Located in Daikokucho, Osaka, this building is decorated in white and navy.
Munekawa's workshop is on the first floor.
Munekawa's staff not only produce products in this workshop, but also do a variety of other tasks related to product creation, such as planning, leather inspection, repairs, and new product meetings.
Even if you have picked up a Munekawa leather product, you may not have had much of a chance to learn about where it is made and how it is made. This time, we will introduce you to a day in the life of Munekawa's production workshop .
A day that starts with morning cleaning
Munekawa's day starts with cleaning.
Every morning, all production staff members take turns setting up the work environment for 20 minutes.
We value the time we spend cleaning carefully as a way to prepare ourselves for the day and to get our minds in order.
Once cleaning is finished, there is morning assembly.
We share feedback from customers and improvements to our services and production. The sense of closeness that allows customer feedback and even one person's insight to be directly reflected in the product may be a unique feature of having a small team.
We check the production schedule for the day and everyone agrees on which products to work on and how far we will progress before we begin work.
We have a meeting every week to discuss campaigns, events, and new products. Rather than just focusing on daily production, we also make it a point to take the time to think carefully about Munekawa from a long-term perspective.
▼Related articles
– Munekawa's Craftsmanship – What Munekawa values in production
Product creation time in pairs
After the morning meeting and the schedule are shared, the workshop switches to production time. Everyone heads to their workbench and picks up leather and tools. This is the longest part of the day.
At Munekawa, we generally work in pairs to create one product.
When working alone, procedures and pace can become fixed in one's own way, but by working in a team, You can watch each other's movements and synchronize your pace. You will notice waste and quirks in the process at an early stage, and efficiency will naturally improve.
Another benefit is that if any areas for improvement are found, they can be shared on the spot, and if a mistake occurs, the person nearby can follow up.
In addition, when I work alone, I measure the time I spend working, and I think of ways to increase efficiency while maintaining high quality , and incorporate these ideas into my daily production.
Munekawa's products are completed through processes such as cutting, skiving, stamping, gluing, sewing, edge treatment, and inspection.
It is not always possible to complete a single product in one day. Some days we continue with the papermaking from the previous day, and other days we start sewing first thing in the morning. Depending on the schedule for the day, production progresses with staff sometimes handing over work to each other.
In manufacturing, the precision of the previous process directly affects the next process.
If the intended dimensions are off when cutting, it will not be possible to adjust them by papermaking, and if the stitching is not done properly, it will affect the finished sewing.
Munekawa completes all of these processes in-house without outsourcing, which allows us to maintain connections between processes and achieve both quality and speed.
From cutting to inspection, the process is carried out in the same workshop by the same production staff. That is Munekawa's manufacturing process.
▼Related articles
Why Munekawa values in-house production
The distance between the workshop and the directly managed store
Munekawa's direct store is located on the second floor of the same building as the workshop.
This distance comes in handy when repairing or caring for leather, for example.
If the work takes around 10 minutes, such as replacing a snap, re-sewing a short distance, or oiling, we can complete it on the spot, so we can return the garment to the customer without having them come back to pick it up at a later date or having them wait long periods of time.
The same production staff who made the product will be in charge of repairs, so they can handle the work with an understanding of the product's characteristics and the quirks of the materials.
If customers visit the direct store on the second floor of the workshop, production staff will be available to assist them.
Because the people who make the products and deliver them are the same, the people who made them can directly explain how to use and care for the products.
▼Related articles
Staff Interview: What is the Munekawa Direct Store Like?
The view beyond the product
Munekawa's products are born in this small workshop. Rather than large facilities or lines with specialized tasks, a small number of production staff gather in the same place every day and continue to work by hand. The result of this accumulation is evident in each and every product.
We hope that when you pick up a product, you can even imagine the view of the workshop on the other side. At our directly managed stores, you can actually see the workshop up close while picking up a product.
Munekawa Direct Store
2-8-26 Daikoku, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, 556-0014
▶︎For more information about our directly managed stores, click here
