Our Japanese method has taken hold in overseas plants!
Customer-centric proposal with close support based on our own successful experience in Thailand
FUCHIMOTO KOHKI has overseas representative offices.
In addition to the market in Thailand, we have been expanding our markets in China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
This is our challenge as a trading company to expand the Japanese technological capabilities to the world market.
In the overseas markets, of course, we provide cutting tools and equipment as a main pillar of our business.
But also, we can offer services to our customers.
We support our customers to start-up their overseas plants based on our own successful experience in Thailand.
Small and medium enterprises play a central role in immature industries in ASEAN countries.
Meanwhile, there are many large companies that have production bases taking advantages of the abundant natural resources and cost-effective human resources.
Actually, Thailand and Indonesia, where labor costs are lower than in China, have become production bases for labor-intensive industries, especially automobiles and electronics.
In addition, investors have high expectations for the ASEAN area with robust economic growth rate, population ratio with a high proportion of younger generation, and increasing middle-income classes, etc.
Particularly, Thailand is emerging as a logistics hub for neighboring countries and attracting a great deal of attention.
FUCHIMOTO KOHKI provides customers with our know-how in the success in Thailand.
First, our logistics support function.
In China and ASEAN countries, there are still many areas where logistics is not yet well-developed and not only tools but even gloves or the like are not satisfactorily available.
From the viewpoint of "procuring what customers need", it is FUCHIMOTO way to provide comprehensive support while mainly focusing on procuring tools.
Common issues No.1 to start-up overseas plants
Second, our proposal for improvement solution meeting overseas circumstances.
One of the common problems is that the start-up system is no longer properly operated.
Even if the fundamental system was started-up by a Japanese company in the local site, the local method is imperceptibly adopted and takes hold.
As a result, what is done in the overseas plant is black-boxed.
To prevent such a situation, it is essential for overseas plant to have a partner who understands the goal of stabilizing the Japanese method in the local plant and examine the solutions with local workers from time to time.
Exactly, FUCHIMOTO KOHKI will serve as the partner.
Common issues No.2 to start-up overseas plants
We are currently focusing on establishing a procedure for introducing tools that does not place a burden on overseas plant managers.
The daily production quotas at overseas plants are far greater than those in Japan. Naturally, the number of workers to be managed is also proportional to this.
For example, while a manager in Japan manages about 20 workers, an overseas manager is struggling to manage 200 to 300 workers.
When speaking for the sentiments of such overseas managers, they may say:
“It would be crazy for us to stop the line for testing the introduction of a new tool. It’s all we can do to just maintain the production number above quota every day. Test it somewhere else not here!”
In such circumstance, even if a good tool is proposed, the time for testing the operation with the production line stopped is not secured.
Conversely, as long as they can experience the usefulness of the tools, they can certainly reduce the workload of the workers who are working under harsh conditions.
The development of overseas plants is a crucial challenge for FUCHIMOTO KOHKI and also the companies considering overseas expansion.
We are doing our best to build a robust partnership with customers to work and grow together and expand Japan's technological capabilities to the world.
This is what FUCHIMOTO KOHKI believes.