Analysis on supplier system of the automobile industry

Many have researched Japan's automobile industry and its influence over its supplier system. However, very little of this research, where changes in the automobile industry and its supplier system are analyzed, is quantitative. In this paper, change in the automobile industry is quantitatively analyzed using the number of patent applications for automobile components. A ratio was calculated of the number of patents that were applied for from the car manufacturer itself and the total number of patent applications. From this ratio, we can quantitatively judge whether or not R&D initiative is still in the car manufacturer. Our analysis indicates that R&D initiative is still in automobile manufacturer, in the stokehold and engine control systems. But on the other hand, in other component fields, such as air bag and navigation, the R&D initiative is no longer in the auto manufacturer, as in the PC industry.