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JOINED 2000

Why they joined and what they do now, in our employees' own words.

Joined 2000, Machining

I joined as the company's first female machinist and am now a section manager in machining. As both a technical professional and a mother, I find this a supportive place to work.

Joined in 2000

More than 20 years on,
I still enjoy my work.

I joined the company as its first female machinist. I have always loved making things, and I was in the first class to enter and graduate from our local polytechnic college. I chose this company on my teacher's recommendation: they told me it was an interesting company where I could be involved in the whole process of designing, machining and measuring my own work. There are other major manufacturers in the area, but at large companies each plant makes set products, so you may only ever work on one type of product. Here, by contrast, I can work on a wide variety of products, which is another attraction. I have worked in wire EDM since I joined, and I have enjoyed my work the whole time. I was also once in charge of creating CAM programs, and nothing compares to the sense of accomplishment when I cleanly finish a submicron-level machining job and someone is impressed and tells me, "That's what we expect from you!"
Joined 2000, Machining

Input from the shop floor leads to better equipment, and strong results are reflected in our pay.

I am now the section manager of the wire EDM section at the Oita Plant. My work is mainly management these days, but I still really enjoy machining. We give instructions to the machines and machine parts exactly to the drawing dimensions, but there are technical challenges you cannot simply leave to the machines, and it takes experience to master the various machines. It is such a deep field that people say it takes ten years to become fully skilled. I think our company is doing well because we have technology that newcomers to the industry cannot replicate. Recently, AI and semiconductor-related projects have grown rapidly, and the plant is running at full capacity. The strong performance is reflected not only in our results but also in our pay. The company shares its profits with employees and installs the latest machine tools based on engineers' suggestions. I can really feel that the company is growing while valuing the voices of those of us on the shop floor.

The company is understanding about raising children,
so my kids support me too.

I have been here for more than 20 years, and I have never wanted to work anywhere else. Part of that is because the work is interesting, but it is also a very supportive place to work. I have taken maternity and childcare leave twice. My older child is in high school and my younger one is in junior high. When they were little, I sometimes brought them to work to show them what I do, so they like the company too. One of my fond memories is them waving their little hands to see me off, asking, "Mommy, are you going to Kataken again today?" That is why I want to support employees, women and men alike, who are working hard to raise children. For example, if a child suddenly comes down with a fever, I want them to feel free to take paid leave. And if a parent really cannot take the day off, I would even be happy to look after the child here at work myself (laughs).