Last week, Nikkei business weekly journal wrote about the two big companies that fought for the top share in Japan dairy industry.
From 1998, Meiji Dairy has become the top company of Japan dairy industry.
Last year, Snow Brand had occurred the dairy poisoning problem and it caused rapid fall down of its share. Thus the rival Meiji dairy bolstered the top share.
But Nikkei business weekly journal keenly pointed out before the poisoning problem, Meiji Dairy was already far ahead of Snow Brand in its dairy engineering.

1. Meiji Dairy
In 1993, Mr.Nakayama, the president of Meiji Dairy, went oversea to see developed dairy facilities and surprised at their high level of hygiene facilities. From the oversea study, he felt future crisis in international competitions.
So, he earnestly invested to improve its dairy facilities, because “ quality is made by processes”.
Due to this investment, for an example, sterilized condition of packing processes in Meiji Dairy factory are similar to an operating room of a hospital and the condition has made enough preservation time 21 days from 8 days, widening transportation ranges.

2. Snow Brand
Comparing with Meiji Dairy, Snow Brand was weak in investments to improve facilities. Instead it strengthened document control system.
And when the poisoning problem occurred, many false documents were found.
To take measures to solve the problem, the new president distributed brochures to its employees and did not positively invest to improve facilities.

3. The lesson from the comparison of the two
Meiji Dairy has thought, “ Quality is made by good processes”, and Snow Brand thought, “Quality is made by good documents”. The difference made such wide differences of performances.