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ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2021/01 Vol. 141
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The ISOWA NEWS LETTER is a newsletter for the benefit
of special customers only.
Each month we bring you information about our company
and its products – information you won’t find on our home page
or in our catalogs.
We hope the ISOWA NEWS LETTER will help you feel closer to us.
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1├ Expanding the Kaizen Circle
– What is the ISOWA-style
Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal? 2/2
2├ Long-term Partnership Based on Mutual Trust
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
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Greetings again from Arizona! This is Ann Marie from Isowa America in Phoenix.
Most people who know me would agree that I am a foodie. I love to cook and
try new foods; both in my kitchen and in restaurants. When my husband and
I plan a vacation, I immediately begin researching to find restaurants that
serve foods on my “bucket list” or new foods that are unique to the area.
I have worked for Isowa America for 18 years and have heard about many
Japanese foods that have made it to my bucket list. Typically, I can try
those foods quickly; however, there are a few that have been on my list for years,
including Kobe beef.
Kobe beef is Wagyu beef from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle,
raised in Japan’s Hyōgo Prefecture according to rules set out by
the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association.
The meat is a delicacy, valued for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty,
well-marbled texture. Because Kobe beef is regulated under a strict
quota and tariff system, less than ten restaurants in the United States
are license to serve this delicacy, and those that do, charge roughly $75
per ounce: with a minimum purchase of four ounces.
Arizona does not have a restaurant that offers this rare beef.
My husband and I recently visited Las Vegas and a month before we left,
I began searching their restaurants for foods on my bucket list. I was pleasantly
surprised to find three restaurants in Las Vegas offering Kobe beef!
After doing some research and verifying with the Kobe Beef Marketing
and Distribution Promotion Association, we chose a restaurant located
at the Wynn Resort and made reservations.
The beef was extremely rich, so I was glad I ordered the minimum four ounces.
I had never eaten such a tender piece of meat that “melted in your mouth”.
Our dining experience was incredible and unforgettable. In addition to finally
checking Kobe beef off my list, the waiter brought my husband and me an appetizer,
compliments of the chef. The appetizer was Tuna Tartare topped with caviar.
These foods were also on my bucket list, so I was able to check off three foods
in one meal. If you find yourself in the position to try this beef, please do so.
Now that my list is almost empty, it is time to begin a new list!
And now, let’s turn to Vol. 141 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.
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Expanding the Kaizen Circle
– What is the ISOWA-style Continuous
-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal? 2/2
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Hi, I’m Nagisa Inui from the Sales Department.
I’ll be continuing with our topic from last time,
talking about the ISOWA Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal Program.
In this issue, I interviewed the people who recently won the gold prize
for their proposal, as well as a member of the Continuous-Improvement
Committee, who manages the program and evaluates the Continuous-
Improvement (Kaizen) Proposals.
<Gold Prize-Winning Members: Ms. Yamauchi, Ms. Kameoka, Ms. Kondo>
“We were recognized with the gold prize for our work on digitizing
the work report system.
For the longest time, we had to write individuals ’ worked hours
for each month by hand into work reports, which then had to be
checked one-by-one by another employee.
We struggled with the effort it took to write it by hand,
with the human error factors that came with using a calculator
to tally numbers, and with efficiently distributing overtime.
We wanted to improve it, so we decided to digitize them.
When we first went from paper to digital, we didn’t have any specialized
knowledge. We struggled a lot to put together Excel functions that fit
the work system of each department. There were times when we almost
gave up, but we had the support of those around us, and we achieved
digitization. We never thought we would win a gold prize, so we were
more surprised than happy when we found out we won, but at the same time,
we felt a great sense of accomplishment.
It had mainly been the job of administrative staff to take care of
the work reports, and they also did the digitization.
Hopefully, this improvement will lead to further progress
for the administrative team at ISOWA. Using what we learned from this,
we want to continue to have an ‘I’ll do it!’ volunteering spirit
and tackle continuous-improvement of work tasks with a positive attitude.”
I interviewed Mr. T from the Continuous-Improvement Committee.
“I have been on the Continuous-Improvement Committee for about ten years.
But it was only after I heard the reports from the members who
visited Nabari Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in 2019 did I realize how much room
there was for improvements in our Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen)
Proposal Program itself.
Over the past year, the eight members of the Committee have held
many discussions. I feel like we have made the program a little more
accessible for all employees than they had been in the past.
I will work even harder to ensure that even more people feel free
to submit even better ideas in the future.”
Talking to Mr. T, I felt that the motivation of the Continuous-Improvement
Committee to improve corporate culture through the Continuous-
Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal Program would spread to every employee
and help to have different perspectives that cause people to question
their beliefs and think, “Could I make it better? Is there another way?”
Although it may be difficult to draw a direct connection between
the everyday work and company profits, some people said,
“The Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal reduced expenses,”
“Because I was able to see the results with my own eyes,
I felt like I had truly contributed to the company.”
I hope that ISOWA people will continue to pursue “Human-Friendly
and Machine-Friendly” and continuously improve our products and
in-house environment. Additionally, I hope that this two-part
series will serve as inspiration for everyone to develop a
Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal program for your own office or factory.
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Long-term Partnership Based on Mutual Trust
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
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Our customer visited us for the final checkup of their Flexo Folder Gluer Ibis.
They were completely satisfied with the machine quality.
We are going to install the Ibis in their factory site at the end of this month.
▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/12/long-term-partnership-based-on-mutual.html
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