[Neutrino]

I work for a Jap in Europe, and although European HQ and Japanese HQ are theoretically one company - I find that they are doing everything in their power to destroy our business, which is impossible for me to understand since our sales are also their sales....

About a year back - when the economical crisis started seriously effecting Europe and Japan, Jap HQ had a big discussion about how important it was to find new development, new applications, and new markets for our products, that request was also communicated to me, since I'm responsible for the European market for "my" product range.

Anyway - some 8 months back a large manufacturer approached me with a completely new process, that they already tested and verified. They want to buy a machine at a cost of way over 100,000 EUR, but before they order - they would like to perform some comparative tests between their little test equipment and our industrial version.

My first thought was "Hey, great - there's sometime that the Japs will be happy with, especially at these times..." but today - more than 6 months later, they still refuse to perform the tests.

The tests they have to perform are pretty much cost-free and simple to perform - if I had the right test system in my lab - I could have done it in less than 1 hour. Instead f performing a test for such a large customer, they keep stalling with idiotic questions about business potential and market size - which I already answered 6 months back. The customer is getting mad because they have no idea why after more than 6 month Jap HQ would not even give an answer if they agree or not to perform a simple costless test, the customer's project has fallen behind schedule and they are (rightfully) angry.

I have had it too. a couple of days back I sent the Japs an email saying if they can not give a final answer before the end of this week, I'm calling the whole thing off, and will give their direct contact information to the customer so they can explain their idiotic decision by themselves - because I refuse to be a part of it....

My manager here backs me up and sent a similar email even saying that Europe HQ will pay for the tests....

This is not the only thing : because everything sold in the EU requires CE marking, Jap HQ can no longer even give me a price estimate on systems they have been selling (that ARE CE marked) since 2001..... so I also have quotation requests piling up and customers have problems taking us seriously after having to wait for over 6 weeks for a price estimate (so not even an exact quote).

I'm getting the impression that the Japs are really trying to destroy our business here in Europe - but why the hell would they do that ? After all we are selling THEIR systems....

Can anyone explain this ? Does anyone here have a similar experience ? Why the hell do they act like this and what can I do to change it ? I really really love my job, my this is honestly taking the fun out of it...

[Blackfrost]

Based on my previous experiences managing the japanese branch of a western company - years ago - I did continuously experience one common thing over and over again: The Japanese prioritized their concern about what the product meant to Japan FIRST, everyone else was considered a secondary market. I know it seems really weird, but I've encountered this a number of times with other japanese companies I've worked with recently too. How their product does in their country can overide the logic of "You could make this work in every country and make millions more?!?! What are doing!?!"

I can't explain the logic behind it (to me it appears like there isn't any) but when you see it enough times, you realize that there is something in their culture that requires this of them.

[Citizen Erased]

I suggest if you wish to continue having a job to stop referring to them as "Japs".

[TheLoneSock]

Yeah, I'd drop the slang names if I were you. They might not feel slang to you but they are to many people.

And drop them too if they aren't performing. There are tons of people looking for jobs in this economy, world wide. Fire them and bring in someone with a clearer mind if they can't put the business first. It may be Japanese owned but you are in the EU market.

[Neutrino]

Lone-Sock : I can't. Those manager and engineers belong to our Japanese branch, I work for the EU branch.... Besides - that would be run-away knowledge and if this is culture related, we'd let some very talented people go just to discover the problem would repeat itself with new people....

I have had my direct contact person changed (not too many speak English and of course the culture is embedded in the language).

Blackfrost : This is useful. Maybe in this way I have to find a similar manufacturer in Japan and present that as a possible customer ? Or will their perspective be completely different ?

This morning my new contact person has come back with some positive answers - but you know - I'm a little afraid of their "Of course we agree, but it will be difficult" sneaky way of turning you down....

[Blackfrost]

Originally Posted by Neutrino

Blackfrost : This is useful. Maybe in this way I have to find a similar manufacturer in Japan and present that as a possible customer ? Or will their perspective be completely different ?

The products we were making were not manufactured by a Japanese owned company, but they were distributed and sold in Japan. The way this solution was handled, was that we had a branch of our company (in Japan) that would independantly test the quality of the products (even though we were testing them as well - according to their specifications) and this made them happy to sell the product there. It sounds like this might be similar to your situation? Hopefully this will help. They are a very insular people who have a very specific quality bar for everything they create or sell - and I learned as well - they possess the very broad asian cultural trait of - the japanese word eludes me - but generally means "saving face, losing face". You should read up on it a bit, as it makes dealing (or at least trying to understand) asian business people a slight bit easier.

[Neutrino]

Our products are designed and manufactured in Japan and sold world-wide. I can totally relate to what you're saying about the quality testing - they are perfectionists (this is why both my work car and private car are Japanese)... Also acceptance is difficult because not a single person dares to take responsibility and they need an eternity to reach consensus...

What made me blow a fuse was the manager of our Japanese engineering saying "We don't want to perform a test unless we can guarantee the outcome" I found it insane - you test BECAUSE you don't know the outcome, if you know the outcome - why the hell test at all ?

Also - they seem totally unable to improvise on an experimental set-up, which is very frustrating to me because if I had the parts here it would have been done a long time ago.

As for the face-loss, this is a card I'm definitely playing !! I told them that if after so long of delaying the customer's project they will not perform a nearly cost-free test, they are welcome to do the explaining by themselves, because I refuse to. I gave a dead-line as the end of this working week.....

I must admit, that dealing with administrative and sales staff (in general) is difficult for me, all my education is on exact sciences and in other areas I sometimes fall short, but at my present position - I must adapt.....

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by Citizen Erased

I suggest if you wish to continue having a job to stop referring to them as "Japs".

There was totally no offence meant, just a long(er) word to type, plus - of course I never mention that in public as a slang....

Naturally I did not mean to offend anyone here who may be Japanese....