Posted to News on 16th Jan 2007, 17:30
Misumi invests in European operations
Up to now, Misumi Group Inc has pursued the development of its business operations overseas by focusing management resources on East China and North America. Now it plans to achieve its target of becoming profitable on a monthly basis in these regions during the current fiscal year and is looking ahead to the next phase. In order to fully exploit the effects of the merger with Suruga Seiki Co Ltd and pursue full-scale global development as the engine for future growth, the Misumi Group has decided to invest a total of about 1100million yen in three other regions: South China, Asia (Thailand), and Europe. Through this large-scale investment beyond the business team framework, Misumi aims to establish its strategic concept, the Misumi QCT Model:
- 'Front-end innovation' to bring about a radical change in distribution routes, with catalogue sales as the trigger
- 'Back-end innovation' to bring about a radical change in manufacturing methods, with product standardisation as the trigger
The Misumi QCT Model is a strategic concept that aims to integrate front-end and back-end innovation by establishing Misumi's competitive advantages in quality (Q), cost (C), and time (T) in both spheres.
Operations in Europe
Misumi has invested in the establishment of a QCT centre in Germany and a Suruga Seiki production base in Poland in 2006 and 2007, as outlined below. Up to now, the investment of management resources in the European market has been a relatively low priority for Misumi, which has restricted its business in Europe to small-scale operations. However, Misumi plans for its China and USA operations to move into profit on a monthly basis in the current fiscal year and is advancing to the next phase of its strategy in those regions. It therefore plans to shift to a more aggressive strategy for the European market this term and embark on advance investment. The Misumi Group is aiming at full-scale entry into the European FA market, the second largest in the world, through an integrated front-end-back-end approach.
Via the QCT centre,Misumi can now offer 5600 items available from stock in just 1-2 days delivery, dependant on the customer's location. Based near Frankfurt, Germany, Misumi Europa will increase its range continually, starting in March 2007, to offer 6800 items available ex-stock from the factory automation components range. The new Misumi factory automation catalogue will not be launched until the New Year, but customers wishing to investigate the components offered with this service are advised to visit the Misumi homepage www.misumi-europe.com, where a stock brochure can be downloaded.
Suruga Seiki plant
This is based in Gdansk, Poland, and covers an area of 21,000m2. Total floor area is 2600m2, and operations are due to commence here in January 2007.
As from then, Misumi/Suruga Seiki will be offering joint manufacturing from the Plant in Gdansk. Currently all machined items are shipped via the Misumi manufacturing bases located around Japan, which can sometimes slow down deliveries to customers. When the new plant opens, Misumi hopes to dramatically reduce the delivery times of the machined parts. While the facilities are being transferred to the European base, Misumi's renowned precision quality will not be affected. Using Misumi already, partner Suruga will ensure the Misumi QCT Model is upheld.
