Factory Tour No. 2

We had another factory tour as a part of the course "Practical Study in Textile Fundamentals" on October 20, 2014. This time we visited a flat knitting manufacturing company Sato InterKnit and a yarn dyeing company Honda Dyeing Works, both companies are famous internationally for their characteristic manufacturing technology and play a key role in the Japanese textile/fiber industry.
Both presidents were very generous in guiding us around and they kindly shared their extensive knowledge and insights with our students.

At Sato InterKnit, Mr. Yutaka Sato, the president of the company, gave a thorough tour of the factory area packed with equipment such as whole garment machines, sewing machines, linking machines, and steam boards. Mr. Sato was very welcoming and animated while he explained their manufacturing processes. His passion for his business was visible as he talked, and it was contagious. The students were eager to absorb and process all the information they were given.

"We are not pursuing mass production but flexible versatile designs," said Mr. Sato. He had so much to offer to the students, his words were colorful and insightful. He also shared some episodes of how the manufacturing techniques of skilled and experienced personnel had helped his company overcome the difficulties in the past.

We visited Honda Dyeing Works after the lunch. Mr. Takashi Honda, the president of Honda Dyeing Works, let the students look around the company's whole property of about 6,600 square meters, to observe the dyeing process.

The company's dyeing technology centers around handling which attracts high praise not only from Japan but also from around the globe. Their technology is available for knitwear wool yarns and craft yarns, and they also sell dyed yarns. We were lucky enough to see Fadis' winders which are the only ones found in Japan and the automated storage system which cost 200 million yen.

One story in particular left a strongest impression on us was when we discussed about how the younger generations tend to use manuals, and would get lost without them. Mr. Honda said - Anyone can follow a manual, but true value comes from pushing these boundaries, into the undocumented areas that are often difficult to imitate. That's where you should aim to develop expertise.

Both of these companies demonstrated the benefits of developing products that closely match the needs of the customer. Such firsthand experience will be a great stimulus for the students as they develop their expertise in this field.