Japanese factories try hand at crafting Olympic bobsled
The Asahi Shimbun | Nov. 2, 2012
...The prototype, named the "Shitamachi Bobsleigh" (downtown bobsleigh), is on display at an international machine tool fair in Tokyo. Its developers aim to conduct test runs by the end of the year.
Bobsled racing, a high-velocity sport, has been described as "Formula One on ice." World-famous automakers such as Ferrari and BMW are involved in sled manufacturing.
Until now, no Japanese manufacturer has joined the big players, but now several small-scale entrepreneurs in Tokyo's Ota Ward hope to change that...Junichi Hosogai, president of local metal processing firm...came up with the idea of sled development last year. They saw it as a chance to showcase their manufacturing skill...
...Ota Ward has many small factories, but some have disappeared in recent years because orders have increasingly been going overseas.
Japan has no major manufacturer of world-class bobsleds. Its teams have consequently resorted to foreign equipment and have been unable to attain high scores in Olympic competitions...more...
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PRIOR ART (an old FG thread circa 2007)
maguro bobsled
