Message I consider at all times what I can do to manufacture products with higher quality.

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  engineering Sotaro Harada

  Why did you want this job?

  Manufacturing is cool. Also, partly due to my father and uncle, who influenced me significantly. I wanted to make things like my father and uncle and to make the most of what I’d learned. I was amazed when they gave me an opportunity to learn about the world of head plates—a world of superb craftsmanship.
  Seeing a thick iron sheet being folded like paper was astounding. I decided “This is it!”

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  Details of current work

  My jobs include new product development, developing effective know-how, and managing and restructuring production systems and equipment. I’m always questioning what I could do to enhance quality and deliver what customers really need.

  At what moments do you feel your efforts are especially valuable?

  When an idea, method, or structure I thought up is finished and enters practical use. I’ve come close to giving up many times before getting to that point. I don’t, though. When success finally comes, I see the dark clouds clear instantly. That feeling and the words “Well done!” and “Thank you!” and the smiles on the faces of those around me never get old. What I dream up goes out into the world. That indescribable sense of accomplishment is one of the major rewards of making things.

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  A moment when you realize you’ve grown

  I feel I’m growing every day. When I first joined the company, I had no idea what to do. I remember being confused and trying to figure out what I should be doing. One day, my boss asked if I was interested in work overseas. I was afraid. “Is it OK for a newcomer like me, who knows nothing, to try to do this job?” But my boss believed in me and assigned me this responsibility. I thought: “I just have to do this.” I put everything I had into it. I probably grew faster and learned more during that time than at any other. I’m still proud of that achievement. I’m currently assigned to global operations, perhaps due to that earlier experience, though I can’t be certain.

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  Nippon Kyohan Kogyo’s strengths

  While various new machining methods are developed daily, we’ve been focusing on cold working technologies for over half a century. We’ve achieved products and developments possible only with this focused, painstaking experience.

  Message to applicants

  When you’re stuck, take the plunge into a new world. That paves the way forward. Come work with us to create and innovate in the new world of manufacturing!