Kawasaki Field Trip

Yesterday I took a field trip to the Kawasaki Factory and Research Center in Nishi Akashi, to the west of Sannomiya. Kawasaki produces motorcycles, gas turbines, and robots, all of which are sold and used in Japan and across the world.

The most interesting part of the field trip was the tour inside the motorcycle factory. We saw welding areas for frames, a plating shop, and the assembly line for the motorcycles. We also saw the testing areas where finished motorcycles are taken and tested with a computer for proper acceleration and engine function.

Kawasaki seems like a very successful company. Their assembly process takes an hour and a half, and they have a mixed production system so they can build up to nine different types of motorcycles on one assembly line. They are also working on environmentally friendly technology, and their robots are used by many major manufacturing companies in Japan. They use just-in-time delivery on motorcycle parts so they don't waste money on unneeded parts. I believe that 95% of their motorcycle market is outside of Japan.

We finished up the factory visit with a video presentation, question-and-answer session, and a visit to the motorcycle museum at the factory, in which I saw many different motorcycle models, including some from the late 1960s.