Supporting
local subsidiaries

T.I. (Joined the company in 2007)
UACJ Metal Components
Thailand Co.,Ltd.
* These are departments at the time of interview

Manufacturing technology that is beneficial for the world

As I majored in aluminum in the engineering department of my university, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit the Shiga Plant, and I joined the company because of its compatibility with my research at the university.
Perhaps more than anything else, I was motivated by the desire to create my own products and introduce them to the world. After all, when I joined the company, we were involved in a very wide range of fields, from heavy machinery parts to home appliances.
Leaving the university, which was focused on basic research, and seeing a factory where actual products were being manufactured, I was once again struck by the importance of having "technology that is useful in the real world and technology that is useful to the world.”

Going to Thailand to explore heat exchange

After joining the company, I developed heat exchangers for home appliances and cars at the Development Department and R&D Center. I also interacted with manufacturing engineers and was involved in mass production at the factory.
As the factory in Thailand handles exchangers, I also had frequent interactions with those in the field and partner companies. So in a sense, it was inevitable or natural that I was transferred to Thailand.
However, the level of responsibility between a business trip and an assignment is different. I have to be involved in the overall management of the plant, not just the products.
In 2011, Thailand was hit by a major flood and the factory was submerged. We were able to restart production by replacing all the facilities, but this left the local subsidiary in debt and restarting from a negative point
The hardest part was to get back the customers we’d lost while production was suspended. Rather than leaving it to the sales team, the manufacturing and development teams worked together to restore customer trust.

Restoring management by restoring smiles

But the most difficult thing was to bring back the energy in the company. The language barrier was quite a challenge.
I struggled with communicating what I wanted to say and improving business efficiency. But we just had to keep talking. We’d write down what we wanted to say on the whiteboard, have lunch together, and occasionally invite each other to parties so that we could communicate outside of work.
As a result, communications became smoother and smoother. Not only was I able to get my points across, but their responses came back quicker and more accurately.
After a couple of years, the meetings became livelier. People began exchanging opinions and making improvements. The cycle, which had been negative, turned positive, and orders started coming back in.
We’ve rebuilt our customer base and are now receiving new orders from overseas. This is because we’ve been able to accurately respond to our customers' requests and expand our specifications. In addition to maintaining sales volume and improving quality, it'll be crucial to create a new business pillar in the future. We are constantly on the lookout for the points at which our potential meets customer needs and ways in which our technology can create products that are useful to the world.

PROFILE

Joined the company in 2007

UACJ Metal Components
Thailand Co.,Ltd.

Manager T.I.

Vision for the future
When I return to Japan, I’d like to have a position where I can use the experience I gained in Thailand to support bases both in Japan and overseas.

Personal life
A lot of time has passed since I was transferred to Thailand with my family.
My child was born here, and I look forward to playing with him.
There are wild monitor lizards in a nearby park, so I’ll take the train to go and see them.
Thailand is a very comfortable country to live in. They are especially kind to children and take good care of them.

Message
The corporate culture and the scale of the company make it easy for you to reach out with what you want to do and how you want to do it. If you have an idea, you can make it happen by taking action.
I think this is the perfect place for people who want to challenge themselves.

Daily Schedule
(Local time: 2-hour time difference from Japan)

8:00: Check emails. (Work has already started in Japan.)
9:00: Web conference with the design department in Japan.
12:00: Lunch at the cafeteria (Mainly Thai food)
13:00: Check prototypes of a product that is released every year. On-site inspection in preparation for mass production.
15:00: Desk work.
16:00: Review the department’s progress. (Daily task)
18:00: Leave work.

Supporting local subsidiaries