Hello everyone! I’m Shohei.
This column is about what I felt and experienced at a plant factory in Japan.
When you’ve been in the field for over 10 years, a lot of things happen. I write freely about what I remember.
Please feel free to read it while thinking, “Wow, that’s how Japanese plant factories work.”
Plant factory in full production, further increase in production impossible
It seems that the same conflicting structure between sales and production departments can be seen in most manufacturing industries. How about your workplace?
The sales department seeks to increase sales, and the production department pursues efficient manufacturing.
Personally, I think that some conflicts are unavoidable. This is because their purposes are fundamentally different.
I have also experienced unreasonable demands such as “Can we somehow ship more?” when a factory is at full production.
However, even though I know it’s unreasonable, I can’t simply refuse. This is also an issue of trust with customers.
However, “I’ll do something about it” is not the correct answer here.
This is because I'll do something'' meansI’ll ship the product even if it means putting pressure on the site and reducing productivity the next day.”
Such a response will not last long and is unlikely to be positive in the long run.
Moreover, the sales side will surely feel the same way about the production side that responds in this way.
“Even if we are told that shipping is difficult, they will respond if we repeatedly decline.”
If you temporarily overdo it, quality and employee morale will suffer. In the end, it is a loss for the company.
To prevent this from happening, both production and sales teams need to accurately understand the limitations of the factory.
The production side should regularly share production information with the sales side. Conflicts may be resolved by having calm discussions based on objective data.
This column was published in a collection of know-how to improve on-site skills.
This column is included in the Plant Factory Know-How Collection below.
This know-how collection is packed with useful tips to help you increase profitability, regardless of the specifications or equipment on-site.
This is a must-read for those operating plant factories or indoor farms. Implement the know-how to increase profitability.
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