Can Mazda survive with the craftsman spirit February 17 at 19:20

What image do you have of Mazda? The Roadster was also a Guinness World Record for being the world's best-selling two-seater small open car. And the world's first mass-produced car with a rotary engine mounted on a motor fan. In fact, Mazda is a small manufacturer in Hiroshima with a world share of only 2%. Now that the automotive industry is about to change dramatically with the latest technologies such as AI, autonomous driving, and EV, can Mazda sticking to the “craftsman soul” survive? Mazda's 100th anniversary and the future. (Hiroshima Broadcasting Station reporter Kentaro Magata Yusuke Goto)

Production line “mixed production” that breaks common sense

When you visit Mazda's headquarters factory in Hiroshima, the first thing that surprises you is the production line. The appearance that is different from the common sense of the manufacturing industry that performs mass production jumps into the eyes. After the open car, SUVs, followed by sedans, etc., one by one, different types of cars flow one after another.

In fact, Mazda manufactures cars after customers place orders at dealers. Cars with different models and colors will follow the same line in the order you ordered. Such a method is called "mixed production" or "small-volume production".

This is another automaker's factory. In an automobile factory, vehicles of the same model and color are generally sent together on a production line. Since the United States succeeded in mass-producing cars in the early 20th century, this type of assembly has been the norm for efficient production.

Mixed-flow production has the advantage that there is less risk of holding inventory because it is assembled after ordering, and investment is greatly reduced because only one line is required. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that when a car with a large number of parts is created, the work of employees becomes complicated when different cars flow. Doing so may stop the line.

For this reason, even if the model is different, we will conduct development that is conscious of mixed production from the design stage, such as sharing the parts as much as possible and unifying the positions of the bolt holes used to fix the car body to the production line. I am.

(Tamori Plant Manager)
"I think this is a one-of-a-kind technology that allows us to sell units while making full use of our production capacity. On the other hand, there is a risk that the work will be impossible or uneven. It is important to create a car that is easy to build from development to production. "

Small maker is hard

Mazda adopted this method because the company was small. Building a line for each model required a huge investment and was not as strong.

Mixed production began in earnest during the 1970s oil crisis. It is said that almost no cars sold and even piles of stock piled up. Even in recent years, we have suffered from the super-strong yen following the 2008 Lehman Shock. In the manufacturing industry that exports at a time when it is less than 80 yen per dollar, the overseas transfer of factories accelerated, but Mazda tried to overcome this pinch by pursuing this production method in order to keep domestic factories.

The “craftsman soul” that is constantly devised on site

In order to solve the problem of mixed production that complicates operations, factories have been making steady efforts. A trolley that automatically moved parts, not employees, moved frequently near the line. If a red sports car flows, the red door of this car will come, and if a white sedan comes, a corresponding white door will be carried behind the employees. The same is true for windshields and handles. The trolley, developed by the employees, eliminated errors and reduced work time.

(Manager Takiguchi)
"It's pretty efficient. It's a lot less wasted and there's no operator burden."

The “Improvement Dojo” in a corner of the factory produces such equipment. Employees gather every day to conduct research to improve work efficiency. The device born here is called "Karakuri" in the company. Some of the karakuri that were born in the improvement dojo were shown.

In the in-house contest, the best prize, "Quantitative Tolerance Jar," comes up with a fixed number of nuts just by reaching out. There is no mistake in the number, and the speedup was successful.

By moving it like a pendulum, "Akanbe Taro" pops out a fixed number of ring-shaped parts for the muffler. There are about 130 such mechanisms at the factory. I felt the “craftsman soul” of improving the production line by accumulating the wisdom and ideas of employees rather than just solving with money.

(Yamamoto)
"I think it's an ideal form to make a karakuri with everyone making various improvements with familiarity."

How will you survive the transformational period?

The automotive industry is said to be a revolutionary event once in 100 years. There is an urgent need to respond to so-called "CASE", such as autonomous driving, electrification, and connected technology that connects to the Internet. How will Mazda survive as global IT companies such as Google and Apple are accelerating the development of autonomous driving.

The keywords are "concentrate resources in the areas of specialty" and "collaborate with other companies in areas of weakness". In 2017, formed a capital alliance with Toyota. Toyota wants to learn the production and development technologies that Mazda excels in, and will jointly start operating a new factory in the United States, which once withdrew in 2021. On the other hand, in areas where electric vehicles are weak, we will establish new companies with Toyota and other companies to compete with overseas companies.

(President Marumoto)
"I want to cooperate with Toyota and other people, taking advantage of their uniqueness and strengths, in order for Mazda to survive as a small player."

In the past, there was a time called "Mazda Hell", where trade-in prices were so low that only Mazda cars, which had been significantly discounted, could be replaced. For this reason, we are striving to enhance our brand power and unifying the design into one style. The strategy is to take advantage of being a small manufacturer with few car models and to make everyone in the world aware of it as a Mazda car.

Last year, the names of most cars were changed to a combination of company names and numbers, and they were unified at home and abroad. It is said that the company is aiming for a one-of-a-kind automaker like BMW in Germany. I have been to the company many times, but I feel that I have a great sense of crisis for the revolution once every 100 years. I want to keep watching the evolution of how to become a one-of-a-kind manufacturer.

Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Reporter
Entered Kentaro Makata in 2011. Currently working after the Obihiro and Takamatsu stations. Coverage of Hiroshima's economy.

Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Reporter
Entered Yusuke Goto in 2012. Currently works after working at the Saitama and Kagoshima stations. Responsible for economic and international coverage.