Tohatsu Okayama factory, which was constructed in 1943 as a refuge where people who fled the war from Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, is the predecessor of current Tohatsu Marine. Tohatsu Marine was established in February 1988 as a joint corporation of Tohatsu Corporation and Brunswick Corporation of the United States. Brunswick is the parent company of Mercury Marine, a major outboard engine manufacturer, and decided to procure products with Tohatsu, which had been improving its technology and the productivity of outboard engines.
Tohatsu Okaya factory
Tohatsu Marine Komagane factory
Tohatsu Marine’s factory has undergone three major reforms to date. One is a capital tie-up with Brunswick that makes the Mercury brand of outboard engines as explained above. Until then, 40,000 to 50,000 outboard engines were produced under the Tohatsu brand but production has increased, and with the production of Mercury, Tohatsu now makes 170,000 to 180,000 units. Outboard engines manufactured by Tohatsu Marine are used in 200 countries and regions of the world.
The second is relocation from Okaya to Komagane. The site area of the factory expanded and production swelled. The number of assembly lines increased from two to three, and the number of coating lines also rose from one to two.
The third is environmental response. Small, inexpensive two-stroke outboard engines were popular before. However, demand for outboard engines that would alleviate the burden on the environment grew in the markets of advanced nations where four-stroke engines that emit less exhaust than two-stroke engines became the mainstream. Two-stroke engines have been improved since and many environment-friendly engines have been developed.
That’s because human resources, facilities and equipment, materials, and funds that can ensure the world’s No. 1 production are secured and managed at the Tohatsu Marine’s factory. Tohatsu Marine now produces 700 types of outboard engines that are classified by detailed specifications. There are few factories in the world that can manufacture so many types of outboard engines. So many types of engines can be produced because the production processes are streamlined at the Komagane factory using one line for reception of parts, processing, coating, assembly, inspection, delivery, and shipment. Improvement of the accuracy of the machining center for automatic processing has helped bringing down the rejection rate.
We are positively moving toward automated production. Tohatsu Marine has been tackling automation by introducing machining centers before others. Introduction of a production management system has made it possible to expect dramatic increases in production in 2017 and after. This system manages all production plans, which has been processed manually or by calculation software, with database. It visualizes problems such as bottlenecks while managing processes, delivery periods, and cost all at once with high accuracy. Against the backdrop of promoting such a mechanism is the decreasing birthrate and aging population. Opportunities for women to play an active role have been increasing as comfortable working environment where heavy objects are manipulated with robots has been increasingly taking the place of past factories where only men worked on oil-stained floors. Tohatsu Marine intends to create a manufacturing floor where, rather than leaving everything of production to machines, efficiency can be pursued with the involvement of human beings. In other words, Tohatsu Marine would like to create a flexible production environment where people can vigorously work while promoting automation.
