Japan has been a world leader in manufacturing in the past several decades. Undoubtedly, this leadership will persist well into the 21st century. It is, therefore, very important to understand the status of Japan’s manufacturing technologies as well as its projected manufacturing strategies for the future, especially, those technologies which would generate substantial impact on the manufacturing industries in the next five years. This paper gives an overview and perspectives on Japanese manufacturing strategies and production practices in machinery industry.

Issue Section:
Machine Tools—Systems
Topics:
Machinery, Manufacturing, Leadership, Manufacturing industry, Manufacturing technology
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