Kyoto Shisaku Net Study Tour

Study tours to Kyoto Shisaku Net member companies are organized mainly for students of the School of Engineering Science, with logistical cooperation from the Keikikai (Kyoto University Mechanical Engineering Association)'s student section SMILE. The following is a report of the Study Tour organized during Academic Year 2007.

On Wednesday, September 19, 2007, a Kyoto Shisaku Net Study Tour was organized. Kyoto Shisaku Net is a group of about a dozen of mechanical and metallurgical companies located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture that forms an online network for B-to-B business and proposes trial manufacturing-based solutions, in accordance with its founding concept of "helping customers' ideas take shape quickly."

tour schedule Taking note of the high-level technical expertise of the Kyoto Shisaku Net member companies and their solid management principles, we started the Kyoto Shisaku Net Study Tour for two purposes: arousing students' interest in manufacturing by enabling them to directly observe the latest technology used in the field and the mastery of manufacturing techniques, and enhancing students' sensitivity to innovation by learning management strategies adopted by the Shisaku Net member companies. In the 2007 Study Tour, ten participants were divided into two groups. Group 1 visited Saijo Inx Co., Ltd. (thin sheet metal processing), CrossEffect (optical molding) and Kinugawa Industry Co., Ltd. (precision cutting), while Group 2 visited Akita Works Co., Ltd. (mechanical electronics and networking), Nisso Kogyo Co., Ltd. (three-dimensional processing and data service) and Yamamoto Seiko Co., Ltd. (super-precision processing of aluminum).

The Kyoto Shisaku Net Study Tour is made up of two parts, a factory tour and a meeting with the host company management, so that participants can observe technology in use in the field and ask technical and management-related questions later. The participating students were heard gasping in surprise and awe at high-precision and complex processing techniques that they had never witnessed before, intensely studying products that were being perfected before their eyes. During the factory tour, some students eagerly questioned the staff about manufacturing equipment and expertise, showing visible interest and enthusiasm about manufacturing. In the meeting with the company management, the students' questions ranged from general ones such as, "What was the greatest difficulty you have ever faced?" to more informed queries such as, "How do you maintain your competitiveness, to stay ahead of other Asian companies led by the Chinese?" The students gained deeper understanding of Kyoto Shisaku Net and its activities. The meeting was held in a constantly enjoyable atmosphere. Some students said that they had felt uneasy at first about meeting company managers, but as they turned out to be very friendly and approachable, they found it easy to talk with them.

shisaku net tour 2  shisaku net tour 1

The results of the Study Tour led us to conclude that the program was to some extent effective in deepening the students' interest in manufacturing, one of its main purposes. For future Study Tours, our challenges lie in finding out how participation in the Study Tour can be put to some concrete, positive use later and in attracting more students to this program.

(written by Hiroaki Hasegawa, SMILE: quoated from Keiki Tanshin #77)