PRODUCTION
SYSTEM Production and quality
management system

I am in charge of quality control of weaving and yarn texturizing at the contract factory in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam.
I have been stationed at the current factory since 2007, and it has been 15 years since then. From the time of my arrival to the present, Vietnam has achieved rapid economic development. I feel that our 30 Vietnamese staff members are growing day by day, just like the Vietnamese economy. They are diligent and good with their hands. Making full use of the fact that we present on-site with them, we can conduct thorough quality control with an emphasis on the three ""real"": real place, real things, real time.

Working in quality control in Vietnam, I have come to realize that "common sense in Japan may not be common sense elsewhere in the world". There are people overseas who think that what is common practice in quality control in Japan is sometimes excessive, or even insane.
In my opinion, the key to quality control overseas is how to get the local leaders and workers of the factories to understand and implement this excessiveness. For this reason, I try to communicate with them not only at work but also in more informal times, such as over meals, so that they can understand how we (Japanese) think and work.

I have been stationed at a local dyeing factory in Vietnam since 2013, and I am working hard together with the local staff to improve the quality every day.
Mainly by investigating the causes of manufacturing rework and losses and coming up with countermeasures, we are trying to reduce the defective rate that occurs in dyeing, reduce losses, and meet delivery deadlines. In order to bring the quality level of the products produced at the outsourced factories up to the Japanese level, cooperation from the factories is essential. To this end, we disclose as much information as possible, and in meetings with the factories, we always take their opinions into consideration (and show them that we do), so that we could gain their trust and confidence.
For secondary manufacturing at contract factories, we send special dyeing chemicals from Japan or order them from Japanese manufacturers in Vietnam for trial production, development, and mass production. Since many of the chemicals ordered are expensive, we also manage the actual products.

When I first started my assignment, I was the only one in charge of dyeing and processing, with no support members. As the production volume increased, it became impossible for me to handle everything alone. We hired Vietnamese employees, but it was difficult to work together. I also had to deal with stressful situations in my day-to-day work. Initially, every day was a series of trial and error. Whenever I worried, I had to remind myself of what my assignment in Vietnam entailed. I believe that this mindset was the basis for my decisions, even ones such as conveying Japanese methods to the local staff.

Adapting to local methods flexibly and appropriately is the key to working with local staff on site. Different cultures have different ways of thinking. Therefore, it is important to interact as equals rather than from a superior position. It is rewarding for me to see how I can motivate Vietnamese employees to pass on their skills, and to ultimately see them become capable of independently manufacturing products that satisfy the needs of our customers.

I am currently in charge of product development at our partner factory in Vietnam. I came to Vietnam in 2004 and experienced working in weaving and processing factories. Now, drawing on that experience, I am engaged in product development.
Our partner factory encompasses the entire process of textile production from upstream to downstream, ranging from the raw material POY through DTY production, yarn processing, weaving, to finishing. This makes it possible to seamlessly manufacture products.
In this context, the key is how to persuade and motivate our partner (partner factory) to take action. For this, explanations drawing on our company's technical expertise and the theoretical understanding of the on-site situation are crucial.
The trusting relationship of our company and the partner factory is built upon experiencing both successes and failures together. Because of this relationship, our partner factory accommodates even our most detailed requests.
With this in mind, I am committed to product development and strive to introduce new products to the market. I have lived in Vietnam for a long time and am married with children. My children are growing up with both Vietnamese and Japanese customs and values. They study at a Japanese school and also work hard in their Vietnamese and English language classes. On weekends, we enjoy small family BBQs together.

There are many dyeing factories in Vietnam, but in order for TOYO ORIMONO to compete against them, we must not only develop more and more value-added products, but also manage the quality and delivery time in accordance with Japanese standards; and do so at a higher level than our local competitors.
For example, it is important to cooperate with the sewing factories to which the products are shipped. If a problem occurs after the fabric has been shipped, we will try to understand the current status of the problem and deal with it as soon as possible by receiving the actual product from the sewing factory or, in some cases, visiting the sewing factory.
We also work together with shipping companies to manage shipments so that we do not have to stop the sewing line due to late delivery.
I believe that the accumulation of each of these efforts will lead to customers' trust in Toyo's products.

In terms of human resource management, since production in Vietnam accounts for 60% of our total output, there are many tasks that need to be done locally. Most of the Vietnamese staff at Toyo Textile are technical trainees who have returned from Japan, so they are well accustomed to the Japanese work culture. In order to produce results as a team, we are conscious of enhancing teamwork, assigning roles to improve the level of staff, providing guidance on the work, and communicating our own experiences.
In 2019, we established a local subsidiary in Vietnam to sell curtains and clothing fabrics to local Vietnamese customers.
There are differences in the way products are used in Vietnam and Japan, and we are facing some difficulties, but we are expanding our sales with the help of local partners. In the future, we would like to expand this business to countries other than Vietnam.

I started working at TOYO ORIMONO in 2013, and have been for nine years now.
I am in charge of product quality control and overall quality control at the dyeing factory in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam.
Since there are differences in how people work and think between Japan and Vietnam, I have realized that it is difficult to manage products in Vietnam according to Japanese quality standards.
As a Vietnamese, I have to make sure that fellow leaders and workers at the factories I am in charge of understand and implement Japanese standards for quality control and delivery management.
In order to improve quality, I have to study technical knowledge, quality improvement methods, and management techniques.
I believe it is important to study and improve my abilities in order to improve quality.

Since I joined the company in 2014, I have been in charge of greige fabrics production and quality control at a weaving factory in Ho Chi Minh City, while learning about textiles and yarns from Japanese engineers.
My role in production management includes placing orders to the partner factories based on orders from Japan, organizing yarns needed for production from third parties, and shipping them to the dyeing factories. To avoid delays in delivery, we communicate the delivery date requests from Japan to the consignment factories and make arrangements for production. The production status is also communicated to Japan every day.

If the price of yarn or greige fabric is not acceptable, we negotiate with the consignment factory so that the price of yarn and raw materials can be adjusted to meet the order.
As for quality control, when a problem occurs, I go to the site to see the actual product, check the current situation, and work with the person in charge at the partner factory to make improvements in order to reduce the amount of losses. The partner factory originally specializes in cotton, but most of Toyo's fabrics use polyester filament yarn. At first, it was difficult to produce with filament at the consignment factory, but after guidance from Toyo and others on how to do it, we were able to achieve success.