Reproducibility and Organizational Strength | Reproducibility Builds Strong Organizations | Conquering the World
From water and flour to process control: building noodles that deliver the same quality anywhere in the world
Only organizations that can reproduce results become strong
Being reproducible means the following:
- It stays the same no matter who makes it
- It stays the same at any time of day
- It stays the same in any country
At first glance, individual skill may seem strong.
However, individual skill is lost the moment that person is gone.
In other words, it carries the weakness of “it cannot function without that person.”
An organization becomes dramatically stronger the moment it achieves reproducibility.
The reason it went global was not just “taste”
IPPUDO
HACHIBAN RAMEN
MARUGAME SEIMEN
These companies did not expand globally simply because their food tasted good.
The key was that they were able to export reproducibility itself overseas. That is the biggest success factor.
- A system that reproduces taste.
- Management that maintains quality.
- Standards that do not fluctuate no matter where production happens.
The biggest cause of losing reproducibility is “variation”
The biggest cause of losing reproducibility is variation in materials and environment.
Among these, the two most important factors are:
- Flour quality (in terms of noodle-making)
- Water hardness (water quality)
These must be determined by measurement, not by intuition.
If the water changes, the texture will always change
Even when using the same flour, if the water changes, the texture will also change. The most influential factor is water hardness.
If hardness differs:
- Gluten formation changes
- Dough firmness changes
- Elasticity changes
In other words, even with the same recipe, the noodles become a different product. Water is part of the recipe.
Environmental changes
Environmental factors are even more troublesome.
- If humidity changes, the dough changes
- If water temperature changes, gluten changes
- If noodle making procedures are not strictly adhered to (e.g. when the staff is busy), the firmness (bite) disappears
The problem is that you may not even notice that something has changed.
That is why conditions control is necessary to maintain reproducibility.
The bare minimum to reduce inconsistency
Start with just these. It will significantly reduce inconsistency.
- Flour temperature
- Room temperature and humidity
- Mixing water temperature
Record these three every day.
That alone will allow you to explain “why today is different”. Simply record the numbers daily. This is the first step toward building a strong organization.
Global expansion means increasing “reproducible conditions”
Global expansion is not about increasing the number of stores. It is about increasing the number of places where reproducibility is achieved.
The process always follows this order:
- Reproducibility
- Trust
- Brand
- Expansion
You cannot build a brand instantly.
Without reproducibility, trust cannot be created.
Without trust, a brand cannot grow.
Trust is only built on accumulated reproducibility.
Reproducibility is not just a technical issue, it is management.
Start by recording one thing today.
The moment reproducibility is achieved, an organization becomes capable of true expansion.
Fujii ‘Rocky’ Kaoru
