Carrier Vision BS Series was an epoch-making series that has made a standard in the market of floor-stand screen. Actually, there was voice requesting for floor-stand screen using normal material as the film material immediately after the launch of Carrier Vision BS-80. And practically, we did try to replace the BS film with a normal material.However, due to the sudden decision of my transfer to
the plant in Mainland China, the project was abandoned in haste.
Competition with other companies was vigorous, so, the Sales Division continued requesting strongly the production of floor-stand screens made of usual materials. To tell the truth, the film material PT-101 used in Carrier Vision BS Series was a material that was invented in the pursuit of perfect image quality. To attain a Gain of 1.4, 50 to 60 pieces of films were spoiled. However, upon the advancement of projectors nowadays, projectors themselves can produce satisfactory degree of brightness. As a result, films with high Gain are no longer valued.
Nevertheless, a certain degree of brightness from the screen is still necessary when, for example, conducting presentation, which cannot be undergone in darkness. Moreover, when watching home theater in the living room, higher brightness level is preferred. Personally, I think the film material used specially for Carrier Vision BS Series, the PT-101, is the material best for presentation use of screen. However, what a pity is, no one in the Sales values its image quality, but simply treats it as a kind of film material.
Let's produce the perfect products!
I decided to produce the best floor-stand screen with the best material. So, Pure Mat II and II plus (WF201, 202) were selected to make the new member of Carrier Vision, G1.
First, we tried to apply Pure Mat II, II plus (WF201, 202) on the structure of Carrier Vision BS Series. There was no problem with the structure. The two-point supporting mechanism caused no problem to stability or balance. Moreover, it was capable of withstanding the weight of the film. However, there was a problem with the case that rolled and housed the screen. It now turned out to have insufficient space in the case of Carrier Vision BS Series. As a result, the design of case had to be modified. And as a movement, we became ambitious to construct a product that had never existed till the moment.
Negotiation with the designer started. "How will be the structure?" "It will be like this...." Outline was decided, and blueprint drafted. Discussion continued, and design refined. This is the collaboration between human beings. Just had discussion undergone times and times could direction be found. The designer and I had similar ambition. We wanted to construct an innovative product that could never exist.
The main focus of the Carrier Vision G1 Series was its case design. We were proud of making it novel and innovative. When we designed the Carrier Vision BS Series, I strongly argued the necessity to have legs to ensure stability. However, this time we wanted to make it different, so, we decided to choose a leg-free design for Carrier Vision G1 Series. As long as the stability of the system could be maintained, it would be preferable to be without legs. In order to discuss with the designer, I had to return to Japan once a month. Mountains of ideas were pooled, and we tried every method to stimulate each other's inspiration.
Ideas of the ideal product came across and across. Sometimes we suddenly hit upon good ideas, but for many times, we got stuck. However, as we had encountered the same hardship in the design of the previous series, the Carrier Vision BS Series, the designer and I had never given up each other, and we had never compromised. From between, a design with the cover integrated in the screen expansion system, was born.
Worries, worries, and worries!
The next hardship emerged from communication with the engineers in Japan. "Such design is impossible." "Such structure is too absurd." Argument on the design occurred continuously. The designer got frustrated, not only with the design, but also the blueprint. This can not be done.
The design is not workable if we don't enlarge this part.
This 3 dimension curve is impossible. It was really hard to settle the two sides.
Even when the design was completed, and the blueprint finally done, it had not yet finished. This time came the voice of the manufacturers complaining the workability of the design, problem of strength, and problem of mass production. Nevertheless, after all, a nice product can only be produced with group cooperation but not individually effort, regardless it is the design, blueprint drawing, product making, or assembling. So, we didn't give up.
Difference of national characteristics!?
May be the true hardship was to produce the product in a foreign country like Mainland China. As the design and blueprint were done with partners of Japanese companies, any problem could be compromised in some way. However, up to only 50 to 60% of the production could be done. The rest went to the role of Mainland China."The Mysterious Nation: Goods Production in China." It was not like that.
But, you could never get the level of quality you requested. There was problem with communication. There was difference in working culture. Under such condition, it was hard to work with the partners to produce the goods. In the case of big enterprises in China, there is frequent cooperation with foreign companies, and consequently, it is possible to have matched working attitudes. However, it is hard for small and medium enterprises like us to get bussiness cooperation with them. Therefore, we can only work with the small Chinese companies that have no experience on copperating with foreign companies.
Let me briefly introduce Dongguan, a place where we have our production plant.
Dongguan locates in the Guangdong Province adjacent to Hong Kong, and lies between the "Reform Open" partners of Shen‚šhen and Hong Kong. Receiving the influence of economic development of Shen‚šhen, it stands at the entrance of the big artery running from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. Due to its geographical location, many industrial sites are built in Dongguan. While there are only 1.5 million local populations in Dongguan, 4 to 5 times of the figure is migrant worker. Therefore, it is totally different from other cities of China like Hangzhou or Wuxi, which may come up to Japanese people's mind when talking about China, but is a new born city supported by migrant workers came from outside Guangdong Province. Of course, those owners who are active in Dongguan are rarely local entrepreneurs. And those companies, which have transactions with our company, are also origin from a variety of regions of China such as the North-east Region and the Shandong Province.
I have come to this Dongguan of the Guangdong Province for just over 2 years, however, I have already confronted with all sorts of problems. Even in the same firm, similar problems occur repeatedly. For example, once a computer file of instruction manual was sent from Japan to Dongguan. Due to difference in software, it was not possible to read it in the local computers. Everything would be all right if they had reported the problem beforehand. However, no report was received till the deadline when, finally, I felt strange and made a call for the first time, and discovered that there was such a problem. There are uncountable cases of miscommunication like this one. Is it due to insufficient instructions? Conversely, they make the judgment themselves in behind and continue to progress. You can never imagine such kind of incidents in Japan. However, they occur everyday here in Dongguan.
In Dongguan, job is completed on one's own. There is nothing called cooperation. Therefore, even though you have designated a job to somebody, and it does achieve certain stage of progression, they can suddenly reject the job because of some problem occurred and caused it difficult to progress. Is this the difference of culture? There is no discussion or consultation to search for solutions for problems like those in Japan. It becomes extremely distressful when the deadline approaches. Why don't they just tell me from the beginning that they can't do it? Regardless of staff or transaction partners, whenever such kind of incidents occur, I will convey my way of thinking and working to them and obtain their understanding. Otherwise, we will just let the same incidents repeat again and again, and waste each other's time until they notice the important of trust between each other
It is not possible to understand such experience if you have never encountered it. You can hardly get hold of such cultural differences from reading books. However, after understanding the differences, and choose to work with a trustworthy person, it is possible to solve the problem after conscientious explanation. In the Carrier Vision G1 Series, there are more than 150 items by simply counting the number of parts; moreover, there are also metal molds. So, it is really difficult to find a trustworthy manufacturer.
The decision to produce Carrier Vision G1 Series in Dongguan of Guangdong Province of the Mainland China is due to a hope for an assortment of parts in the companies. In another word, communication is not targeted between company and company, but upon the relationship between the company's manager and me.
That is, it is the interpersonal relationship that is to be constructed. Only after dozens of misunderstandings and miscommunication are figured out, and difference in points of view resolved, can G1 emerge as what it is. Again, I realized that, to create a piece of a new product, one has to commit to its invention, and to get all the collaborators understand the importance of cooperation. Only then can a nice product be created. This is the same for all kinds of business. Given such a premise, we will feel eager to express our gratitude to those who have cooperated to produce the new product, and, at the same time, to praise ourselves for our own endeavor.
