Because Japan is a small island country, but that "small" can only represent its land area. Japan is a leader in the machine tool industry. Machine tools, as machines that make machines, naturally need no further elaboration on their status in industrial manufacturing. Machine tools represent a country's industrial development and processing technology level. So how did Japan, which is poor in materials, has a small land area and a small population, rely on to become a machine tool power?
one. Rome was not built in a day
We have only seen the bright side of Japan's machine tool industry now. As the third powerful country in the world to establish machine tool industry, manufacturing industry and industry after the United States and Germany, Rome was never built in a day.
In early modern times, Japan was also a country that suffered from aggression, but they dared to get rid of the old and usher in the new. For example, Japan's "Meiji Restoration" proposed effective and feasible reform measures in terms of politics, economy, and culture. Among them, "colonization and development of industry" caused the early heat wave of the Industrial Revolution.
Later, with the establishment of Ikegai Iron Works, Japan successfully produced the first machine tool, which also marked the germination of Japanese machine tools. Since then, the government has given greater support to the machine tool industry, making it a top priority for the development of the manufacturing industry and even the entire national economy.
In addition to self-reform, Japan is also a country that is very good at learning from other countries. In the early days when Japanese industry was still relatively weak, they humbly learned technology from Germany, an old industrial country, vigorously introduced advanced equipment from the United States and Germany, and at the same time hired well-known foreign experts with high salaries to provide guidance. They are like giant sponges, eagerly absorbing nutrients from others. Choosing what is good has always been the accelerator of Japan's economic development.
"The times create heroes, and heroes are also in the right time." The development of things is inseparable from one's own efforts, and it is also inseparable from the tolerance of the times. The torrent of the times drives the forward development of things, and the two are like Bole and a thousand-mile horse. A delicate relationship.
The icing on the cake is the foresight of Fujitsu's leadership, which successfully foresaw the coming of the 3C (Communication, Computer, Control) era and made long-term development plans for machine tools and other industries in advance. Among them, FANUC, led by Inaba, seized the opportunity. After years of development, it is now world-renowned in CNC.
FANUC has a unique Basic Technology Research Institute, where countless elites from around the world gather. "Don't ask three questions" is their philosophy. They don't ask about nationality, gender, or age, but only ask about results. It does not allow people to study within the box, and valuing truly talented people is its biggest competitive sign.
2. Hard quality leads to the reputation of "ruthless character"
The high level of Japanese machine tools is widely praised internationally. Whether it is Mazak, Amada, Okuma, Okamoto and other local Japanese machine tool brands, any one of them is well-known in the industry at home and abroad. Various machine tool brands together form Japan's complete machine tool production chain, and they also occupy half of the global CNC machine tool field.
Later, the machine tool industry continued to adopt the "Machine Tool Inspection Certificate" formulated by Dr. Schlesinger of Germany, and each factory also consciously established its own quality inspection team. Whether it is the static accuracy or operating accuracy of machine tools, Japan has meticulously improved it. As standards get higher and higher, technology will also passively improve, and the two will promote health.
3. The fact that the craftsman's heart creates a "ruthless character"
What makes other countries even more unable to relax is that although Japan is far ahead in the machine tool industry, they still have a strong sense of crisis. After all, not having a crisis is the biggest crisis, and being satisfied with the status quo is the biggest trap. The "craftsman spirit" of pursuing innovation and perfection may have long been engraved in the bones of the Japanese. They constantly polish their skills, strive to develop new ideas, and reach new realms.
Their innovation is not simply to cater to the market, but more to explore their own unknown areas. Just as Japan has successfully manufactured the mother machine with the highest precision in the field of ultra-precision machining in the world. In terms of processing accuracy, it is nearly 8 times higher than the LODTM and DTM-3 of LLNL in the United States and the OAGM2500 of CUPE in the United Kingdom. However, high precision naturally This means high costs.
However, facing the narrow market application space, the Japanese are not overly discouraged. What they value more is their own technological breakthroughs. As a leader in the machine tool industry, if Japan wants to maintain its advantages for a long time, they can only continue to be ahead of the world in discovering and exploring problems. Monetization is slowly no longer the primary goal of companies.
The "alternative" manufacturing concept that does not rush to realize cash has caused companies in many countries to stand still. But not being in a hurry to realize cash does not mean that the sensitivity to market demand has decreased. Japanese machine tool companies attach great importance to market research and pay attention to international changes. With the support of powerful research data, Japan can make appropriate micro-decisions and long-term development strategies in the face of changing market demands, quickly seize the market, and apply technology into practice.
This is perhaps the highest level of "craftsmanship", which not only requires extremely high skills, but also combines technology with market realities, without making castles in the air. Only by finding the best balance between the two can we remain invincible in today's cruel market. Regarding this point, I believe it is a shortcoming of many companies, but it is the Japanese machine tool industry that turns other people's shortcomings into its own strengths, so that it can stand out.
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01
Yamazaki Mazak
Japan's Yamazaki Mazak (MAZAK) Company is a world-renowned machine tool manufacturer.
Founded in 1919, it mainly produces CNC lathes, compound turning and milling machining centers, vertical machining centers, and horizontal machining centers.
It is characterized by high speed and high precision.
02
AMADA
In 1946, Amada Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was established by Isamu Amada (the founder). It was initially mainly engaged in the business of sheet metal machinery and cutting products. In 1955, it developed and manufactured a band saw disc called contour and began selling it in 1956.
The characteristics are that the mechanical structure is reasonable, it can operate efficiently and without pollution, and the advanced technology with simulation automation can provide users with the simplest processing guarantee.
03
Okuma
Japan's largest machine tool manufacturer, the world's largest gantry machining center manufacturer, and Japan's Okuma Machine Tool, which has a century of machine tool manufacturing experience, is one of the largest CNC machine tool manufacturers in Japan and the world. It has a history of more than 100 years.
It is characterized by good rigidity, high cutting efficiency, high precision, long life, easy operation, and realization of electromechanical integration.
04
Mori Seiki
Founded in 1948, Mori Seiki is one of the largest machine tool manufacturers in Japan. The company mainly produces CNC lathes, machining centers, and CNC grinders. Among them, CNC lathes and machining centers rank first in market share in Japan. Bit.
The characteristic is that the CNC machine tool is first-rate.
05
Jetekot
JTEKT owns brands such as JTEKT, KOYO, and TOYODA, and is a company that provides technical support for "moving things" such as automobiles and Shinkansen trains, aircraft, and robots.
Features: simplicity and efficiency.
06
Makino
Mr. founded the company in 1937, specializing in the production of Type 1 vertical milling machines. Makino developed Japan's first CNC milling machine in 1958, and successfully developed Japan's first machining center in 1966.
It is characterized by strong processing, manufacturing and assembly functions, as well as strong wire cutting machines and EDM machines.
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07
Komatsu
Komatsu NTC was established in July 1945 and is affiliated to Japan's Komatsu Manufacturing Co., Ltd. It is a comprehensive machine tool manufacturing enterprise that mainly provides a large number of high-quality precision metal processing equipment to the world's automobile manufacturers.
Features: three-dimensional five-axis CNC laser cutting.
08
Aida
Aida is an enterprise integrating R&D, production and sales of high-speed punches, precision punches, servo punches and stamping automation. Mainly engaged in the manufacturing and sales of punch machinery, industrial robots, and various automatic transmission devices.
Aida's forging machinery products include open and closed presses, cold forging presses, high-speed punches, servo presses, large multi-station presses and peripheral equipment.
It is characterized by simple operation, high efficiency and strong safety performance.
09
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was founded in 1884 and is Japan's largest military manufacturer.
Through the automatic programming system developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the NC programs required for dressing and grinding can be compiled by simply inputting various parameters, achieving high-precision machining and suitable for the power generation field.
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The characteristics are, gear grinding technology, large-scale and automation.
10
SODICK
Japan Sodick focuses on the mold industry and supports various manufacturing projects, including: CAD/CAM product design for mold processing, electrical discharge machining of mold parts, high-speed milling centers, and electron beam finishing of finished surfaces (especially electron beam PIKA surface processing unit EBM) as well as injection molding processing and linear processing technology.
Japan's Sodick Corporation developed the "OPM250L" 3D printer that uses metal materials in 2014.
Characterized by high precision and mold manufacturing technology.
No matter we are in the best of times or the worst of times, we should actively follow the trend of the times and be more "at the right time" and less "born at the wrong time". So remember to keep your head up and look at the road when you are immersed in the road. Gradually you will become more skilled and you will make progress in the future.
