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Each Employee Challenges the Global Market Through the Highest Level of Machining Skills While Facing Up to Quality Issues
Hirozo Tashiro
President
Hiroko Jet Technology Co., Ltd.
Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture
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| Address |
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2507-916 Gohara-cho, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Established |
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May 1956 |
| Businesses |
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Manufacture of jet engine parts (aircraft, of land/marine use), space station/rocket parts, reciprocating large compressor parts, gas turbine parts, high-tech industrial parts, etc. |
| URL |
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http://www.hiroko-jet.co.jp |
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The shipbuilding and steel industries fully exploited the legacy of the military industry to grow after the Second World War, and Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture developed into a manufacturing city that typifies the Chugoku region. The company we visited this time was Hiroko Jet Technology Co., Ltd. in Gohara-cho, Kure City, that has manufactured aircraft jet engine parts for many years. We asked them about their manufacturing activities under a strict quality control system based on world standards.
Growing orders while accumulating achievements and trust
Hiroko Jet Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 1956 as Hiroshima Kogu Seisakusho. Mr. Tokuzo Tashiro, who was the company founder and the grandfather of the current company president, Hirozo Tashiro, purchased a drill manufacturer that went bankrupt due to effects of the dissolution of the zaibatsu after the war. He launched a business polishing and regenerating drills and reamers that had been discarded after being burned out in air raids, and that was the beginning of the company.
The company started on a growth path when it began to manufacture special drills and drill sets for overseas, but it eventually withdrew from drill manufacturing when Japanese export industries were severely damaged by the Nixon shock of 1971. By utilizing the precision machining technologies it had cultivated up to that point, the company shifted its main business to special tools and parts machining.
Ten years later, Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (now IHI), which they had dealt with for the manufacture of reciprocating compressor parts, begin to manufacture jet engine parts for large commercial aircraft at its base in Kure. At that time, the current company president, Hirozo Tashiro, who had already been handed the baton by Tokuzo Tashiro and was at the tiller of management, decided to advance into the aerospace business.
gThat time was definitely a turning point for us,h President Tashiro recalls.
Since then, the companyfs aerospace business has continued to steadily grow, and now accounts for some 60% to 70% of sales. Most of their commissions are for major jet engine parts, such as turbine disks, that require sophisticated precision machining technologies. This shows that the company has won great trust from its customers through their outstanding machining technologies.
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Mitutoyo Large CNC coordinate measuring machine |
Mitutoyo CRYSTA-Apex EX 123010R
CNC coordinate measuring machine |
gHowever, at the beginning, we could not accept orders for major parts that require precision machining like we do now. It takes time to establish an adequate system that meets customersf needs for the manufacture of jet engine parts and other parts that must satisfy extremely severe quality standards. Even if a system has once been established, continual technological innovations are essential to master new techniques to handle the improved functions of cutters and tools resulting from the launch of new technologies. In our case, it took several years to acquire the technical expertise to meet customersf requirements. We gradually upgraded the level of our consignment business one step at a time by starting with large jigs used for manufacturing jet engine parts, and rough machining and finishing machining of engine parts, and then contract manufacturing of engine parts. By accumulating the required technologies, we got to the business we have today,h says President Tashiro.
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Mitutoyo FALCIO-Apex 162012
CNC coordinate measuring machine |
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Aiming to improve measurement technologies to meet high quality demands
A strict quality control system added to superior machining technologies are important elements that form the backbone of Hiroko Jet Technology manufacturing. The Quality Control Manger, Tatsuya Terai, explains the quality control demanded for the manufacture of jet engine parts, as follows.
gIn general manufacturing, quality is guaranteed by measuring finished dimensions and shapes. However, for jet engine parts, it is prerequisite to satisfy the accuracy requirements and manufacture the parts according to specifications. In addition to this, it is necessary to understand and control the machining method and dimensions in the machining process.h
Information related to part machining and measurements is centrally managed and stored until the role of the engine where the part is used comes to an end.
Should an accident occur, it is said that even the machining dates and people who participated in the machining can be identified, which shows how strict the system is.
Mitutoyofs high-precision CNC coordinate measuring machines play an important role in such a strict quality control system.
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The Quality Control Manger,
Tatsuya Terai
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Quality Control Department
Inspection Group,
Ryota Kawanaka
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gThe coordinate measuring machines are used quite frequently when machining jet engine parts, as all parts are inspected, including in-process inspections. They are also used for measurements after each machining operation to search for the optimal machining method during development and prototyping. Therefore, the coordinate measuring machines are indispensable for us.h (Manager Terai)
Hiroko Jet Technology introduced Mitutoyo high-precision CNC coordinate measuring machines, including FALCIO-Apex 162012 and CRYSTA-Apex EX123010R, that play a great role in quality control.
The members of the Quality Control Department Inspection Group are in charge of measurements. Ryota Kawanaka, the leader of this group, told us about the issues seen from the field, as follows.
gAgainst the background of demand for improved fuel economy in recent years, extremely strict precision is required for the machining of large jet engine parts. The number of cases that cannot be measured by general measuring instruments is also increasing, and our inspectors fear that they will not be able to keep up someday unless they work continually to improve their measuring skills.h
To respond to this situation, the Inspection Group constantly strives to improve their measuring skills while exchanging opinions with the Manufacturing Department. In the future, they plan to further deepen each inspectorfs knowledge about measurements and enhance the entire groupfs problem-solving ability related to measurements.
gInspectors are required not only to perform measurements but also to use their knowledge of machining methods to explain exactly how the numbers were obtained. I hope that the Manufacturing Department and Quality Control Department will work hard together to move closer to this ideal.h (Manager Terai)
gThe goal is for all members to handle inspections with the same high level of knowledge about measurements. I hope that we will cooperate to improve our skills while remaining conscious of the words we learned from our bosses and seniors that einspection is the final frontierf.h (Mr. Kawanaka)
Hiroko Jet Technology will continue to grow further in the future through a strict quality control system based on global standards and maintaining 100% response to customerfs requests.
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