Strategies of Long-Lived Big Japanese Innovators

Abstract

In this chapter, we analyze Japan's oldest companies in terms of technology leverage and customer relationship. To this end, we compare Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toray, Toppan Printing and Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), Shimano, and Mayekawa. Based on these case analyses, we discuss the findings.  Although these businesses operate in different industries and follow specific strategies, we find a common thread across all of them, which we call the secret of Japanese longevity companies. This is the ability to leverage technology competence and customer competence to pioneer new businesses based on a relationship of trust with customers. Furthermore, the linkage competence (network capability) expands the existing technology and customer competence in the course of translating long-term vision into strategic and operational goals.