Monozukuri gives Japan's niche players a competitive edge

While Japan has faced increasingly larger competition from the likes of China, South Korea and Southeast Asia in recent decades, many Japanese SME manufacturers have maintained large global market shares in B2B markets and niche fields characterized by high-mix, low-volume production.

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Working behind the scenes by supplying high-quality parts, materials and machinery, these niche companies are the so-called 'hidden champions' of Japanese manufacturing. They have and will continue to excel thanks to a strict adherence to the tenets of monozukuri, the Japanese manufacturing philosophy that centers around craftsmanship, excellence and the constant pursuit of innovation. From those engaged in automotives and electronics, to materials science, plastics, printing and textiles, these hidden champions have placed themselves at the forefront of global challenges such as sustainability and climate change.

"Japanese monozukuri brought about highly reliable and durable products. Japanese companies' success is also because of Japan's educational system and cultural standards," says Toshihiro Takai, President of Asano Laboratories, a leading manufacturer of thermoforming machinery that has made major headways in sustainability in the plastics industry. "The manufacturing industry in Japan is of such high quality because the people are very diligent and serious when it comes to manufacturing good-quality products. This is why Japanese companies are able to maintain competitiveness despite a harsh global market. Japanese SMEs excel in high technology, which allows them to maintain a high global market share."