collective practices have been given reasonable space these have tended to focus on the association between collectivism qua trade unions and the presence or absence of conflict. Moreover, where the relationship between conflict and individualism provide the focus of study, this often serves to herald the demise of forms of collectivism or collectivism in general. The paper identifies three forms of collectivism in two Japanese manufacturing plants. These are; ‘trade union collectivism’; ‘work place collectivism’ and, the ‘social collectivism of everyday life’. By moving away from the conflict-consensus polarity, the intention is to shift the terms of debate over the nature of individualism and collectivism in the context of LLPs. The perceived conceptual and empirical gap is not to be closed by highlighting only incidents of dissonance, whether individually or collectively construed.

The management of labour in Japanese manufacturing plants in China

The management of labour in Japanese manufacturing plants in China