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Studies of Japanese Technology: An Effort with Diminishing Returns?
Pages 66-80

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From page 66...
... Many explanations have been given. These include such culprits as short-term financial thinking that underemphasizes capital investment, a generally undereducated work force, incompetent management, low regard in the society at large for manufacturing as an activity, top-down hierarchical organization that stifles creativity, declining enrollment in science and engineering as the best students pursue careers in Wall Street or the law, the high cost of capital, greed on the part of financial entrepreneurs, union problems, the lack of a welldefined work ethic, and essentially irrelevant business management school training.
From page 67...
... Haven't Japanese studies yielded valuable information in the past? Yes they certainly have, and a few representative examples will follow from previous JTEC (Japanese Technology Evaluation Center)
From page 68...
... TABLE 1 High Technology Japanese Industrial Trade Associations Area Activities Numbers Electronics Mechatronics New materials Energy Bio/medical technology Aviation/space/ocean General technology Total Communications, materials, information processing, components, optoelectronics 8 Mechanical, robotics, automation, machine tools, high precision, automobiles 11 Petrochemical, electron devices, fine ceramics, chemical Solar energy development, energy 4 conservation, electric power, atomic power 6 Biotechnology, fermentation, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment 4 Ocean industries, aerospace Research development, technical information, patent information, technology development 2 8 43 SOURCE: G.L. Miller, H
From page 69...
... once per month. They exchange highly detailed technical information, "debrief'' members returning from foreign technical trips, and produce an extensive "gray" literature, which is not routinely accessible to outsiders.
From page 70...
... It has an extraordinary record of continuous innovation since its very inception in 1945. Furthermore, Sony has shown a remarkable propensity for parlaying what starts as advanced entertainment and consumer electronic technology "uphill" into Corporate R & D Departments #1 Mechatronics and Optics #2 Measuring Technology #3 Solid-State Components and Materials #4 Computer Software, Architecture, Al New Investigations | New Business Development Department | (Market assessment)
From page 71...
... Much more information on all of these topics, and many others, is available from the various JTEC reports2 listed in Table 2. All of these studies represent a substantial effort on the part of specifically appointed panels, typically numbering around six people, who spend time in Japan and also research the literature extensively.
From page 72...
... This is not exactly a stunningly impressive number. Of course, the JTEC organization points out that it actually produces around 200 copies of each report initially and these are carefully targeted to all the appropriate government agencies, Senate aides, and other relevant organizations in an early mailing, thereby reaching the "decision makers" inside the Washington beltway.
From page 73...
... Again, through an extensive process of experimentation, intuition, invention, and trial and error a process was devised that produced excellent microphones. This involved the use of a certain grade of anthracite coal from a certain mine, grinding to grits of a certain size, carefully heat treating in controlled gas ambients, packing the grits into a microphone in a certain way, and so on.
From page 74...
... The electronic revolution is now primarily based on silicon technology, the most complex microcircuits typically involving several hundred sequential process steps (of perhaps two dozen or so different but repeated types) to produce the finished device.
From page 75...
... Teruaki Aoki, Deputy Senior General Manager, Sony R&D Planning Group, to the JTEC Advanced Sensor Panel at Sony Headquarters Building in Tokyo, June 24, 1988.
From page 76...
... no comnanY or organization can expect to stay in the ~ ~ · be, .# 4, ~ forefront for very long unless it in turn embarks on an organized program of continuous incremental improvement. THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ARGUMENT An argument that has gained considerable popularity in the United States over the last decade or so goes something like this: "Since it is selfevident that technology rests in the last resort on basic scientific research, and since it is well known that the United States is preeminent in all the world in basic research, it follows that there must be something the matter with the way our basic research is transfo~ed into technology." It was this conviction, for example, that led NSF to set up Engineering Research Centers at various universities a few years ago.
From page 77...
... Not far behind the communication argument comes the information processing argument, holding that CAD/CAE/CAM are where the action is and that this is finally and truly the magic golden key. But this argument can be dealt with rather simply.
From page 78...
... On the other hand, as has already been noted, basic research is indeed responsible for occasional fantastic jumps in technological capability. But these events are rare and the associated economic payoff almost always comes from the long-term, steady, dedicated, continuous effort of incremental improvement between such jumps.
From page 79...
... high technology manufacturing is not in doubt. The most significant single competitor in this arena is taken to be Japan, and this fact has led to an understandable escalation in studies of Japanese technology and management.


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