The Rise of the Japanese Specialist Manufacturer - by Ferguson Evans (Hardcover)

About the Book

Manufacturing forms the base of the Japanese economy and will continue to do so. It is supported by a host of specialists both in end-user products and intermediary components. Many of these specialists are not behemoths; they can be described as leading medium-sized enterprises, or LMEs. This book traces the rise of these LMEs. It shows how they forged their own course - often at variance with the ideas of the central authorities - honing their art of monozukuri, or making things. At each point in the historical narrative actual entrepreneurs and the LMEs they created are cited. Having contributed handsomely to Japan's industrial evolution from industrialization to the information age, these LMEs are now globalizing, and in so doing assuming a role as East Asian regional specialists.

Book Synopsis

Specialist manufacturers have existed in Japan from even before the start of industrialization in the late nineteenth century. Proliferating since but remaining steadfastly lean, many of them can be categorized as leading medium-sized enterprises. This book looks at how they are globalizing and assuming a role as East Asian specialists.

About the Author

FERGUSON EVANS (PhD) lived in Japan from 1969 to 1990. During that time he worked as export manager for two Japanese
start-ups covering chiefly East Asian markets. Since the mid-1980s he has been engaged in Japanese translation and writing.
He now divides his time between East Asia and Toulouse.