‘Takumi’ and Meister designations

The Takumi system aims to enhance technical skills and capacity in the workplace by identifying highly experienced staff who can pass on their skills and knowledge of the Canon monozukuri way to the next generation of workers.

The Canon Takumi designation is awarded to workers who demonstrate outstanding skills in fields of expertise that require exceptional talent, such as milling, lathe working, grinding, lens polishing, coating and welding. In addition to their technical skills, Takumi are expected to demonstrate leadership, teamwork skills and consideration for others in the workplace.

A Canon Takumi someone who:

• demonstrates outstanding skills and capabilities in a particular area of Canon monozukuri well beyond others
• has the capacity to pass on those skills and capabilities to others.

“Outstanding skills and capabilities” refers to the ability to work quickly and efficiently with a high degree of precision, combining human sensibilities and intuition with a deep understanding of machinery operation and performance.

For example, a Takumi in metalworking will be able to transform metal pieces into complex shapes at a level of precision on the order of microns (one-thousandth of a millimeter) or even sub-microns (one ten-thousandth of a millimeter). The Takumi will also hold qualifications or accreditation at Level 1 or equivalent under the relevant national accreditation scheme or accreditation at the prefectural level that recognizes outstanding achievement in their field. This illustrates the extremely stringent minimum standards for designation as a Takumi at Canon.

Takumi frequently hold accreditation or certification at the national level. Many are recipients of the Contemporary Takumi (Outstanding Technical Skills) award from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour, or the Medal with Yellow Ribbon award recognizing exemplars of outstanding technical skill and diligence in their industry.

As a highly skilled craftsman and an exemplar of character and leadership, the Takumi has three main duties and responsibilities:

• To use their outstanding craftsmanship and technical skills to contribute to the ongoing evolution and development of monozukuri at Canon
• To pass on their skills and knowledge to others
• To set an example in the workplace by furthering enhancing their skills and capabilities through self-directed training and study.

Passing on skills is a particularly important role of the Takumi, who is expected to be a good leader in supporting the growth and development of those who follow. It is not enough to only display outstanding technical skills; the Canon Takumi must also provide guidance and leadership.

A Canon Takumi can nominate an employee with Class A technical skills (as per the Canon classification scheme) as their mentee, and will then work closely with the mentee to pass on their skills.

For most Canon products, production involves a succession of complex manufacturing processes. At Canon, a Meister (German for “master”) is a multi-skilled worker who has advanced expertise across multiple processes that can be harnessed to improve overall productivity.

The Canon Meister designation recognizes workers who complete their tasks quickly and efficiently and display a high level of specialized expertise in multiple processes, and who use their skills and expertise to make significant contributions to monozukuri.

A Meister is either a Group Meister (Class S and Class 1) at the wider Canon Group level or a Local Meister at a specific production facility.

A Local Meister can progress to Group Meister Class 1 status and thence to the top level of Group Meister Class S.

Class 1 and Class S Group Meister designations are assessed by the in-house Canon Group Expert Awards Committee.

For example, there is a Class S Group Meister (the highest Meister level) in the area of product assembly who knows every one of the 3,000 + parts that go into an office printer and can assemble the finished product without any assistance. Similarly, there is a Class S Group Meister in automated assembly who can coordinate over 60 different procedures and machines and even adjust and repair equipment as needed.

The coveted Class S designation is awarded to only one or two individuals each year. As such, it is a source of great pride in the workplace as well as inspiration for aspiring engineers and technicians.

Canon Meisters are expected to make a significant contribution not just to ongoing production operations but to the evolution of monozukuri in the wider sense.

Part of their role is to utilize their expertise in identifying equipment faults, designing optimized production processes and suggesting innovative ways to simplify tasks and procedures.

Meisters are also expected to contribute to overall process improvement. In particular they utilize their experience and expertise to determine the causes of equipment faults and failures, devising preventative solutions for the future, reviewing design and development processes and providing valuable feedback and insights.

Training and mentoring of future talent is another important role. Canon Meisters are actively involved in nurturing the next generation of multi-skilled technicians, primarily by designing training courses and monitoring ongoing progress and development.