"Shrine visit” for GOD PARENTS

 

Yoshiko was s classmate of mine at the Affiliated Upper Secondary School of Nagoya University. However, I don’t have any clear memories of her from that time.

At a class reunion after we graduated, I learned that she was working as a translator, and we wondered if I might ask for her help someday.

The first time I did was when I asked her to help revise the ISOWA Diary, which Hitomi and Hikaru had translated.

That was in 2010, when we were working on the phrase:

“ISOWA keeps you going – always on the go.”

My first draft, by the way, was:

“We, ISOWA never stop you. Nor do we stop ourselves.”

I struggled with the wording for some time and eventually asked her for advice. Then John joined the discussion. John was a journalist and a former reporter for The Japan Times.

After exchanging ideas with the two of them, we finally settled on:

“ISOWA keeps you going – always on the go.”

 

More recently, I asked for their help again, this time in naming a new machine.

This kind of collaborative work is truly enjoyable. Not only in this case, but in general, the process of repeatedly exchanging ideas and refining concepts is extremely fun.

That’s how we came up with an absolutely brilliant name. I’ll share the details once the machine is complete.

Welcome, everyone, from all over the world!

Many customers from overseas visited ISOWA this past week, so let me do the honors to introduce them to you.

 

First, is Company C from the United States.

Everyone from their family came to visit the company to see the Flexo Gluer machine “IBIS” before we ship it.

 

This machine “IBIS” marks our first transaction with them; however, even before shipment, they placed an additional order for another machine, the “Falcon.”

 

They said that the reason for this was "not only ISOWA's quality, but also the high reputation of ISOWA's after-sales service among our American competitors."

 

I was very pleased with this answer, as I believe it was one of the results of ISOWA's strategy of "contributing to reducing opportunity loss in the corrugated board factories."

ISOWA members shared their own stories in English during the “Discover ISOWA” tour.

Whenever they shared their own stories, the customers extend their hands for a handshake, and by that I felt that our message had truly reached them.

 

What surprised me the most was the company introduction given by Ms.D, who joined ISOWA two months ago.

As soon as the introduction was over, the customers cheered, and I was amazed at how she was able to understand ISOWA and give such a brilliant introduction in just two months.

We will continue to do our best to maintain a good relationship with Company C across generations.

 

The second company is Company H from the United Arab Emirates.

This was also our first transaction with Company H, who ordered two machines at once.

 

 

They visited ISOWA for the first time to see the first machine before we ship it.

 

In Japan, corrugated printers are typically three- or four-color printers; however, they ordered a high-end six-color printer.

 

This time, we tested only four-color printing, and the customers were satisfied with the results.

 

During their visit to Japan, Mr. O from the Overseas Sales Department accompanied them throughout their visit.

He made a multiple solo-visits to the Dubai-based company with which he has no prior business transactions, and was able to successfully secure an order for two machines at once.

 

They said, "Mr. O is a great salesman. He makes proposals that anticipate our needs. We trusted him and decided to do business with ISOWA."

 

They added, "By actually coming to Japan and visiting ISOWA, our trust in them has deepened even further."

 

To the ISOWA members who attended to the customers, who shared their own stories, who did perfect test runs, and who welcomed them, thank you all for this week!

Jubun-gatari (self-introduction) expressing gratitude to my parents

 

This year, we were able to successfully hold the parent-meeting of our new employees once again.

We have a total of ten new employees this term which includes five people from the Philippines.

Among them, four families attended the event. Ideally, we would have liked to invite the families in the Philippines as well, but we hope to make that possible someday.

 

First, I greeted the families.

  

“ISOWA had only one person leave the company this year, aside from those who retired at the mandatory retirement age. This is one of the results of the organizational culture reform that we have been working on for more than twenty years. We are hoping that your children will help us further cultivate and strengthen this culture.”

After that, Hikaru gave an explanation about the company, and he also said, “There’s still a lot we need to work on to further improve our culture, so let’s keep doing our best together.” 

 

From here, the new employees began sharing their own stories. First was N from e-Technical Service Section.

 

When he told his parents, “I’ve been assigned to a business trip to Aomori,” his father reacted in surprise, saying, “I’ve never even been to Aomori myself!”

Next was T from e-Technical Service Section as well.

 

His father said to me, “I’m proud of my son.”

His mother looked as if she was holding back a few tears.

 

Next, Mr. O from Administration Section.

He told his mother, “I’m enjoying it even more than I expected, so please don’t worry too much.”

In the factory, Mr. I from the Assembly Section said,

“I know I’ve caused you a lot of worry until now,” and he vowed to repay his parents for all they’ve done.

 

And today, Ms. O from the Support Section, whose parents were unable to attend,

together with Mr. I from the Processing Section, introduced the six-color printing machine “Falcon” and demonstrated its operation.

 

After returning to the office, everyone enjoyed some casual conversation.

 

Then, the new employees guided their parents freely around the company, showing them their workplaces and other areas.

The messages from the new employees to their parents were truly wonderful.
I believe their parents were also able to get a sense of ISOWA’s atmosphere.
We hope you will continue to support both your children and ISOWA.
Thank you very much.

 

A little bit bitter?

 

Erik from ISOWA America (IA) visited ISOWA Japan during his visit to his wife Fumi-san’s hometown.

 

He loves Japan and learned the Japanese language and translation studies at university. After he graduated, he came to Japan and taught English as an ALT at a junior high school in Kobe. He and Fumi-san came to know each other at that time. They got married and returned to the U.S.

 

He joined IA because his hometown is near Phoenix, where IA is located, and he likes IA’s Japanese-style corporate culture.

 

He respects Donald Keene, who tried to be a cultural bridge between America and Japan. He also reads Haruki Murakami’s books. He is a true Japanophile, more knowledgeable than the average Japanese person.

 

Beer and Yakitori (Japanese grilled chicken skewers). Super Cool!

 

 

He gave me a surprising souvenir.

Cigar. Was it really for me? (I am not a smoker.)

 

Actually, it was not a cigar but a chocolate!

 

A little bit bitter like a real one?

 

No, no, it was sweet!

Now I can enjoy it without worry!

 

Erik, enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan. When you go back, let’s keep “making folks happy in the corrugated world” on the Asian side and the American side of the Pacific Ocean. :)

Welcome aboard, five new fresh members from the Philippines

 

Four new ISOWA-bito members have come to Japan from the Philippines. “Four?” you say. “But there are five of them!” That’s right — it’s go-mei-san! (a pun in Japanese, meaning “five people” and also “thank you for counting!”) (ha-ha)

Of the four who came to Japan, three are engineers in mechanical and electrical fields — B, C, and Y — selected from among 15 candidates through Zuitt’s program.

https://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2025/03/good-luck.html

 After we decided to hire them, C said, “My boyfriend, T has been already working in Japan. He graduated from the same university and is also an engineer. Could you possibly hire him too?”　So, just as we did with the other three, we gave him an interview and a test. The whole team agreed: “He passes!” And so, T officially joined ISOWA — making them a couple working together.　So he was able to help welcome the new arrivals including his girlfriend at the airport. That makes four.

And the other one who came from the Philippines is D. I’ve been connected with her for almost two years, and I thought, “She would be a perfect fit for ISOWA!” So I scouted her.

At our company-wide morning assembly, we gave a warm welcome to them.

They all introduced themselves in Japanese, and they did such a great job! I was really impressed — you can tell they’ve been studying hard. To show our welcome in a small way, we handed out appointment letters in English for the first time. That, too, turned out to be a great experience.

Along with these five, we now have six members from the Philippines, including N, who joined us three years earlier. 

https://h-isowa.blogspot.com/2022/11/two-overseas-exchanges.html

I’m sure they’ll bring fresh energy and give ISOWA’s culture a good shake in the best way. Go for it, everyone — we’re all cheering you on!

"Let’s build the best company in the world for us to work for — a place where each of us can work for the happiness of ourselves and our loved ones."  (Being polished)

 

Customer Visits at ISOWA

 

Customers visit our company to see the machines before they ship. 

When customers visit, ISOWA members will share their own stories during the Discover ISOWA tour.

  

On Friday, many employees shared their stories.

Mr. O is a new employee, and although he is a liberal arts graduate, he aspires to be an engineer and has been assigned to the technical department.

During the Obon holiday, he will be going out to install the machinery he has been working on. I’m truly amazed by his rapid growth.

 

Mr. H, a veteran in assembly who built the same machine that he will also assist in its installation, shared his story backed by experience and technical skill. It was outstanding and truly inspiring.

 

Mr. Y from the Osaka Sales Department introduces ISOWA's company and philosophy to customers. He spoke confidently in front of a large group of customers.

 

 

This Spring, Mr. H transferred from assembly to service as he had hoped. Though young, he is truly dependable, and his story conveyed his determination.

 

Mr. M, a manufacturing technician, is working on creating assembly manuals and converting them into 3D models so that even less experienced assembly members can assemble machines properly.  One customer even said, “We want that at our company, too.”

 

From the machining department, Mr. I shared his renewed commitment to deliver “timing” in assembly and “speed” in service. I’m looking forward to the changes in the machining department from here on.

 

Mr. E showed everyone around the factory, explaining the layout of the processing machines with an emphasis on the flow of materials. I learned a lot from it.  Sorry, there’s no photo, Mr. E.

Mr. N from the assembly department explained the functional improvements made to the Ibis printing machine in recent years and demonstrated a non-stop order change.

He spoke about realizing that rather than focusing on “how to respond when the machine stops”, the real contribution to customers is “how to prevent it from stopping”, thus reducing downtime losses.

 

During the free discussion with customers, we heard various honest opinions, some of which made us exclaim, “Wow, we didn’t know there was such a need!”

 

Although I've been shouting about uncovering customers' unrecognized latent needs, I realized that we haven't even fully grasped their existing needs.

This became a great case study for Mr. N from the PO (Project O) sales team to think about.

Thank you.

 

The rush of visitors will continue next week. I look forward to everyone's passionate stories.

I aim for 40 or 50 years of service, so…

 

In July, we held a morning meeting that included a long-service award ceremony.

The photo at the beginning shows me with the six members of the 40-year service group who joined the company in the same year I did.

 

They are Mr. S, Mr. O, Mr. M, and Mr. K.   The two (Mr. K and Mr. W) are based in Tokyo and participated online via video call.  To reiterate, we all started working at ISOWA the same year.

Those celebrating 30 years of service are Mr. H and Mr. A.

And the one celebrating 20 years of service is Mr. A from the Sendai branch office.

 

Congratulations to everyone.  Above all, thank you for your years of contribution. 

 

 

In the afternoon, I attended a test for new product development at the factory. 

Many employees gathered and discussed the test in a friendly atmosphere.

When it came to deciding the conditions for the next test, differing opinions arose between Mr. M, the project initiator, and Mr. S, the group leader.

 

Mr. A (the one on the left in the photo above), who had just received the 30-year service award this morning and is responsible for coordinating the team, followed Mr. S's instructions without hesitation. 

 

“The project initiator is Mr. M!” everyone teased, but Mr. A jokingly replied, “I am aiming for 40 or 50 years of service, so I will follow the instructions of my superior, Mr. S!”

 

I realized once again that this is one of ISOWA's strengths, being able to maintain this kind of relaxed atmosphere, even during such an important product development test.

Although Mr. A has only been with the company for 30 years, his witty reply was impressive enough to make me want to give him the 40-year service award (laughs).

 

The tests will continue for a while, so let's all work hard and have fun!