15Yokogawa 100th Anniversaryproduction technology, and the provision of support to these facilities outside Japan. By such means, the NYPS model has stayed true to our emphasis on considering human needs and has strengthened manufacturing by better motivating individuals and making greater use of their abilities. The technological capabilities and the product strengths that Yokogawa has cultivated since its founding are the driving force behind our efforts to develop solutions. Our research, development, and production of reasonably-priced products and systems with the functions and quality required in this era of globalization sets us apart from our competitors. Now more than ever, Yokogawa is taking the high road in manufacturing.the aim has been to prioritize human needs by, for example, designing the interface so that it has the same intuitive ease of use as an analog meter. And even in cases where it would be easier from a cost, performance, or efficiency perspective to completely change the control system, we have always put the priority on maintaining backwards compatibility when seeking to strengthen functionality. This is one of the reasons why CENTUM is so highly regarded.In order to offer products and systems that achieve high levels of precision and stability, Yokogawa is continually seeking to optimize operations at its plants, which produce a great variety of products in small lots. Until the 1970s, Yokogawa followed a typical plan-based production model and kept large inventories of parts and finished products. However, as a result of the saturation of the domestic market, increased overseas expansion, increased competition, and other factors, Yokogawa decided to reduce its production costs by introducing the New Production System (NPS) in 1981. Based on the Toyota production system, this was an order-based production model. Unlike Toyota, which is engaged in mass production and has sales systems in place to handle unit totals ranging from the hundreds of thousands to the millions, Yokogawa’s methods varied by individual product. For this reason, there was strong opposition to NPS at various work sites, but it was seen as a major step needed for employees to begin the transition from long-held concepts and approaches.Later, Yokogawa introduced its own New Yokogawa Production System (NYPS). While staying true to basic NPS concepts on human needs and the elimination of waste, this proprietary NYPS model sought to standardize production volumes by strictly managing order information. Furthermore, it refined the mixed production method by integrating the management of information and parts for production lines, and completely removed waste from the product supply process by coordinating pre- and post-production processes such as development, logistics, and sales. Following this change in approach, steady improvements were made that, for example, substantially reduced lead times for products that traditionally had been held to have a six-month lead time. In addition, production facilities were expanded outside Japan with the aim of improving production efficiency and allowing the modification of products to suit local market needs. There are now 19 production facilities outside Japan. Most of these are in Asia, and a few are located in Europe and the Americas. The role of the head factory in Kofu has gradually changed to the production of core products, the development of Production lines at Yokogawa Manufacturing’s Kofu factoryHigh-quality Products at a Reasonable Price—Improved Production Technology
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