Customer Perspective on Manufacturing

Indonesia

The Water Situation in Indonesia

A lady in Indonesia boils well water for drinking

It is thought that over 1 billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water, and that of the 2 million who die each year after drinking contaminated water, the majority are children under 5 years old. In Indonesia, 228 million people, the world’s fourth largest population, live spread over about 18,000 islands, and adequate water facilities have yet to be built in many areas. Many people here have to use so-called “shallow wells” less than 10 meters deep, from which they draw water for washing, bathing, and drinking. Drawing well-water is a task that frequently falls to women and children, for whom it means heavy daily labor despite the shallow nature of the wells.

Well-Water Pumps Support Daily Life

Panasonic’s well-water pump has received strong support from customers.

Panasonic began to address this situation in 1988 by producing well-water pumps. Another fact of life in Indonesia is that access to electricity is limited to 58% of the population, and for 90% of those people the supply is less than 900 watts. We accommodated these factors into a water pump of low power design and it has won broad customer support by providing reliable product quality. Today, it is estimated that nearly half of the homes that use well-water pumps use models produced by Panasonic.

Taking on the Challenge of a New Approach to Manufacturing

In many Indonesian households, well-water or water from public supply is sterilized by boiling and then stored for drinking. Refrigerating boiled water allows it to be stored for long periods. The problem is that when other electrical appliances are used at the same time as the refrigerator, insufficient power capacity can cause a power outage.

We set out to develop a refrigerator with an appropriate low power design adapted for these conditions, with the capacity to store sufficient drinking water, and tailored to suit local food culture and shopping habits. The first step in achieving this goal was a study to analyze lifestyles in seven cities throughout Indonesia. The result of the study revealed the following needs: 1) customers want to refrigerate sterilized drinking water in PET bottles; 2) customers want a large vegetable bin; and 3) customers want a place where they can store medicines and cosmetics.

A Bold Concept Shift to Meet Customers’ Needs

The one door refrigerator was designed without a bottom door pocket to allow storage of PET bottles.

Uncovering customers’ needs from lifestyle research.

In order to meet these needs, we designed a refrigerator with a bold new layout. The bottom door pocket was discarded to make way for a large-volume vegetable bin, and a space was created above this to allow for horizontal storage of a large number of PET bottles. Finally, protruding sections inside the refrigerator were reduced to minimize dead space, leaving room to provide a space for storing medicines and cosmetics.

The hardest issue to tackle was realizing a low power design. By fitting a new compressor and other innovations we achieved an energy saving of about 30%. The development of this product was carried out in large part by local staff with an intimate knowledge of the living environment and needs of local people. They conducted lifestyle research and planned this unique product, working in a powerful partnership with Japanese engineers to achieve its creation. The resulting refrigerator has received wide support for its ease of operation and design. In December 2009, it received a Gold Award at the 2009 Indonesia Good Design Selection.

To realize abundant lifestyles for customers the Panasonic Group must cooperate across borders: “Think Globally, Act Locally”

From a personal standpoint, I am determined to act through my work to make living more comfortable for the people of Indonesia. The recently developed A191 Series refrigerators embody that commitment, and are a huge achievement in that sense. I hope to continue in my role of working with everyone here to bring a brighter and more abundant lifestyle to people through our active involvement in developing products that please our customers.

Daniel Suhardiman

Group Manager, Creation Center, PT Panasonic Manufacturing Indonesia (PMI)

India

Contributing to Local Economic Development

Sabiha Kiduwai

General Manager
New Business Development Division
Panasonic India Pvt Ltd.

Despite India’s continued growth, life for some 70% of the population who live in rural areas is tough. Panasonic aims to contribute toward economic development and improved lifestyles for people in these areas.

One way we can make a difference is by tackling power shortages in rural areas and villages. We aim to contribute to the Indian government’s power supply projects by introducing solar panels. We can also help in villages without power supply facilities by providing solar-rechargeable lanterns to allow children to read and study at night. We believe that these projects, once in motion, will improve rural lifestyles.

Bringing the Benefits of Technology to Even More People

To allow as many people as possible to enjoy the benefits of technology and more abundant lives, our goal is to provide products that customers can easily afford.

At the same time, the environment must be considered by taking steps to minimize factory waste and creating environmentally-conscious products. Our inverter technology has been highly rated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency of India for minimizing energy and power consumption. We aim to incorporate such power-saving technologies into all of our products.

Coexisting with the Natural Environment

At Panasonic Technopark, our multipurpose production site scheduled to open in 2012, we plan to achieve zero emissions through use of solar panels across the entire surface of the plant roof, and by devising recycling systems.

In September 2009, we ran Eco Caravan—a project for showcasing environmentally-conscious Panasonic products and initiatives. In March 2010, we started a program aimed at raising environmental awareness among our customers. Among other activities, it involves recycling TVs in cooperation with a government-certified recycling group.

Vietnam

A Deeper Understanding of Customers’ Lifestyles

A family participates in the Discover Vietnam survey

Vietnam extends in an “S” shape from north to south, with a land area of 330,000 km² and a population of around 88 million people. Surrounded by sea and forest, Vietnam offers great variety in terms of climate, lifestyles and customs.

In our Discover Vietnam project, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of customers’ lifestyles and carry out product development activities that lead to solutions for customer issues, or propose new lifestyles to customers. We visited 300 households in 64 provinces across Vietnam to conduct a survey to ascertain the types of appliances each household owned, their use and place of use. The survey also asked about the functions considered to be essential, and the reasons for purchasing each appliance.

The Key to Opening the Vietnamese Market

One discovery was lifestyle-based trends, such as the strong need for large-capacity refrigerators among people in the suburbs, who tend to buy in bulk. Another fact we grasped was the growing number of consumers who are strongly interested in health, beauty and travel as well as essential living appliances.

The Discover Vietnam survey pinpointed the fields we should target for opening new sales channels and expanding our service network. We also gained insight into suitable concepts for product proposals.

Vietnamese people are always on the lookout for new ideas and technologies, and other value-added products. Responding to this need holds the key to opening the Vietnamese market.

Proposing Lifestyles A Step Ahead

Today Vietnamese people’s lifestyles are changing rapidly as they become more diversified and abundant. As a core member of the Discover Vietnam project, I want to contribute to customers' changing needs through our products.

Ton Nu Cam Ha

Planning Team Manager, Marketing Division, Panasonic Sales Vietnam

Brazil

Developing Microwave Cooking Tailored to Local Climate and Ingredients

Realizing a rich food culture is an essential part of enabling people to enjoy abundant lives. At Panasonic, we view the microwave oven as one cooking appliance that makes this abundance possible, and pursue product development with this in mind. Microwave ovens use microwaves, a type of electromagnetic energy with an extremely short wavelength, to excite water molecules to produce heat. The way that heating occurs, however, can differ slightly depending on the type of dish, the ingredients used, or even the moisture content in the air.

In Brazil, we are developing functions best suited to local cuisine, using actual recipes to determine the necessary electrical power and time needed for cooking. Two local female staff members who are experts on Brazilian cuisine are playing a central role in this development project.

Panasonic’s microwave oven menus in Brazil are specially developed to allow users to easily prepare their preferred recipes or a complete meal. The ovens are adapted to suit the meat dishes, snacks and other simple, practical and quick cuisine which is found everyday in Brazilian homes.

The Pursuit of Perfect Popcorn

One food that presented a particular challenge to microwave cooking was popcorn. A popular snack for Brazilians of all ages, popcorn is commonly eaten with family members while watching football or movies.

Supermarkets in Brazil offer a wide range of popcorn types, and we conducted extensive testing to develop a program capable of cooking delicious popcorn with every brand, flavor and package size.

As these efforts illustrate, Panasonic is active in every field essential to daily life—clothing, food, shelter and entertainment—pursuing product development that contributes to more comfortable lives for customers in Brazil.

For Customers throughout Brazil

Brazilian food encompasses a wide range of regional tastes and styles. We considered each area’s unique styles to develop a microwave oven that would truly satisfy the culinary needs of customers from every part of Brazil.

Alessandra Lopez Soales (Left) and Francine Hatagami (Right)

Cooking Center Instructors
Microwave Oven Engineering Department, Panasonic do Brasil Limitada.

Brazil

Promoting Digital Broadcasting for Better Lives and Safety in Brazil

Digitizing television broadcasts is critical to improving broadcast quality. It is also essential for providing information services to assist people’s lives and personal safety. Current analog open-air television coverage in Brazil is greater than 99% of the population and is thus considered the most suitable infrastructure for providing homes with entertainment and information services.

In light of this, Panasonic and four other electrical appliance manufacturers met with representatives from the Brazilian government to explain the merits of Japan’s open-air digital broadcasting format. The government accepted this proposal in June 2006, and commercial digital broadcasting commenced from December 2007.

Panasonic do Brasil Limitada participates in creating technical standards in an industry forum that determines specifications for digital TV in Brazil. We also support the product development team in Japan, and make other efforts to accelerate the local penetration of digitized television broadcasts.

Leveraging Our Technical Expertise to Expand Into Central and South American Countries

Following the introduction of digital TV in Brazil, the same Japanese format is being introduced in other countries in Central and South America with the encouragement of the Brazilian and Japanese governments. At present, digital broadcasts are under way in Argentina and Peru, while Chile, Venezuela and Ecuador have also decided to adopt the format.

In Brazil, a middleware called “Ginga” is under development that will enable providing information services such as e-commerce, e-banking,  education, and others. Meanwhile, Chile and Peru are studying implementation of Emergency Warning System (EWS) into their countries, supported by Japanese government. EWS system is to broadcast information to warn people ahead of earthquakes or tsunamis.

Digital broadcasting is facilitating such new infrastructure throughout Central and South America. We are committed to contributing to the spread of digital broadcasting by widely providing our technical knowhow for product development that we have cultivated in Brazil.

A Detailed Response for Each Country

The specifications of our digital broadcasting technology have to be adapted to suit each country’s characteristics. These adjustments are not only essential for ensuring product quality, but are also fundamentally important for creating a safe and secure social infrastructure through our digital broadcasting technology. This is the essence of contributing to society through our operations.

Fabio Canpana (Left) and Bruno Calvaryo (Right)

Senior R&D engineer and R&D engineer
R&D Office, Panasonic do Brasil Limitada.

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