Monozukuri

Courtesy of Toyota Europe

In Japanese, Monozukuri is a compound word comprising “mono” which means “products,” (literally, “thing”) and “zukuri” which means “process of making or creation”.

However, the concept embraces more than the literal meaning. It offers the idea of possessing the ”spirit to produce excellent products and the ability to constantly improve a production system and process”. The concept carries “overtones of excellence, skill, spirit, zest, and pride in the ability to makegood things very well. Monozukuri is not mindless repetition; it requires creative minds and is often related to craftsmanship which can be earned through lengthy apprenticeship practice rather than the structured course curricula taught at traditional schools.” In that sense, Monozukuri is an art rather than science.

Manufacturers and engineers in Japan today still tap into the idea of monozukuri and consider it a fundamental principle in their manufacturing, design and engineering processes, said one university professor of the connection between technology and monozukuri creativity:

"...science and engineering play an important role in monozukuri...[it is] important to have both craftsmanship technology and scientific and engineering principles and practices when we want to have successful monozukuri and teach students with monozukuri.”

From here.