Vol.141: Expanding the Kaizen Circle – What is the ISOWA-style Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal? 2/2

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2021/01 Vol. 141
———————————————–

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.

─┬──────────────────────────────────────────
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
─┴──────────────────────────────────────────
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.

————————————————————–
Expanding the Kaizen Circle
– What is the ISOWA-style Continuous
-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal?　2/2
————————————————————–
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.
—————————————————————
Long-term Partnership Based on Mutual Trust
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
—————————————————————
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
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol. 140: Expanding the Kaizen Circle ~ What is the ISOWA-style Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal? 1/2 ~

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/12 Vol. 140
———————————————–

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.

─┬────────────────────────────────────
1├　Expanding the Kaizen Circle
What is the ISOWA-style
Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal?　1/2
2├    A new Isowa-bito (staff) is born
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴────────────────────────────────────

Hello. I’m Taka from the ISOWA Sales Department, Export Section.

2020 has been a really tough year with Covid-19 spreading
around the world, hasn’t it? This year, I heard a lot of words that
I had never heard before, such as “quarantine” and “lockdown.”
In this foreword, I’d like to talk about my experiences playing at home
with my children amidst the Covid-19 situation that has caused
everyone so much damage and confusion.

I have two very energetic children aged 2 and 6. The whole Covid-19 issue
made us hesitant to take them to crowded places like amusement parks,
beaches, and playgrounds . This summer, I succeeded in raising
my children’s satisfaction levels by installing a wading pool ,
but we won’t get through the winter season with just a simple pool
(maybe I should try putting hot water in it?). Although they are happy
watching things like TV and movies, I don’t think that’s best for them.

I was thinking about this and had an idea. I’m not sure if
it really will be an effective way to teach the children or not,
but I had this idea of playing educational games with them.
Specifically, practicing the times-tables, playing Concentration,
and drawing scenes from stories. My elder child had learned
how to chant part of a Buddhist sutra by heart, and my younger child
learned to do it as well just by copying. So I thought I might as well
teach them to chant their times-tables in the same way as they will
eventually have to learn them anyway. I don’t think they understand
the meaning of the sutras or the times-tables yet, but it’s so funny to
watch them chant, and it’s cute, too. (They say “Roku Ha Shijuni”
(6 x 8 is 42) – laugh)

The card game we play, Concentration, is something I can join in on,
and we enjoy playing it together. The most significant effect I noticed
is that my younger child, who couldn’t match any cards at first,
has begun to win the game more and more. It’s a card game,
so there is a tendency to get competitive, but I told the kids,
“It’s not a competition. It’s training for your brain.” In this way,
I try to make sure they are always having fun. I think my younger
one especially is enjoying playing this game.

Lastly, we do drawing activities of the scenes from stories.
For example, when I am reading the Harry Potter series to them,
there are certain scenes that particularly catch their attention.
Next, I will read them that part again on another day.
I ask them to use their imaginations and picture that scene.
Then I have them draw it with colored pencils or crayons.
They have not yet seen any of the Harry Potter movies or picture books,
so they draw exactly how they imagine it. As a parent, I get surprised
at what they have drawn, thinking, “I suppose that is one way
to understand it!” or “They have really understood it well!”
This is a game my older child especially likes.

I’m writing this in October, but by the time this issue is published,
it will be December.
By then, I will probably have come up with a new
“educational game (?)” for my kids.
If you know of any good games to help raise my intellectual level,
please let me know.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 140 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.
——————————————————————————————————-
Expanding the Kaizen Circle
~ What is the ISOWA-style Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal? 1/2 ~
——————————————————————————————————-
Hi, I’m Nagisa Inui from the Sales Department.

In this issue, we will look at ISOWA’s Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen)
Proposal Program over the course of two issues.

The Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal Program was created
with the goal of encouraging employees to think creatively about
familiar problems in the workplace, to eliminate waste, to improve
the workplace environment, and to improve quality and efficiency.

The targets include:
・Preventing defective products
・Conserving materials
・Improving machines and equipment
・Improving the workplace environment
・Improving work processes
・Improving efficiency in the office works
・Reducing costs of goods
・Reducing business expenses
・Safety and health …and more.

The ISOWA Continuous-Improvement committee was established
as an extension of our QC activities, right around 1989 .　Later, after
approximately 30 years, a visit to the Nabari Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
in 2019 brought about a huge turning point.

Nabari Manufacturing specializes in assembling air conditioning
compressors for automobiles .　The company is actively engaged in
improvement activities and continuously achieving results in terms
of quality and price. We were very impressed to see how they took
advantage of their strengths in improving their workplace,
diligently maintaining quality while working on how to produce
the same products at lower costs.

(You can also read the story in ISOWA Diary (only available in Japanese).)
https://blog.goo.ne.jp/h_isowa/e/55758ee3fbc5f1dc690e0a963015b27c
https://blog.goo.ne.jp/h_isowa/e/db1793c0c31a182fd921d6162728b6fc

“What is the process after a proposal is submitted at ISOWA?”
“Do people see the efforts of those who are working hard to
come up with lots of improvement suggestions ?”
“Could there be a better way to run the Continuous-Improvement
(Kaizen) Program?” In these ways, we began discussing whether
we could change the Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal
Program and improve corporate culture.

・Making submitted proposals visible
・Raising awareness of the Continuous-Improvement (Kaizen) Proposal Program.
・Changing how people are rewarded for such proposals
These measures and others like them made progress.
Although until 2019, only the manufacturing department
had been submitting proposals, other departments such as sales,
service, and administration also began to submit their proposals!

Some of the actual proposals submitted are as follows:

(On-site examples)
・Making installation works more efficient
・Additional safety measures for preparing pressure-proof test s …and more.
・Improving a method for serving tea for visitors/guests
・Digitization of business trip reports, work reports …and more.

The proposals submitted are awarded in four ways
– Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron awards. Better proposals receive
financial rewards. Gold, silver, and bronze awards recipients are
presented together with cash awards during the morning-meeting
of the awardee’s department.

(Award scene at a morning meeting ↓)

In the next issue, I will present some interviews with ISOWA people
who have received these awards.
See you then!

———————————————————————–
A new Isowa-bito (staff) is born
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
———————————————————————–
Today, I introduce a young man, Mr. N, who will join our company next year.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-new-isowa-bito-staff-is-born.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol. 139: New! ISOWA Nakatsugawa

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/11 Vol. 139
———————————————–

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.

─┬───────────────────────────────────────
1├　New! ISOWA Nakatsugawa
2├　Further Step Up of Remote Installation
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴───────────────────────────────────────
Hello everyone,
My name is Vanessa Benesch. I began my journey at ISOWA
in December of 2019 as part of the Accounting team in the Phoenix office.
Originally from a small town in Nebraska, I moved back to Phoenix
in August of 2015. There are many advantages of living in a big city.
One of the things I love about living in Phoenix is that there are
a ton of concert venues. My favorite pastime is to hear live music
and to dance. I have been attending concerts since I was 15, mostly in Phoenix.
I enjoy all genres of music, but I especially like rock-n-roll. Last summer,
I was able to see Carlos Santana and revel in what an amazing guitar
player he is! It was an incredible concert! I have attended live shows
for many different types of music. Some classic rock bands I have seen
are Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Miller Band, John Cougar Mellencamp and
Aerosmith. I especially enjoy hearing the female artists and have attended
shows for Heart, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar and Evanescence. Some of
the hard rock bands I have had an opportunity to see are Metallica, Ozzy Osborne
and Tool. The list goes on and on. I can’t even count how many concerts
I have gone to, but I can estimate that it is at least seventy. I even got
on stage with George Clinton and danced with him! Over the years,
I have won several sets of tickets from contests on the radio including
Heart and Duran Duran with Chic. Every time I have won tickets,
they give me seats to the VIP section. How cool is that!
I have yet to see Bon Jovi, Poison and Stevie Nicks in concert,
but they are all on my bucket list! I am looking forward to attending Maroon 5
with Meghan Trainor and Matchbox 20 as I already have tickets for these shows.
I prefer to attend concerts at outdoor venues because I find that the sound
quality is much better, and I have plenty of room to get up and dance!
Phoenix has a plethora of outdoor shows so I attend as many as I possibly can.
It’s a great way to relax and have fun so I hope that you can attend a concert
by your favorite artist as well. Enjoy the rest of the Newsletter!

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 139 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.
———————————————–
New! ISOWA Nakatsugawa
———————————————–
This past June, ISOWA Nakatsugawa came into being
as part of ISOWA Group. Is it a newly established company?
Another sales office? In order to answer such questions,
the theme of this issue is “New! ISOWA Nakatsugawa!”

1. New! ISOWA Nakatsugawa

In June 2020, Hotoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. changed its name to
ISOWA Nakatsugawa and took a new step towards unifying
the ISOWA Group.

Like ISOWA, I hope that the name change will be a major
inspiration for improving their corporate culture and working
towards fulfilling our corporate philosophy.
They have already been using the same blue work clothes as ISOWA.
With the company name change, the logos on the company cars will
also be unified with ISOWA. We are even planning on installing an ISOWA sign!

2. What is ISOWA Nakatsugawa?

There may be some people who aren’t familiar, so I’ll give a quick rundown.

ISOWA Nakatsugawa is located at 30 minutes by car from the
Ena Interchange on the Chuo Expressway, in Hirukawa,
Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture.
Just like the ISOWA head office, it is in a quiet, pastoral area
surrounded by rice fields. There is a famous sightseeing spot,
the Ena Gorge, nearby.

There are 13 employees, mainly from the local area.
They mostly do machine maintenance for customers in the Tono area.
When it comes to making corrugated paper machinery,
they are in charge of assembling corrugator stackers, double facers,
and mill roll tracks. They have traveled to customers all over Japan
to modify and install corrugator stackers.

We are looking forward to continuing to work with you,
not as Hotoku Kogyo from now on, but as ISOWA Nakatsugawa.

3. What was its predecessor corporation, Hotoku Kogyo?

ISOWA Nakatsugawa is still new, so I am going to talk a bit
about its predecessor, Hotoku Kogyo.

Hotoku Kogyo was established in 1968 as a subsidiary of ISOWA.
When it was established, it was responsible not only for repairing
corrugated paper machinery but also for repairing stone processing machines.
Since Hirukawa, where Hotoku Kogyo was located, was a granite
production area with many stone shops, the company occasionally
received requests for repair of stone processing machines.

In the late 1970s, Hotoku Kogyo made turnover-type mill roll stands
called HRS from design to installation.
Four of those units are still in operation with customers nearby.

In 1991, they built a new plant and office and gradually
added laser processing machines, presses, welding machines, and more.
In 2017 the company celebrated its 50th anniversary.
An employee who had worked there for more than 30 years said,
“In the old days, the Hotoku Kogyo plant was dirty, and nobody
greeted each other. But now, the plant is clean, and everyone greets
one another.” Another employee said, “In the past, everyone had
the craftsman’s mindset and believed that it was more a case of learning
from observing others rather than being taught, but that has gradually changed.”
Just like at ISOWA, things are gradually improving.

4. Interview with the person in charge

Finally, I have an interview with the person in charge at
ISOWA Nakatsugawa on reflections about this moment!

Q1. What are the strengths of ISOWA Nakatsugawa?

About half of our employees have multiple skills, such as machining,
assembly, and repair.
They can immediately take care of any unexpected parts that need
repair or can handle machining defects during assembly.

Q2. The name of the company has changed, but do you feel any different?

Even before the name change, we were working at installations
and repairs as a member of All ISOWA.
Now that the name of the company has changed to ISOWA Nakatsugawa,
I feel even closer to ISOWA.
It inspires me to take responsibility for every action I take, even more than before.

Q3. What are your plans for the immediate future?

All of the employees here will recognize that we are members of
the ISOWA Group and continue to strive to make our customers happy.
In order to do so, we believe that individual development is
the first step, and we are beginning to plan a variety of initiatives.
For example, we are planning on sending our staff from ISOWA Nakatsugawa
to ISOWA head office to assemble machines with their assembly
department team and participate in the manufacturing training provided there.
We aim to provide opportunities for them to further build their skills
and learn from one another.

Also, we will increase the opportunities to share with
the head office and hold more discussions than ever before to
reflect on installation projects after it is finished and plan measures
for the future.

From now on, in addition to speedy and careful work, we will
strengthen our relationships with our customers so that they can
come to consult with us directly, not only by us doing repairs and
installations but also by us listening to their problems.
We will continue to work hard to bring joy to our customers.

Q4. Lastly, please send out a message to our customers.

I’m sure there are some who have known about Hotoku Kogyo,
and others who are hearing about us for the first time.
When we visit for installation work, repairs, and others as a member
of ISOWA Group, we will do our best to make our customers happy.

Thank you for your continued support for ISOWA Nakatsugawa.

ISOWA Nakatsugawa and ISOWA will strengthen our teamwork,
striving to meet customer expectations even better.

Please keep an eye out for what the new ISOWA Nakatsugawa
will be up to in the future!
—————————————————————
Further Step Up of Remote Installation
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
—————————————————————
In September, we had another installation overseas,
but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were still in a difficult situation
to send people from Japan to America. As a result, we had to complete
the installation with remote support like we shared with everyone before.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/10/further-step-up-of-remote-installation.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol. 138: Utilization of Foreign Human Resources through the Technical Intern Training Program

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/10 Vol. 138
———————————————–

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.

─┬─────────────────────────────────────
1├　Utilization of Foreign Human Resources
through the Technical Intern Training Program
2├　Jibun-gatari by three mid-career members
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴─────────────────────────────────────
Hello everyone!
I’m Kazumi Kato from the Export Department.

Here in Japan, once we entered September, we finally started to get cooler weather,
and it feels a little like autumn.
This summer, it was very hot every day. Here in Nagoya, Aichi prefecture,
where we live, the average temperature for a day in August was 30.3 degrees Celsius,
and 22 days out of the month were “extremely hot days,” which is the official classification
for a day where the maximum temperature exceeds 35 degrees. This was the largest number
of days on record since record-keeping began in 1890.

I’d like to tell a quick story about a trip I took with the other three members
of my family to Hokkaido last year. About one year ago, from August 18 to the 20th,
we spent a two-night, three-day stay. Myself, my wife, and our two daughters
went sightseeing around Sapporo on the first day. On the second day, we went to
Furano and Biei, where there is a lot of beautiful scenery and nature.
On the final day, we visited Otaru, a port town where there are warehouses
and canals from the town’s burgeoning past.

Hokkaido is so vast in scale, and nature is so magnificent that we felt like
we had traveled to another country. It has a unique atmosphere compared
to the rest of Japan. All the towns and regions we visited, and the things we saw
and felt remain with me today as good memories. Another thing Hokkaido
is known for is its delicious food.
There are famous Hokkaido dishes like fresh seafood and delicious ramen,
as well as a BBQ lamb or mutton dish called Genghis Khan, which is very popular
with locals and visitors alike.

With sightseeing and traveling in summer, and winter sports like skiing and
snowboarding in winter, Hokkaido is now a popular destination for fun year-round,
even for international visitors.
Currently, the whole world is facing difficult times due to the impact of Covid-19,
but I am certain that it won’t be long before we can go back to our normal way of life.
If any of you are thinking about taking a trip to Japan in the future, please add Hokkaido
to your list of possible destinations. I definitely recommend it.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 138 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.
———————————————————————
Utilization of Foreign Human Resources
through the Technical Intern Training Program
———————————————————————
Hi, I’m Nagisa Inui from the Customer Support/Service Department.
In Japan, a new Work Style Reform Bill came into force in April of last year.
Here at ISOWA, each one of us is thinking harder than ever every day as we work
in order to reduce overtime hours.

At a time like this, when the topic of work style reform is on everyone’s lips,
one change that has come along with overtime limits is the utilization of foreign human resources.

The number of foreign workers in Japan has been growing every year.
A new status of residence (*) was introduced in April 2019,
and now it is said that there are 1.66 million foreign workers employed in Japan
as of the end of February 2020.

Let’s take a look at why Japan is increasing its intake acceptance of foreign labor.
There are two main reasons.

1. Decline in the productive domestic population
The productive population refers to people aged 15 to 60, and it has been in
a steady decline since 2008.

This population peaked in 1997 with 86.99 million people, and by February of 2019,
it had dropped to 76.28 million.
I was surprised to know that it had dropped by 11.71 million in just 22 years.

Some data suggest that this population will drop to 63 million by 2036.
The birthrate is declining, and the population is aging at an alarming rate.

2. High level of jobs-to-applicants ratio
Currently, it has dropped slightly due to the impact of Covid-19, but even so,
as of July 2020, the effective jobs-to-applicants ratio is 1.08.
This means for every hundred people looking for work, there are 108 jobs.
Before Covid-19, this ratio had progressed to around 1.6 and was remaining high.

Simply said, Japan is in a situation with plenty of jobs, but not enough workers.

Now you see this is where “Utilization of Foreign Human Resources” comes in.

There are several different statuses of residence for foreign workers in Japan.
Here I will discuss some issues specific to the paper machinery and corrugated paper industry.

Most of the foreign workers in the corrugated paper and packaging industry
are “Technical Intern Trainees.”

“Trainee” is a type of status of residence.
The purpose of the Technical Intern Training Program is to make international
contributions by helping people to acquire skills, techniques, and/or
knowledge cultivated in Japan so that they may go on to utilize those skills
in their home countries and assist in the development of the industry.

In order to stay in Japan as a technical intern trainee, it is necessary to pass
regularly-scheduled examinations.

At the end of the first year: Trainees, who pass the written and practical exams,
progress to Technical Intern Training (ii) and are able to continue their training in Japan.

At the end of the third year: Trainees, who pass the practical exam,
progress to Technical Intern Training (iii), and after temporarily returning
to their home country (for at least a month), they are able to work in Japan
for two more years.

The program allows the trainees from overseas to stay for a maximum of five years,
but apparently, in practice, most of the trainees return home after three years.

Now I’ll introduce some customer voices from companies who are accepting
foreign human resources.

Company A

When we accepted our trainee, we first set a variety of rules and
developed a work instruction manual. We had to introduce him to the lifestyle
and culture of Japan, which was difficult at times, but the young man who came
is very hardworking and is quick to learn things.
He still can’t understand Japanese very well, but he is a good person and earnest.

Company B

We tried advertising for part-timers, but we couldn’t get enough people,
so we decided to try accepting foreign human resources.
Teaching them was a big task, but thanks to the foreign trainees coming,
our employees talk to each other more, and the worksite has gotten much cheerier.

Company C

As they need to send money to their families living back in their home country,
they’re very serious about their work.
They observe the work closely, and light up with lights or bring spot-coolers
(portable air-conditioner) when necessary without being asked.
I feel like Japanese people could learn a lot from the way the trainees learn
by observing the senior members.

Although it may seem like the Technical Intern Training Program has
a lot of good points, the process can take half a year at best, to a full year,
for a company to finally be able to accept trainees.

The process Japanese companies go through in order to accept
technical intern trainees is as follows:
1. Personally, go overseas to the sending organization to interview
and select candidates.
2. Prepare a technical intern training plan for each trainee and receive accreditation.
3. Once the technical intern training plans are accredited, apply for
Certificates of Eligibility for the Status of Residence.
4. Once the Certificates of Eligibility for the Status of Residence are acquired,
apply for visas.
5. Once the visas are acquired, the trainees can come to Japan.
6. After entering Japan, the trainees undergo a month of statutory lectures.

After all that, they can finally begin their technical training.

In order to use the Technical Intern Training Program, it’s necessary to
be very well-organized from the planning stage onward.
There is a range of restrictions in place for both companies and workers,
so this program won’t easily solve Japan’s labor shortage.

Foreign trainees who come as technical interns often can’t speak Japanese,
but I think the way they tackle their work diligently and earnestly can teach
today’s Japanese people a lot.

In the future, I hope that a system for longer-term residency will be made
available to the and corrugated paper and packaging industry as well.
When that day comes, I will announce it in the ISOWA NEWS LETTER!

Thank you very much.
—————————————————————
Jibun-gatari by three mid-career members
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
—————————————————————
Although Obon holidays in Japan had finished, there was still pre-shipment
inspection for overseas customers.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/09/jibun-gatari-by-three-mid-career-members.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol. 137: ISOWA America Relocation 2/2

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/09 Vol. 137
———————————————–

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.

─┬──────────────────────────────────
1├  ISOWA America Relocation　2/2
2├  Customer’s Words That Made Us Delighted
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴──────────────────────────────────
Hello everyone,

My name is Vanessa Nunez. I joined the Isowa team back in August of 2018
and am currently working in the accounting department at the Phoenix office.
I was born and raised in Phoenix and am of Hispanic descent. My parents are both
from Chihuahua, Mexico. In this segment, I would like to share with you some
of my Mexican culture, our traditions, and our celebrations.

There are a number of traditional holidays and celebrations that are unique to Mexico,
such as Dia de los Muertos or Day of the dead, which is celebrated November 2nd.
Altars are built in honor of the departed and adorned with flowers as well as
the departed’s favorite foods. The appearance of the Virgin Mary to an Indian man
named Juan Diego is celebrated on December 12th. Dances of different kinds are
performed to honor her. This celebration is followed by Las Posadas. Posadas
is a nine-day celebration in which people re-enact Mary & Joseph’s Journey
to Bethlehem to search for a place to stay. Friends and family will go from door
to door carrying candles & singing, asking for a place to stay until the owners open
the door. When the door is opened, everyone gets together to enjoy food, such as
tamales and Champurrado, as well as treats for the kids. Another big celebration is
a young ladies’ 15th birthday. Also known as a Quinceañera. During this event,
the girl’s father will change her shoes from flats to high heels as a symbolism
of the Quinceañeras transformation from a girl to a young lady. The event
consists of lively music such as Mariachi. Common Mexican food such as rice,
beans, salsa, and tortillas are served with the main entrée.

Our cultural values include family and respect. Family comes first.
We are taught to treat our parents with a high degree of respect.
When we have visitors, they are meant to be made feel comfortable.
Children are taught the importance of honor, good manners, and respect
for our elders. We are generally very close with our extended relatives and
invite everyone to family functions such as birthdays. We try to always be
there for one another during both happy and difficult times.

I could go on longer and tell you about our myths and legends, such as La Llorona.
Tell you about our Mexican arts, which involve pottery, bright-colored garments,
mosaics, and tiles. Even talk to you about our indigenous people. However,
I think I will save that for another segment.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 137 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.
—————————————————————
ISOWA America Relocation　2/2
—————————————————————
Hello, everyone! Continuing with the previous issue, this is Ron Miller,
President of ISOWA AMERICA.
This is the second issue of “ISOWA America Relocation.” As most great
efforts are a result of a team effort and carry with it the shared dreams
of the future, so too is this effort for the relocation. In this issue, I would
like to share with you what some of our team members had to say about
the move and the future from their perspective.

Mr. Hagopian from our Phoenix Operations Team In preparing for
our physical move, there were many things that needed to be reviewed
and prepared for, which required months of planning and effort.
We decided to do the physical move ourselves, and I must begin
by giving credit to a great team who made it happen safely
and at the same time, allowing us to continue to operate without interruption.
All members contributed and took on additional responsibilities for the move.
We had two working groups. One team was responsible for the design
of the new office as well as coordinating the transfer of the many
services we need to operate with. The other team was responsible
for coordinating the physical move of over $3 million in inventory,
dismantling, laying out, and re-installing all the racking and
moving the office furniture.
During the entire process, there were many additional details
that came up with the remodeling of our new building. From deciding
the location of a new water fountain and light fixtures to the type of
warehouse floor sealer. It was a lot of work, but one I will always
remember with fondness as the result was proof of a great team effort.

Ms. Smith from our Administration Team
Greetings! My name is Akemi Smith, and coordinating our safety program
is one of my responsibilities at Isowa America. Everyone’s safety is essential
to us, and our management put a lot of effort into planning and
preparing our new Phoenix facility with “safety-first” in mind.
Our new facility is equipped with many improved safety features
and space needed to support our growing operation.
Isowa America’s new facility includes the following:
• State-of-the-art security system with real-time video monitoring
and electronic key card access on all entrances.
• Motion-activated LED lights throughout the facility, which is also very eco-friendly.
• ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliance measures throughout the facility.
• Ergonomically safer work stations with electric height-adjustable desks,
desktop monitor arms, and comfortable ergonomic chairs.
• A spacious warehouse with extra-wide aisles where our staff can
operate safely, especially with the larger corrugator and FFG parts.
• Additional egress routes and emergency services access pre-coordinated
with local fire officials.
There are more that I can add to the list, but maybe you will be able to
see with your own eyes when you have an opportunity to visit our
new facility in the future.

Mr. Fazzolari & Mr. Lourenco from our South America Team
Hello, this is Andre Fazzolari and Paulo Furlan Lourenco from Brazil.
The South America territory was incorporated into ISOWA America
16 years ago. Since then, ISOWA America has been able to more
closely support existing customers with service and parts and also
expand the continent with new machine sales. Our team
understands that it is necessary to be local to succeed in South America,
and this means local support and fast shipped parts.
The ISOWA America people are now writing a new chapter in our history
to be able to keep our machines always running and acquiring new fans
to keep in the industry vanguard.
The new office will increase and smartly improve our parts stock to
ship parts even faster, and we can offer more complete demo trips
visiting machines running and ending the visit at our office for
questions and further presentations. We will also be able to provide
different training and support levels to managers, supervisors, and
operators remotely and at our new location.

Mr. Erbe & Mr. Sander from our Sales Team
For the second time in the past 10 years, Isowa America has
moved to another, larger facility – that’s great news for Isowa
and our current and future customers! We’ve been very fortunate
in these 10 years that our new machine sales, service, and parts
activity levels have increased year after year, necessitating this
latest move completed in March. Our growth and position in
the corrugated market demanded this move, and we’re now enjoying
a newly renovated facility three times the size of our last location!
We’re now in a great location west of downtown Phoenix and only
15 minutes from Phoenix International Airport. The new building
is close to good accommodations and a variety of good restaurants,
as well as some fun activities and the good golf for which Phoenix is known.
Most importantly, we have a huge space to accommodate further
increases in parts inventory; there is room now for comfortable
and professional workspaces for current and future team members,
and a dedicated Customer Support Center where our Service and
Parts personnel are able to collaborate in the same work area.
And finally, we now have a large and suitable location where we can
host full company meetings, executive and sales meetings, and full-
fledged training sessions for larger customer groups. We very much
look forward to seeing our customers and friends in Phoenix and
showing off the new Isowa America!

Mr. Meline & Mr. Imura from our Service Team
The service team is excited about the new office as the training
opportunities and possibilities are greater here now than we have
ever had before. In recent history we have improved our training
on site at the customer’s location, both in the classroom and on the machine.
We have always had a need for the ability to train a group here in the states
rather than have them go all the way to Japan, even though the people
that went to Japan enjoyed it very much. The new training room
and work area are the biggest features. The warehouse bay that has
been set aside to house a machine for us to use as a training and
work tool for Isowa personnel and customers is awesome.
We moved during the Covid19 Pandemic so we have not fully utilized
the new facilities yet. We look forward to using and improving
the new office as we can and in the end improving our ability to
teach or train our customers either in person or remotely.
Technology keeps improving, and these new facilities will help us
to keep up and provide better support now and into the future.

Ms. Serafin from our Administration Team
With advancements in technology and the growing number of threats
to IT security, the importance of protecting company networks and
data has become a critical part to a thriving business.
As we were planning the move to our new facility, we wanted to take
advantage and make some improvements to our network infrastructure,
including hardware, software, and device upgrades. We upgraded to
a more robust security gateway with a Two-Factor Authentication,
increased our wireless network capabilities with access points
throughout the facility, installed a cloud-based telephone system,
and increased our uninterruptible power supply (UPS) capacity.
We equipped every employee with laptops to allow remote working,
which fits nicely with the SAAS (cloud-based) ERP system we implemented
a few years ago. The final stage of our “move in” upgrades was
the installation of dedicated fiber optic internet service to improve
our remote connection capabilities, which will be especially helpful
to our engineers as they assist with customer troubleshooting.
Additional improvements to our network are expected over the next
two years to be implemented in phases.

Ms. Nunez & Ms. Benesch from our Administration team
Our new workstations are an L shaped desk, measuring six feet
on each side, with a radiused (rounded) inside corner instead of
a 90-degree corner. The rounded inside corner is much more comfortable
and enables the full use of the workspace area. The workstation
features an electronic height adjustable side with a 3-legged base
that gives us the option of having a stand-up desk. This option
allows us to use the correct ergonomic posture to reduce the strain
of repetitive motions and helps to increase blood circulation.
As a person with shoulder/neck problems, I personally like that I can
either sit or stand and train my shoulders to be in a relaxed position.
Not only are the workstations long enough to accommodate our paperwork,
they also include a small file cabinet to store paperwork and supplies
needed to accomplish our tasks. The desks are equipped with
dual articulating computer monitor arms so we can be more efficient
in our work, while also maintaining proper ergonomic posture at all times.
On top of the ergonomic benefits, the new workstations are beautiful!
The workspace is a speckled white and grey to accent the rest of
our décor, and we added tack boards against the wall of a lovely blue
to represent ISOWA’s signature color.

After “the move” was completed, we asked some of our team members
how they felt about the effort. Here are some of the responses from
Mr. Saucedo in our Parts Department, Ms. Nunez from our Administration
Department, Mr. Glow our Project Engineer, and Mr. Fukumoto our Electrical Engineer.

a. What do you remember the most about planning and moving to the new office?
Mr. S: Working together with our team and being able to
coordinate on what we needed for the new facility.
Ms. N: The thing I remember the most about planning and
moving to the new office was when we were having to choose colors,
flooring and furniture. I was worried that it would not match and that
the rest of the team would not like it.
Mr. G: I wasn’t part of the planning process as I was away on machine
installations. However, I remember the physical labor involved
in the actual move. Turns out parts can be heavy…
Mr. F: The move was a good opportunity for me to judge whether
old documents and tools needed to be thrown away or packed up.

b. What is your favorite thing about the new facility?
Mr. S: My favorite thing would be the warehouse we have.
We are able to organize our parts better and relabel everything
to be more presentable for everyone.
Ms. N: My new favorite thing about the new facility is our workstations.
However, I also enjoy all the space we have now. Every room is
bigger than what we had before.
Mr. G: I love the room to grow in the new building. The warehouse
is way larger, and the open office concept will lead to more communication
as well.
Mr. F: My favorite is there is a kitchen room for eating lunch,
and an electrical drawing room was extended. In the old office,
we ate lunch in the conference room.

c. Why was the move important to you or ISOWA America?
Mr. S: It reflects a sign of growth and expansion for our
company, and the new warehouse will allow us to more easily
complete our day to day work.
Ms. N: The move was important to our business because it will
allow us room for expansion and growth and the new workstations
will allow me to complete my work more comfortably.
Mr. G: I think it shows a forward-thinking mindset with an eye on growth,
and the open office concept will lead to more communication as well.
Mr. F: The Parts room in the old office had a shortage of space
for parts. The new office has extended space, and we can
stock more parts for emergency troubles. We can also use the training
room to help operators.

I am not sure these words can paint the full picture and feeling of
excitement the team has for our collective future. The new building
is both practical and symbolic at the same time. The steps that we continue
to take are intended to improve the NOW as well as motivate and
prepare ourselves for the FUTURE.

We appreciate both the new as well as the long-lasting relationships
we have with our trusted customers. We are confident that our progress
continues to improve our relationships and abilities, and this
new facility is another step in the 100-year story of ISOWA.
————————————————————————————
Customer’s Words That Made Us Delighted
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
————————————————————————————

Hope everyone reading this is doing well during the Covid-19 pandemic.
At ISOWA, some of the installations and repair works have been put on hold.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/08/customers-words-that-made-us-delighted.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol.136: ISOWA America Relocation 1/2

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/08 Vol. 136
———————————————–

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.

─┬──────────────────────────────────
1├  ISOWA America Relocation　1/2
2├  Remote Installation?!
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴──────────────────────────────────
Hi everyone,
I’m Tomonori Matsumura from the Overseas Service Department.
When it comes to Japanese summer events, fireworks displays
spring to my mind.　There are nationally-famous fireworks events,
and even regional cities have big displays.
In recent years, fireworks can be seen more and more at Christmas,
New Years, and other times of the year, but summer will always be
synonymous with fireworks in Japan for me.

However, due to COVID-19, a decision was quickly made to
cancel the fireworks displays around the country this year.
Since most of such events are held on riverbanks and other open areas,
and a lot of people gather to watch the firework shows,
it’s hard to control people’s movement.
Of the 3Cs (closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings),
it’s particularly difficult to limit crowded places and close-contact environments.
Many people use trains and buses to reach the location of the fireworks,
and those are also closed spaces.
The likely reason for the cancellations is because all of the 3Cs
can be found at fireworks displays.

Another big summer event is the Japanese High School Baseball Championship.
The top high school teams from each prefecture play baseball games
at the historic Hanshin Koshien Stadium for the title of best in Japan.
This year, because of COVID-19, not even qualifying games could be held,
and regional champion representatives from each prefecture could not
be determined, so the tournament had to be canceled.

High schools in Japan is a three-year program (age 16-18).
For the third-year student-athletes, this tournament is often
the final tournament of their high school life. It’s a shame
to think that those student-athletes could not show this culmination
of three years of hard work.
Some players at the tournament get noticed by pro league team scouts
and become professional athletes after they graduate from high school.
The cancellation of the event means the students have also lost
this opportunity to showcase their skills.
It’s heartbreaking to think of the frustration those students must be
feeling now.

We can only hope that a vaccine is developed and deployed so
that COVID-19 can be completely eradicated.
I hope I can enjoy summer fireworks and the High School Baseball Championship
next year.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 135 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.
——————————————————————-
ISOWA America Relocation　1/2
——————————————————————-
Hello, this is Ron Miller from ISOWA America.

We wanted to take a moment and share some exciting news about
the future of ISOWA. As many of you know, ISOWA started selling
printing machines in the United States in the 1960’s and has had
a physical presence in the states since the mid 1980’s.
In 2001 that physical presence was further solidified
with the creation of ISOWA America. Now we find ourselves in 2020
and are excited to share the news that we have purchased and completed
our move to a new and larger facility in Phoenix, Arizona.

Actually, this is the second time in the past 10 years that Isowa America
has moved to another, larger facility – that’s great news for Isowa
and our current and future customers! We’ve been very fortunate
in these 10 years that our new machine sales, service,
and parts activity levels have increased year after year, necessitating
this latest move completed in March. Our growth and position
in the corrugated market necessitated this move, and we’re now
enjoying a newly renovated facility three times the size of our last location!

We’re now in a great location west of downtown Phoenix and
only 15 minutes from Phoenix International Airport.
The new building is close to good accommodations and a variety of
good restaurants, as well as some fun activities and the good golf for
which Phoenix is known.

The decision to purchase and move to this new location was
a bit of a journey which really gained traction about 2 years ago
when we stopped and had a serious in-depth discussion about what
we really needed to do to improve our service levels in our market.
The answer was clear: we had to improve our lead time on parts.

The internal discussions from that point were difficult at times.
We had to look past the daily personal efforts of the team members
and look at the reality of the situation. The data proved we had a problem.
It was not a people problem. It was a focus problem.
That awakening led us to analyze everything related to our parts delivery effort,
and we began implementing several internal process improvements.

We also evaluated in great detail (and with many sleepless nights)
the pros and cons of setting up another location in which we could
manufacture parts locally in the US and/or serve as a second parts
and service support depot. It is difficult to convey all the variables
and contingencies we considered in this brief letter.
Although we were making incremental process improvements,
we were not seeing the significant improvement in delivery lead times
that we wanted to achieve. We needed more stock and more space.

After a lot of debate, we decided that one appropriately sized location
that could truly serve as our home base of operations was more beneficial
overall than multiple fragmented sites. Once the decision was made,
it was clear it was the absolute next best step for ISOWA to take in
support of our North and South American markets.
Then, it was off to the races for locating and planning a new location,
and I must say I have a great deal of respect for our customers
who set up new operations. It is a lot of time and effort.
In the end, we feel that not only did we address the need for increased
warehouse capacity, we also looked ahead and made sure we allotted
for future growth in staffing as well as provided for much needed
training facilities.
The new training facilities we have planned are a source of much
anticipate excitement which I hope we can share more news
about in the coming months. They will also be key to the advancement
of ISOWA’s commitment to the North & South American markets
and the future development of our team members. The two go hand in hand,
and it is my hope and expectation that this move will be a catalyst
for many great things to come in the future.

As most great efforts are a result of a team effort and carry with it
the shared dreams of the future, so too is this effort.
Therefore, I’d like to share what some of our team members had to say
about the move and the future from their perspective in the next volume.

————————————————————————–
Remote Installation?!
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
————————————————————————–
Hope everyone reading this is doing well during the Covid-19 pandemic.
At ISOWA, some of the installations and repair works have been put on hold.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/07/remote-installation.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

 

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol. 135: ISOWA Logo renewal announcement

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/07 Vol. 135
———————————————–

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.

─┬──────────────────────────────────
1├　ISOWA Logo renewal announcement
2├　Retirement After Half a Century
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴──────────────────────────────────
Hello everyone,
My name is Paulo Furlan, and I have been working as a field service engineer
at Isowa America. I live in Brazil, but in the last 4 years, I have had
the opportunities to visit 15 states in the U.S. from east to west.
I also traveled to Japan and Chile.

International trips bring unique and unforgettable experiences for me.
It is rewarding to meet new cultures, people, and visit numerous locations.
Sharing experiences with people from other countries is important to get
to know new cultures, customs, and opinions on various subjects in our daily lives.

Some trips and experiences were remarkable- witnessing the snow
for the first time in Boston, visiting the legendary Harvard University,
the famous US Constitution naval museum, the beautiful Niagara Falls,
the remarkable Multnomah waterfall in Oregon, the historic Nagoya Castle in Japan,
flying over the Andes in Chile, etc.

Another important aspect is the human being’s ability to adapt to interacting
with other people and respecting their customs and culture.
International travel has brought me cultural enrichment and
several valuable lessons for my evolution as a citizen.
My wish is that this story continues to upcoming years.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 135 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.

——————————————————————-
ISOWA Logo renewal announcement
——————————————————————-
Thanks to your continuous and warm support, we are celebrating
our 100th year anniversary in 2020.
Please check ISOWA’s short introduction movie we prepared for
making you feel more familiar to us and for celebrating this memorable event
with you from the following URL!

http://www.isowa.com/

We are proud to announce the latest redesign of our company logo
as we celebrate the 100th anniversary.
The beginning was 100 years ago at the time of the founding of Minoda Iron Works.

At the time, the logo was a motif of a treasure ship.
It was a promising figure that brings treasures.

Ancestors of the ISOWA family were ship carpenters from Shima Peninsula
in Mie Prefecture, where the shipbuilding became prosperous due to the legend
that gods on a dugout canoe arrived at the shore.

The family name, Isowa/磯輪, is derived from “Ship=wheel/輪 of seashore/磯
or sea transport.” It might have been a destiny that the first president,
Genichi Isowa, encountered the opportunity of manufacturing
corrugator and finishing machines – his lifelong work, while the company
logo was a treasure ship at Minoda Iron Works.

After WWII, the company name was changed to ISOWA Industry in 1946.
The second generation of the company, Eichi Isowa, designed a logo,
a treasure ship with “IS mark” that resembled a dollar ($) sign on a sail.
He was under his medical treatments for tuberculosis when he designed this logo.
Later, it was developed to a logo with circled “IS mark” positioned next to “ISOWA,”
slightly taller than the current logo.

At the 70th anniversary, as the company name was changed to
ISOWA Corporation from ISOWA Industry, we redesigned the logo
to the current version. To express the robustness and stability of our machines,
the logo was slightly flattened by reducing the height, widened along the base,
and the traditional “IS mark” was removed.

At the 80th anniversary, we began our Corporate cultural revolutions.
Since the 90th anniversary, we have been working on
“Building a Strategic Narrative” project, and we are now approaching
the 100th anniversary. ISOWA logo is renewed to showcase the direction
of our future visually and clearly.

The metallic silver at the center shows our roots in the Iron industry
and our tradition and pride as a standing 100-year-old machine manufacturer
of corrugators and finishing equipment.

The blue at the bottom is what we call “ISOWA blue,” expressing
our corporate philosophy: “Creating a company with the best corporate culture
in the world that makes us and our families happy.”
The ISOWA blue gradation from the bottom shows how the ISOWA
organizational climate, which generally would be invisible from outside,
is gradually becoming visible as we are sharing the idea throughout the company.

The last color is red.
The philosophy alone may not be a new value or benefit to our customers.
But to deliver our philosophy as something tangible such as “i Machine”
or our “keeps you going, always on the go” service, it takes a great deal of energy.
This energy cannot come from external coercion. The passions and burning
desires in each “i,” ISOWA person, are the source of such energy.

The new addition of symbolic color, the red, used as an accent color
represents our ISOWA people’s souls.
The souls that declare to bring our masterpiece machines into “i-Machine,”
the services we provide to “NEXT” and “Premium,” new concept of service plan,
and to “Bring results from our corporate culture revolution
in the midst of day-to-day operations.”

At the 70th anniversary, the Japanese era was shifted to Heisei (平成), and
we changed our name to ISOWA Corporation on the wave of Corporate Identity boom.
As the era has been shifted to Reiwa (令和) and we celebrate our 100th anniversary
this year, we introduce our new corporate identity.

ISOWA is taking a new step forward to another 100 years with our brand-new logo!

ISOWA Corporation
President Hideyuki Isowa
———————————————————————-
Retirement After Half a Century
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
———————————————————————-
Mr.Y who has been working for ISOWA for more than 50 years just retired.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/05/let-your-people-take-care-of-your.html

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

 

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol. 134:Global ISOWA people – ISOWA Style: Tips for Learning English 2/2

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/06 Vol. 134
———————————————–

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.

─┬────────────────────────────────────
1├　Global ISOWA people
– ISOWA Style: Tips for Learning English 2/2
2├　Let your people take care of your business
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴────────────────────────────────────

Hi, this is Kyoji Nagai in the Overseas Service Department.
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I was working from home
four days a week from mid-April until the end of May. My commuting time
has been reduced to zero, so early every morning , I used that time to run for
an hour along the Kiso River cycling road near my home. Thanks to that,
I haven’t gained any weight.

COVID-19 began gradually spreading around the world in late January
and has caused an unbelievable collapse in medical systems. Lately, some areas seem
to have peaked and are on the road to recovery, which is cause for some relief,
but we mustn’t let our guards down yet.

In Japan, a (somewhat loose) State of Emergency was declared in mid-April.
Here at ISOWA, we adopted aggressive in-house measures under the slogan
“Not a single infected person at ISOWA.” As a result, we have been able to
continue providing parts and service support without causing much inconvenience
to our customers.

Therapeutic drugs and vaccines are still in the development stages,
and the future is uncertain. It’s hard to feel safe under these conditions,
but we hope that the whole world will band together to fight COVID-19 and
bring it under control as soon as possible.

STAY SAFE & HEALTHY!!

Right now, our contact with customers is limited to e-mail, phone,
and online services like Zoom. Still, everyone at ISOWA is looking forward
to seeing everyone in person again as soon as possible.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 134 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.

————————————————————————-
Global ISOWA people
– ISOWA Style: Tips for Learning English 2/2
————————————————————————-

Hello everyone, I’m Akari Tsurumoto from the Export Department.
Continuing from the last issue, we once again feature interviews
with ISOWA people who are studying English!

Personally, I am continuing my online English conversation lessons,
while also shopping online to buy my favorite manga comic books
in their editions translated into other languages. When I read them,
I like to see my favorite works from a new perspective, and I often find
myself thinking, “Wow, so that’s how you say it!” It really helps with
maintaining my motivation.

I hope you can get some ideas for your own language study from
these interviews with ISOWA people.
[Mr. I. from Customer Support/Sales Service Department]

ISOWA has overseas customers, and I felt that English skills would be
more necessary in the future. I heard about the online lessons just
when I was thinking I wanted to study English. At first, I was using
learning materials for practical English conversation. However,
for the past month or two, I have been using a sort of newspaper column
with various topics each day as learning materials.

My biggest motivation is the feeling that I want to be able to speak English.
I feel a certain joy when I am able to use the words and phrases
from my lessons in conversation, and I can tell my knowledge is growing.
I always take notes whenever I encounter a new word or phrase during
the lesson, so I want to start working on summing it all up in my very
own personal vocabulary book!

I think the key to continuing with the lessons is to make them
part of your daily life. In my case, I always do it at a specific time
every weekday, so it’s a part of my daily schedule. When I watch foreign films,
I prefer subtitles over dubbing. Lately, I find myself noticing
when the actual lines spoken are slightly different from the subtitles,
and that’s when I feel like I have made progress.
[Ms. H. from the Administration Department]

My impetus for starting the lessons was because I felt like the English
study I did as a student never really amounted to much, and I regretted that,
so I wanted to give it another try. I usually use learning materials
like newspaper columns that talk about current affairs and fads,
as well as practical learning materials that teach specific English
for business situations. For some time after I began my lessons,
I was put in charge of import-related work.

I’m motivated by my gratitude to the company for providing this sort
of opportunity and by the support of my family, who understand my wish
to be able to freely communicate with people from overseas.

The other day, a machining tool that was made by a foreign manufacturer
stopped running at our machining plant. Since I have been studying English,
I was asked to be the go-between for the foreign manufacturer.
We went back and forth on e-mail several times, and when I finally
heard that the machining device was up and running again,
I felt glad that I had kept up with my lessons. I was also happy to think
that I was able to repay the company for supporting my studies
even in a small way.
[Mr. S. from the Export Department]

I wanted to make speaking-English a regular habit, so I began
taking the online English conversation lessons. At first, I used learning
materials for business English conversation, but I felt like just
going through the textbook wasn’t a good way to learn practical English.
Lately, I have been enjoying talking about a variety of topics through
free conversation with my teacher.

I am in charge of handling customers from the Philippines in
the Export Department. By learning about the Philippines through my lessons,
it gives me some ideas what to talk about with people from the Philippines,
which is one of my motivations. Previously, I hadn’t felt much of
a connection with the Philippines, but my biggest motivation may be
to use English and enjoy conversations with Filipinos about our
respective countries and learning about differences in our cultures.

With a textbook, you have to take time to prepare for the lesson.
However, when people are busy and not able to prepare, they tend to think,
“I didn’t prepare, so I’ll just skip the lesson today.” In that case,
I recommend starting with free conversations. If you are interested
in something, like the Philippines for me, the 25 minutes will pass quickly.

My next goal is to take a solo trip to the Philippines and learn
even more about that country.

——————————————————————————————————-

What did you think of these interviews?

Even with different countries and languages, one thing that
connects people is communication, and in this case, that is done
through conversation.
I think that being able to speak English is not just about acquiring
a skill. It’s about understanding a person’s opinion who has a different
background from yourself and making your own thoughts understood.
I also think that it’s a good way to increase the amount of information
you take in and expand your perspective.

I hope that everyone will take this opportunity to get on board
with this trend of internationalization and begin studying English.
I’d love to hear from everyone with your questions and comments!

————————————————————————-
Let your people take care of your business
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
————————————————————————-
At the beginning of May, we have one of the biggest holidays in Japan.
Right before those holidays, our shop usually gets full of
machines to be shipped out.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/05/let-your-people-take-care-of-your.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol.133: Global ISOWA people – ISOWA Style: Tips for Learning English

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWS LETTER
2020/05 Vol. 133
———————————————–
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.

─┬───────────────────────────────────────────────
1├ Global ISOWA people – ISOWA Style: Tips for Learning English
2├ Essential Business Amid Pandemic
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴───────────────────────────────────────────────
Hello All,
My name is Patrick, and I am responsible for installing all of the US
and South American ISOWA machines.
Spring is finally here, and we can look forward to warmer weather
and outdoor activities. I love spending time in nature with my kids.
Every year we go camping. We head up north where the temperatures are very nice,
and the smell of pine trees is everywhere. We have a campfire,
go hiking, shooting, building forts, fishing, and enjoy nature together.
Arizona has very diverse environments. Phoenix in the summer is hot and dry,
but if you drive 2 hours north, you get to pine trees and cool weather.
There are parts that get rain almost every day. This is where a lot of people
in Arizona go to camp, including my family.
On occasion, we will see some of the biodiversity that Arizona has to offer.
We have seen elk, deer, bald eagles, and even a bear or two.
As my kids have gotten older, this has become a tradition that all of us
look forward to. We get to spend time in nature and together making memories
and s’mores over the campfire.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 133 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.

————————————————————————————————————-
Global ISOWA people – ISOWA Style: Tips for Learning English 1/2
————————————————————————————————————-
Hello everyone, I’m Akari Tsurumoto from the Export Department.

Last year, the Rugby World Cup was held in Japan and the whole country
got really excited. Although the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed,
visitors to Japan from overseas have been on the increase in recent years.

People don’t just come to Japan for sightseeing. More and more people are
coming to work here. I feel like English has become more and more important,
both as a way to communicate with people from around the world and
in terms of its convenience in business and for travel.

With this in mind, ISOWA, with its expansion into overseas markets,
began E-Tomo Project in 2009, in which the Export Department and
English proficient members of other departments became teachers
and taught English to other ISOWA people. Since 2017, ISOWA has been
supporting the English learning of ISOWA people by offering
a daily 25-minute lesson to employees who are interested.
They study with external teachers via an online English conversation lesson service.

For this issue, I interviewed several of the people participating in this English
conversation lesson to hear about their goals, tips on studying English,
and their overall impressions of the lessons. Here is part one of a two part series
featuring those interviews.

I hope this will be helpful for you who are thinking about studying English
and yet wondering if it might be hard to continue language learning
for an extended period.

——————————————————————————————————-
[Ms. T from Customer Support/Sales Service Department]

A few years ago, I had to take over some trading business work,
and I needed English in order to do that work. At that time,
my level of English was not enough to understand a lot of things,
and it took me a long time to complete tasks.
My feelings of frustration and irritation with myself motivated me to get better
at English, and that was the reason I started taking the online English
conversation lesson. Another of my reasons is a bit of a cliché,
but I like traveling overseas, and I wanted to enjoy my trips even more
by eliminating the language barrier.

Now thanks to a new junior employee in the Export Department who
can speak English, I no longer have to do the trading business work.
I face fewer situations where I have to use English.
Because of that, I don’t really have a clear work-related reason for the lessons,
but I keep studying English to be able to assist the junior employees at any time.

Also, I greatly admire people who can speak English, so I want to keep
doing it for my own sake. I think the best way to maintain a high rate
of participation in the lessons is to make it a part of your daily routine.
I motivate myself and work hard every day by telling myself,
“If you have time to play with your phone… If you have time to sit around…”

The other day, I saw a foreign couple at the station looking troubled,
and I was able to use English to explain which train they needed to
take to get to their destination. When I’m able to use it in real life like that,
it makes me feel like my daily efforts have really paid off. That experience
gave me the motivation to keep on studying.
【Ms. M from i Parts Group】

The two main reasons for me to take lessons were overseas travel and
the inconvenience of handling phone calls from overseas customers.
Even if I can manage the flight over, when I can’t understand English
at places like airport immigration and the front desk at the hotel, that feeling
of being left out makes me sad. When the hotel clerk is friendly it makes
me even more disappointed that I can’t talk to him or her directly.
Those feelings were a big impetus for me to start studying.

I am able to maintain my motivation while using learning materials
for daily English conversation, and imagining my future self happily speaking English,
but! I know that reality isn’t so simple. I don’t make as much progress
as I feel I should, and I sometimes find myself sighing in frustration,
but I know that if I quit now it will have all been for nothing, so I keep progressing,
little by little.

Honestly, one day I hope to be able to have witty banter in English.
Since that’s a difficult goal, right now I’m working on my current goal of
being able to ask my teacher a lot of questions. I’m always so busy
just trying to follow the lesson and I’m not able to think of anything to ask.
I’d like to get to the point where I can ask my teacher questions in the same way
I am able to show interest in the person I am talking to when I speak Japanese.

I know that I am the type to give up on new hobbies after just a few days,
so I try to study every day, and remember why I wanted to start studying English
in the first place. However, lately I have been skipping some of my lessons.
I used to make time for my lesson even if I felt unwell or had other things to do,
but I have decided that maybe it’s easier to keep it up if I don’t push myself too hard.

When I am able to communicate with my teacher, or when I’m able to catch
a phrase while watching my favorite foreign TV show, I feel like my slow-but-steady efforts
at studying have paid off little by little.
Steady progress is essential to language learning, but it can also be
very difficult to maintain. In the next issue, I’ll speak to three new interviewees
about their impressions and learning tips. Don’t miss it!

————————————————————————–
Essential Business Amid Pandemic
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
————————————————————————–
Hope everyone reading this is doing fine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These days, we hear a lot about essential businesses/non-essential businesses.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/04/essential-business-amid-pandemic.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————

Vol. 132: A half-century living and working with ISOWA!

———————————————–
ISOWA NEWSLETTER
2020/04 Vol. 132
———————————————–
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.
─┬────────────────────────────────────────────────
1├　A half-century living and working with ISOWA!
Candid interviews with employees with 50 years of continued service
– What is the ISOWA Service Award?
2├　New Machine Being Installed!
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
─┴────────────────────────────────────────────────
This is Hirofumi Ogura of the Export Department.

With the Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Tokyo this year, preparations
were continuing at pace. Unfortunately, Japanese officials announced that we have to
postpone it to 2021 due to the current serious situation by Coronavirus (COVID-19)
all over the world.

Given that the games was originally planned to be held in later July/early August,
very hot season in Japan (Tokyo), it was expected that the climate was going to
be a challenge to athletes and spectators.In fact, peak temperatures in Tokyo
last year in August recorded over 35 degrees for ten days in a row.

In order to deal with this problem, the Japanese Olympic Committee initially
considered a range of unique countermeasures, such as wet towels to
wrap around one’s neck, sprinkling the sidewalks with water, wearing umbrella hats ,
spraying fine mist and artificial snow, and laying heat insulated pavements.
However, none of this brought a real breakthrough.

More recently, newly proposed measures call for ice and chilled bathing facilities
for athletes, with freezers and freezer trucks to be deployed to supply the ice.
In addition, ice cream, salt supplement tablets, and sweat sheets will be distributed
to volunteers and support staff, and locations with sun-shading tents and drinking
water fountains for spectators are to be increased.
Even so, in the opinion of the Olympic Committee, the preparations are not perfect yet.

I think some of you readers will come to Tokyo to watch the Olympic Games.
When you come, please don’t forget to take protective measures against the heat
to avoid suffering a heat stroke while you focus too much on the games.
I hope you will have a good time enjoying the Tokyo Olympics in next year!

We hope that Coronavirus (COVID-19) will be stamped out as soon as possible
and could hold the Olympic Games as per postponed scheduled.

And now, let’s turn to Vol. 132 of the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
We hope you like this edition.
———————————————————————————————————–
A half-century living and working with ISOWA!
Candid interviews with employees with 50 years of continued service
– What is the ISOWA Service Award?
————————————————————————————————————
Hello everyone.
This is Nagisa Inui from the Customer Support/Service Department.

This question may be a little out of the blue, if someone were to mention 1970,
50 years ago, what would you imagine?

I hadn’t been born back then, so I did some quick research on those days.
Some major events were
• The Apollo 13 was launched (the lunar landing failed)
• Japan’s first Kentucky Fried Chicken store in Nagoya was opened
• Japan’s first pedestrian-only areas in Ginza, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Asakusa were implemented
• The Beatles broke up
• The “Tomica” line of toy cars was first released
Among these and other events, I think the biggest one was
• The Japan World Exposition (Expo’70) held in Osaka.
The Expo attracted an astounding 64.21 million visitors.
Even now, the Expo is often cited when people look back on
Japan’s period of rapid economic growth.

In 1970, our company name was Isowa Industry Co., Ltd., and
the main model was the PS2: Printer Slotter.
After the PS2: Printer Slotter was released in 1964, 115 sets were shipped
in the three years around 1970. Later, 460 sets of the PS2: Printer Slotter
were shipped as well as 88 sets each of sister models PS3 and PS4 .
This is how ISOWA has since become known as
“ISOWA -Specialists for Printer Slotters.”

Back then was also the time when the flexo printers PS5B and PS6B
were developed.
Over the course of about ten years, 480 flexo folder gluers were shipped,
mainly to Europe, after forming a technical alliance with folder gluer
manufacturer UNIVERSAL in Switzerland .

I have asked four senior employees who joined the company in 1970,
and who this year look back on 50 years of service, about the secret
to continuing to work for 50 years in good health.
Mr. A (Service Department )

I think I have been able to keep working for 50 years thanks to a good boss,
colleagues, and the good relationships I’ve built at the workplace.
When I joined the company, I had a strong impression of a local ironworks
consisting of just one plant. Back then, many senior employees were
of the craftsman type, including some who often scolded me when I was
a new employee and sometimes got angry and threw tools at me.
I have always made efforts to look at my work as something to figure out
myself instead of relying on being taught by others.

I have been mostly in the Assembly and Service Department,
with some experiences at branch offices. Back then, remembering
which roads to take was a challenge because obviously, car navigation
didn’t exist. I still recall that even going to service sites felt irksome back then.

I recall that in the old days servicing appeared to be organized
in a way that a fair number of us went together to complete the work
and come back early. Customers seemed to be relatively relaxed.
When we encountered an unexpected problem during a repair job, although
it was hard work, we had fun sharing ideas and solving the problem together.

I hope that more ISOWA people, irrespective of their departments,
will continue to proactively act in the awareness of
“ISOWA keeps you going – always on the go!”

Mr. I (Assembly Department)

Blessed with good health, I have been able to work for 50 years.
The secret to good health is to separate work and private life, exercise often,
and work and play with one’s whole heart.

Since joining the company, I have worked mainly in
the Assembly and Service Department. Back then, our core production
was mostly Printer Slotters, and corrugators were mostly low-speed machines,
all relatively compact. Compared with today, the assembly area seemed
wider, but I think the extra space we had was cluttered with parts shelves.
Today, flexo folder gluers have become mainstream, and corrugators have
become faster and wider, and the machinery is larger.
Considering the effective use of the assembly plant and how to position
and distribute shelves and parts, we are striving to achieve a plant as a showroom.

In the old days, when installing a printing machine, there were
many problems with sheet misalignment and sheet discharge,
and even modification brought no improvement. There were times
when I was severely scolded by the customer’s department manager.
Today I still haven’t forgotten what it was like back then.

I think that today the barriers around each department of ISOWA
have become lower compared with when I joined the company.
I would like ISOWA to continue growing to become an even more comfortable
company to work for, where people talk to each other and discuss
and consider each other’s point of view.
Mr. U (Overseas Service Department )

After joining the company, I have worked mainly in
the Assembly and Service Department and was involved in the installation
of a whole line of the corrugator. I have installed about 20 lines so far,
which I think is the highest at ISOWA.

When I joined ISOWA, parking lots were not maintained, and
vehicles were parked on the unpaved ground around the plant
and on vacant lots. When it started raining, it was a real mess.
Since the working hours were from 8 am to 4 pm, it was easy to
enjoy recreational events on weekdays too.

My most challenging incident in installing a corrugator line came
when we were installing Double-Deck Corrugator CWDD. We had a hard time
figuring out the correct placement for avoiding misalignment and
single-faced web meandering at the inversion section on the second floor.

Also, an incident I had when I was working overseas was that
when I worked in China to install a corrugator, I got on the wrong bus
and was about to end up being a missing person. It was a palpable
experience that taught me the great importance of communication.

The reasons why I have been able to keep working for 50 years are
the good health gifted me by my ancestors, my wife’s cooking,
and the company’s wholesome management.

My wish for future ISOWA people is to practice awareness of the “why”
regarding their work and to have a rich imagination. I would also like you
to train your hippocampus and master a field of specialization,
just one is enough, in which you beat everyone else.
Mr. M (Purchasing Department )

After joining the company, I spent some time in
the Machining and Assembly Department, and since then,
I have been in the Purchasing Department for around 40 years.
In the old days, when cargo needed to be moved, we had very long
waiting times because there was only one cargo lift. And the slip entries
were handwritten back then, while today we are using a PC for processing.

As to work-related incidents, when a staff shortage at a foundry
caused a delivery delay, we went to the foundry ourselves from 9 am to 5 pm.
We did the centering work for the cast, the sanding and shot blasting
to remove the burr from the cast material after casting,
and the weighing and cargo collection by truck. I will never forget this.

I think I have been able to work for 50 years thanks to the support
from my bosses, both senior and junior, my colleagues, and the employees
from other departments. I have been able to enjoy many recreational
events such as barbecuing at Lake Biwa, cherry blossom viewing a
t Mt. Komaki, watching sumo wrestling, and cherry blossom viewing
at Meijo Park, helping me build good relationships with everyone.

I hope that ISOWA people will continue to communicate and assert
themselves yet more than before as ONE TEAM ISOWA.
What did you think of these interviews?
When a half-century goes by, surely there are various stories
to be told. I think that compared with today, the way we worked,
and the tools we used are completely different.

Long-serving employees are awarded commendations at the morning meeting
with all employees in attendance. This time, long-serving employees
were presented with a crystal shield, a gift of commendations slightly different
from the usual paper certificates. The engraved text is a message in the style
of ISOWA, which touches upon a work-related anecdote
and the personality of the awardee.
We would like to make ISOWA a company which senior members
can respect and which each year turns out employees
with a 50-year history of service.

All employees together will continue to strive across generations
aiming for ISOWA to be a company loved by customers.
———————————————————————
New Machine Being Installed!
From President Isowa’s Blog, ISOWA DIARY
———————————————————————
When I put a picture of a machine here, it’s normally our machine. But not this time.

▼To read more about it, visit the below website
(President Isowa’s blog, ISOWA DIARY)
http://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2020/03/new-machine-being-installed.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We thank you for reading through the ISOWA NEWS LETTER.
How did you like our press letter?
If you have an interest in a particular subject,
please kindly inform us. We are willing to bring your subject to the press.

——————Copyright(C) 2009-2020 ISOWA Corporation——————