Documentary filmed in 1962 inside a Honda factory

[lancslad58]

Commentary is all in Japanese but well worth watching the whole 30 minutes

[sclayto2]

If you change the auto-captions to English, it is good enough to get the ide of what is going on.

Interesting, thanks for posting.

[Tardigrade]

Fascinating, thank you.

Ironic that by destroying Japan's industrial base and helping them rebuild with the newest, most advanced manufacturing, we ensured the demise of our domestic motorcycle manufacturers. If only W. Edwards Deming had come to Birmingham instead.

[T70RPM]

Keep looking through the links on Youtube as there is definitely an English Language version.
Look up " This is Honda (1962) English Ver. "
It's even better when you can hear what they are saying!
Poor British bike industry, we didn't stand a chance!

[hidetheelephants]

Tardigrade said:

Fascinating, thank you.

Ironic that by destroying Japan's industrial base and helping them rebuild with the newest, most advanced manufacturing, we ensured the demise of our domestic motorcycle manufacturers. If only W. Edwards Deming had come to Birmingham instead.

Rather more a failure of govt to direct Marshall aid to manufacturing industry, industry deciding to rest on its laurels and not reinvest in the good years and an investment market that rewarded quick return rather than longterm growth. The japanese didn't do anything miraculous, the british bike industry willingly sacrificed itself, in one instance for a series of customised Daimlers, one of which had zebra skin seats.

[Tango13]

hidetheelephants said:

Tardigrade said:

Fascinating, thank you.

Ironic that by destroying Japan's industrial base and helping them rebuild with the newest, most advanced manufacturing, we ensured the demise of our domestic motorcycle manufacturers. If only W. Edwards Deming had come to Birmingham instead.

Rather more a failure of govt to direct Marshall aid to manufacturing industry, industry deciding to rest on its laurels and not reinvest in the good years and an investment market that rewarded quick return rather than longterm growth. The japanese didn't do anything miraculous, the british bike industry willingly sacrificed itself, in one instance for a series of customised Daimlers, one of which had zebra skin seats.

The Swiss didn't do their watch industry any favours with their shortsighted attitude either. When the Japanese wanted to buy Swiss watch making machinery the watchmakers put pressure on the Swiss machine tool industry not to sell to the Japanese new machines.

The Japanese bought second hand and after a few years of repairing and finding out how the machinery worked they started to make their own machinery.

In the precision engineering industry Citizen are probably as well known for their sliding head lathes as their watches.

[Wacky Racer]

English version:-