A Vision for the Forging Industry
－The direction that Japan’s forging industry should take－
know the vision
The direction that Japan’s forging industry should take
Aiming for independence in the forging industry
For the forging industry’s independence as an industry and its continuing development, not as a “subcontractor” but as an indispensable “partner” to users, securing sufficient profits is vital. As a solution to this problem, we have identified the seven directions given below, including “Aggressive management that leverages technology and skills,” but first it is essential to strengthen the forging industry’s ability to “cultivate markets,” namely, its marketing ability. This has been a weakness of the forging industry, which has been under a subcontracting structure.
All forging companies should strive to strengthen their own marketing ability, and also strengthen business areas where they can demonstrate their strengths.
Aggressive management that leverages technology and skills
As the globalization of production advances, users are placing increasingly stringent QCD requirements on the forging industry. To handle this situation, the forging industry needs to be proactive in its own efforts to improve its technology and skills. To support these companies, the Japan Forging Association hopes to create opportunities for presentations of technologies and skills and strengthen relationships with user industries by planning exhibitions to which user industries are invited. In addition, competition with other forming and fabrication technologies is becoming increasingly severe, and users are demanding delivery of value-added functional parts rather than forging products alone. Therefore, it is necessary to expand into downstream areas such as heat treatment and machining, and to promote research and development for improving productivity, high added value, and so on. To promote such R&D by SMEs, it is also necessary to effectively utilize government support programs, and to create an environment that facilitates the use of senior engineers. Furthermore, it is essential not to regard “advanced skills” as absolute, but to continue efforts to improve productivity by, for example, promoting analysis toward the manualization, etc., of advanced skills, and assigning to newcomers some of the processes that were previously considered the domain of veterans.
Coexistence and co-prosperity through healthy business practices
Forging manufacturers are often asked by users to engage in clearly unfavorable business practices, such as the storage of dies. Going forward, it will be essential to seek users’ understanding for improving business practices, such as by promoting the importance of the forging industry as a whole to users, while presenting business practice guidelines at each company and so on.
Handling overseas markets
While the domestic market in Japan is not expected to grow significantly in the future, demand for automotive parts and other forging products is expanding significantly overseas, particularly in Asia. Forging manufacturers need to be keenly aware that if they focus only on the domestic Japanese market, their business will have to shrink in the future.
However, local production and market cultivation overseas are not easy for SMEs. This is why the Japan Forging Association will strengthen its network with the overseas forging industry, collect and analyze overseas information such as local operation risks, and support companies aiming for local production overseas. At the same time, we will conduct research on the demand for domestic Japanese forging products in overseas markets and support companies that are trying to cultivate overseas markets through exports.
Active collaboration with the same industry and other industries
Due to the significant decrease in the number of equipment manufacturers, it has become difficult to require prompt equipment maintenance as in the past. As a means of self-defense for the industry, it is necessary for companies to have spare parts for each other and establish a system whereby they can mutually accommodate each other if there is an emergency.
In addition, to break away from excessive dependence on the automotive industry, it will be necessary to cultivate demand for forging products in industrial fields that have had little to do with forging products in the past, to develop new materials to expand the applications of forging products, and so on. Since collaboration with different industries is essential for this, the Japan Forging Association hopes to strengthen its network with industry associations in different industries, including upstream and downstream industries, and to enhance its function as a coordinator of industry-academia-government collaboration.
Toward supplying a diverse family of products
As a key partner of the automotive industry, it is essential for the forging industry to develop new products and technologies while keeping pace with advances in automotive-related technologies. However, excessive specialization in the automotive industry is not a positive factor for the healthy development of the industry.
To supply parts for a diverse family of products other than automobiles, it is necessary to promote research and development of the trinity of materials, forging, and post-processing, as well as research and development of forging technology for special alloys and nonferrous materials, and to actively cultivate demand in industrial fields that have had limited contact with forging products in the past.
Securing and training human resources in the long term
For Japan’s forging industry to continue to maintain its international competitiveness in the future, it is essential to take measures to secure and retain human resources, especially permanent employees, and to train them as production engineers and skilled technicians.
The prerequisite for securing excellent human resources is first to secure sufficient profits. Even with regard to the severe working environment, it is essential for companies to attempt to improve it as much as possible while exchanging information with each other. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider expansion into underpopulated rural areas where it is relatively easy to secure human resources.
Regarding training human resources, an essential issue is how to help young people acquire skills and techniques as quickly as possible. For this reason, it is first necessary to create and disseminate an industry-wide introductory training text on “common knowledge in the field.” In addition, it is essential to support young workers in performing tasks, etc., through forging simulations and the like, as well as manualization and database creation that has analyzed the elements of advanced skills which become the “personal knowledge” of veterans. First of all, it is necessary to promote manualization and digitalization relating to extending the operating life of dies, which is a common issue in the industry.
However, there are limits to the manualization and digitalization of advanced skills. While on-the-job training (OJT) and off-the-job training (off-JT) at individual companies are the basic methods for passing on advanced skills to young people, it would be effective to compile case studies of each company’s efforts and promote the exchange of information on know-how for transferring skills within the industry.
To turn public attention back to the forging industry
It is necessary to change the current situation where the image of the forging industry in general society, and especially among young people, is low and not well known to begin with. To this end, it is essential to promote how attractive and rewarding forging is to the local community and educational institutions, as well as to promote the importance of manufacturing education to school officials in cooperation with other formed and fabricated materials industries. In addition, it is necessary for the industry to actively cooperate with the government’s measures to promote formed and fabricated materials industries. Also, for forging plants to coexist with local residents, it is essential for forging manufacturers to make efforts to reduce noise and vibration, and to deepen daily exchanges with local residents so they will welcome them as members of the local community. Furthermore, the Japan Forging Association hopes to ask the relevant ministries and agencies to administer appropriate industrial location policies so forging plants that have no choice but to relocate from urban areas to rural areas will not find it difficult to operate again due to noise and vibration problems.