Today after we departed from the Kinugawa Onsen Hotel, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Tochigi Nissan Plant located in Kaminokawa in Tochigi Prefecture. It took around an hour or so to arrive at the factory, but upon arrival, we were greeted at the lobby door and we were informed that we had arrived a little early. As a result, everyone was given the chance to explore the surrounding area. In the Nissan lobby, there were three new model cars parked in the center with all of their doors open widely for everyone to see. One of the vehicles I remember distinctly is the Nissan Leaf because of its distinct burnt orange color and its battery-powered features. I sat in the driver’s seat of the three cars and I got to experience what it was like to sit on the right side of the vehicle as the driver rather than the passenger like in the United States. I began wondering to myself out of curiosity: would I ever be able to drive in Japan after driving in the United States where people drive on opposite sides of the road as opposed to Japan? I decided that it wouldn’t really be one of my desires to drive here and that public transportation by either train or bus would probably be my preferred method of transportation in the land of the rising sun.
After we met our tour guide and after we obtained our ear pieces for translation purposes, we boarded another bus and made our way towards the facility in which the bodies of Nissan cars were produced. There, the guide explained that most of the work performed on the bodies of the cars were completed by machinery devoid of human interaction. I was fascinated to see all of the machinery working so seamlessly and rapidly and it put into perspective just how advanced car companies in general were becoming in order to ensure that productivity levels and outcome numbers were as high as they possibly could be.
Later, we boarded the bus again and the Japanese guide informed us that we would now be visiting one of the plants where the car parts would actually be assembled. I saw employee after employee working rapidly and tirelessly on their assigned tasks under a strict time limit. Sensei also reminded us that whatever work was left uncompleted at the end of the day was sometimes finished as overtime work. We watched as bolts were applied, as tires were applied, and as various and important parts of the car were all assembled. Everyone around us, including the machines operating without human interference, working all in perfect harmony and synchronization. I was extremely impressed by the employees and their focus on the tasks at hand, and I also was most intrigued by the test results performed at the end of the production line. The test drivers were required to inspect the quality and performance of the newly created cars to ensure that the cars could proceed to the next step in process. The Nissan guide explained that faults in the cars were very rare and that everyone at the facility was very thorough in their work.
Our visit to the Nissan Plant in Tochigi provided me with a closer insight as to how a true Japanese company functions, and seeing all of the workers work so diligently inspires me to work even harder in my studies!
(No photo diary because photos were not allowed at Nissan).
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