There is Value in Intervening
Listening to our customer’s wishes, making a decision on the best possible supplier and purchasing flow and proposing a solution with which the customer will be satisfied. Managing the documentation and deadlines to deliver superior products when they are needed. These are all the basic jobs performed by our staff. We find a meaningful solution to a problem, get the satisfied customers to sign a contract, and deliver high-quality products on time. It seems a given, but carefully performing these tasks is what is required of us.
Naturally we don’t ‘just wait until a customer comes to us with a problem’. We have to research the latest industry trends, frontline technology, as well as research the customer’s needs and issues, and propose a unique solution. That is the value there is in intervening.
Measures to Improve QCD
‘QCD’ is one of the points used to evaluate a business. Q stands for ‘Quality’, C stands for ‘Cost’ and D stands for ‘Delivery’. We cannot provide ‘high-quality’ service if we are missing any one of these elements, and providing high-quality service is essential to satisfying our customers.
To deliver ‘quality’, we check product quality as well as all accompanying documentation such as certificates to certify quality in products, materials, the manufacturing process and investigations. The direct delivery by our sales representatives is another measure used to quickly catch noncompliant information. Direct communication between the customer in charge of product checking and our sales staff makes it possible to return products, give explanations and other detailed correspondences.
To deliver ‘cost’, we buy in bulk to received discounts and utilize the storage space on the ground floor of our building to simplify the process. We organize the products in the temperature-controlled room by type and delivery date, allowing us to meet complicated installation delivery requests. Our inventory management that uses this storage space also adds ‘delivery’ value as it allows us to meet tight deadlines.
However, while most companies would use ‘QCD’ in a general sense, we actually prefer the ‘QCD’ order. This is because we believe that it is our ‘responsibility’ to prevent extra costs from occurring due to late delivery. Distributor delays aren’t simply delays; they negatively affect our customer by causing unnecessary changes in schedule, meetings and overtime. These kinds of expenses are hidden, but we believe they actually contribute to a large increase in cost. As a result, focusing on delivery thus reduces cost as well.
Providing High-quality Services to Solve Problems Faced by the Whole Industry
The job of manufacturing an aircraft out of over three million parts is complicated and diverse. Different things are needed for different parts, and new technology is developed every day. Even after 10 years of working here, there are still many things I don’t know, but that’s part of the fun of this job. You have to always actively be looking for new information and be willing to learn. I want to foster this kind of mindset in our organization.
I think there are a lot of ways we can provide ‘support unique to NTK International’, for instance, assistance in research and development, creation of a mass production system and procurement of material using overseas suppliers. Currently the Japanese aircraft industry is exposed to international competition, so I feel it is our mission to find an appropriate solution and provide high-quality services to solve the problems faced by the whole industry.