Revitalizing US Electronics (eBook)

Front Cover 1
Revitalizing U.S. Electronics: Lessons From Japan 2
Copyright Page 3
Dedication 7
Table of Contents 4
Acknowledgments 8
Introduction 10
Chapter 1. Sprague in Japan: Expectations, Realities, and Some Lessons 12
Chapter 2. The History of the Electronics Industry: Myths vs. Facts 26
The Roots of Electronics 27
What About Japan? 34
U.S./Japan Semiconductor Competition Heats Up 37
The Role and History of Capacitors in Electronics 42
Chapter 3. The Process 48
Ceramics at Sprague 49
Manufacturing MLCs 52
Ceramic Variables and Quality 54
Other Devices, Other Processes 56
Success and Failure at Sprague Electric: Early Sources 59
Chapter 4. Sources of Competitive Advantage 62
Advantages: Japan 64
Advantages: United States 71
Lifetime Employment: Realities and Drawbacks 74
Chapter 5. From Basic Research to Actual Products 78
Gatekeeping 78
Licensing 80
Alliances 83
Other Sources 84
The Role and Management of Research and Development 85
The Commercialization of Technology 93
Allocation of Resources 93
Teamwork in Technology Commercialization 94
Personal Case Histories 96
Chapter 6. The Work Force 102
Education 103
The U.S. Manager 109
Management of Japanese-Owned American Companies 113
Managerial Compensation 115
Training 119
Labor Relations 121
Chapter 7. Total Company Quality 126
Learning from America: Japan and TQC 126
How Sprague Exploited a Quality Advantage 129
The United States and Quality Competitiveness 131
Quality and Reliability 139
Relations with Suppliers 142
Supplier Links, Quality, and the Shell Club 149
Chapter 8. The Manufacturing Floor 152
What is World Class Manufacturing? 153
Just in Time (JIT) Systems 156
Flexible Manufacturing 158
The Sprague Electric Experience 160
Manufacturing Management 163
Similarities and a Big Difference 165
Chapter 9. The Marketplace 168
Serving the U.S. Market: The Sprague Experience 171
Corporate Structure and the Marketplace 174
The United States Electronics Market 176
Serving the Japanese Market 180
American Successes in Japan 184
Penetrating the Japanese Market 187
Chapter 10. Government and Capital 192
The Costs of Government 192
Government Industrial Policy and Direction 194
Business/Government Relations 198
The Cost of Capital 202
Chapter 11. Challenges to Japan 208
The Other Japan 209
'The Tigers" and 'The Cubs" 214
Europe 220
The Future 225
Chapter 12. Toward the Future 226
The Semiconductor Industry 226
Revitalizing the U.S. Electronics Industry: The Macro Perspective 233
Revitalizing the U.S. Electronics Industry: The Micro Perspective 234
Chapter 13. NEWCO 236
Epilogue: Sprague Electric Redux 260
Notes and Sources 264
Index 270