Contributed by Factory Manager Eric Maurice Huber, Boncafe International Pte Ltd., Singapore

I take this opportunity to thank the APO for the exhilarating and interesting training course on monozukuri that I had the opportunity to attend. I must admit that I came here with absolutely no idea of what this concept was all about except the mere translation of the term. I can testify that I now have a firm grasp of the knowledge and spirit behind monozukuri,which in my opinion are intense and complex.

The course structure and syllabus must have been thoroughly planned by dedicated professionals, because the architecture absolutely fit the scope of the entire project including the plant visits, which opened our eyes to the reality. What had taken those professionals years of experience, conviction, and passion to grasp was conveyed to us within the space of two weeks but will take us years to achieve. I take that monozukuri journey back to my country.

As a factory manager responsible for floor operations in coffee manufacturing, my plan for the immediate future is to implement the essence of the monozukuri concept with the focus on value added to customer satisfaction. I plan to incorporate all that I have gained through the training in stages, especially 5S, 7M, and TQC in my strategic production planning, and adopt a model with some modifications of my own that I believe will suit my industry. I was encouraged by the “plant morning meetings” and will be proactive in holding similar meeting to enhance kaizen and poka yoke in my staff motivation.

With regard to the exam that I took on the last day of the program, I would encourage that this be continued because it confirms what participants learned fro the lectures and plant visits. Based on the level of literacy, participants’ written answers will vary. It is a fairly good measure for the APO to gauge the level of interest and possible application of the principles in future.