Daikin Industries

The president of Daikin Industries Residential Air Conditioning Shiga Factory was confronted by the prospects of an unseasonably cold summer, at a time when the Shiga Factory had large quantities of its products in inventory in anticipation of strong summer sales. The president was concerned not only about pending losses in the current year, but also about the factory's long-term survival. Unprofitability was unacceptable and Daikin was caught in a stagnant market in which it was increasingly difficult to build share by product differentiation. The Shiga Factory had been forced to use large inventories to cope with uncertain demand and a long and unwieldy supply chain. The president must decide whether to reduce the number of models, build a lower-cost factory outside Japan, or exit the business. He must also determine if there are any other options.