Homestay program at ISOWA America

 

This year, ISOWA launched a new program.

 

It is a two-week "Summer Vacation Homestay Program" at ISOWA America in Phoenix, Arizona, for the high school-aged children of our ISOWA employees.

 

This program has been one of my dreams for several years.

 

My own very first trip abroad was a homestay in the United States when I was a second-year high school student.

 

Because ISOWA aims to create a company that makes us and our families happy, I wanted to give our family members around the same age I was at the time a similar experience as a gift.

 

I also wanted our families to experience ISOWA firsthand, including our corporate philosophy and values.

 

Furthermore, I wanted to deepen the bond between the people of ISOWA and ISOWA America.

 

With these thoughts in mind, I came up with this program.

 

First, when we reached out for IA members who might be willing to host our students, Ann Marie and Akemi volunteered.

Many other IA members offered their help as well, which made me feel that this kind of cross-Pacific collaboration is truly a testament to ISOWA’s company culture.

 

Next, when we called for participants, two students stepped forward: M-san, the daughter of Mr. H, and K-san, the son of Mr. I.

 

After completing their two-week homestay and safely returning home, they visited ISOWA with plenty of souvenirs and gave a presentation about their experience.

 

In the first half of their presentation, they shared what their daily lives in America were like, including the meals they enjoyed and activities they participated in.

 

What amazed me was how many different experiences their host families, Ann Marie and Akemi, provided for them during their private time.

 

They cooked together, played games, held a family BBQ, went shopping at supermarkets and malls, and even watched a Major League Baseball game.

They also visited a zoo and an aquarium.

 

IA coordinated so many activities throughout those two weeks that it would be impossible to list them all.

 

Their warm hospitality made me deeply happy!

 

In the second half of the presentation, they delivered the English presentation they had originally given at IA on their final day of the homestay.

 

During their stay in the United States, they took on the challenge of interviewing IA members in English and presented a summary of what they learned.

 

When asked, "What do you like about IA?", many members answered, "The way everyone helps each other" and "Our spirit of taking on challenges."

I believe both students experienced the wonderful spirit of teamwork at IA firsthand.

 

At the end of the presentation, I suggested, "Let's take a commemorative photo!"

 

But they replied, "We want to take it with everyone at IA!" 

So we took a photo together.

 

Both of them look great and stylish wearing the company uniform polo shirts presented to them by IA!

 

Thanks to their courage in raising their hands and taking on this opportunity, we were able to create a brand-new kind of collaboration with IA.  

 

Everyone involved had a genuinely exciting and enjoyable time.

 

I felt that both students returned home much more confident and resilient than before they left.

 

I hope they will carry this experience with them as fuel for their lives and continue to grow and thrive in the future!

 

Great job, M-san and K-san!

Across the Pacific

The other day, I received the following email from Andy Christensen at ISOWA America.

==================

all,  Having finished the installation work in Company G, I am on my way back, but I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved.  Achieving all of this required a great deal of effort, and many people were involved in the process.    Secure the order.  Machine assembly and shipping.  Invoice creation, insurance, legal matters, etc.

Schedule.  On-site installation work.  Operator training.  And there's much more!

This requires each of us to play a role as a team.

Did things go according to plan? - No

Were we able to adapt and overcome the difficulties? - Yes.

Was it hot, noisy, and smoky (due to the Canadian bushfires)?  - Yes, it was. But the people on site continued working! 

Did everything work out as planned? -   Yes.

Were we able to complete yet another fantastic project that left our customers extremely satisfied? - Absolutely! 

Is it possible that the overall performance of the team and equipment could lead to increased sales of other machines?  - Absolutely!

In short,  We did a fantastic job. I was so happy to receive such great feedback from our clients at yesterday's final meeting, and I wanted to share that feeling with everyone who couldn't hear it directly. This is a joy not only for the on-site staff, but for all of us.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been involved up until now.

Furthermore, we succeeded in smoothly transferring a great deal of knowledge on-site throughout the entire installation process.  I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Jiei Okawa, Makoto Ozeki, Clay Meline, and everyone else who dedicated their time to coaching our teammates. Thanks to all of you, we can grow more and become a stronger team.  We can only move forward. We are already looking forward to the next project.

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Thank you.

Andy

==================

I was over the moon, so immediately emailed back to him:

==================

Dear all,   Thank you for another wonderful installation.  What a splendid team!  I am greatly proud of it.  Let's keep going!

Andy,  I appreciated you included me in this email circle.   What you mentioned is really a hidden part of iceberg below the sea level.  Our products and our services are based on it, which is ISOWA culture and philosophy.  

Hideyuki

-----------------------------------------------------

  Making folks happy in the corrugated world

　   "Quickness and Interaction”　

       1) Take the Initiative -  Accepting challenges is the highest of virtues

       2) Extend a hand　-  Nurturing mutual trust and communication among people

       3) Brighten the atmosphere　-  Creating a frank and open working environment　

==================

ISOWA's philosophy and company culture are steadily expanding across the Pacific.

PS.  Too bad Mr. Okawa missed the opportunity to be in the photo—he was using the restroom when it was taken.

Completion ceremony and Two-night Summer Festival

 

With not only material prices increasing but also the supply of materials themselves remaining unstable, ISOWA’s No. 5 Logistics Plant was completed on schedule. We held a small ceremony officiated by Mr. Uehara of the Ryosha-gu Shrine near ISOWA.

 

If you look toward the back of the ceremony venue, you can see rows and rows of tables and chairs. I’ll tell that story later, so stay tuned!

 

The No. 5 Logistics Plant is quite a large building which is 80 meters wide, 15 meters deep, and two stories high. Everyone in the photo fits comfortably into the frame, but somehow, I look unusually small. (;^_^A

 

I guess I really am a “small” person after all! (LOL)

 

 

 

Until now, we had simply called this facility a “warehouse.” However, when we decided to rebuild it, we wanted it to be much more than just a place to store things.

 

Our vision was to create a smooth flow of goods and information from deliveries and storage of items supplied by our TASUKE-bito partners, to the movement of materials within ISOWA’s plants, and finally to shipments from ISOWA to our customers.

 

In other words, rather than treating the warehouse simply as a cost center, we set out to transform it into a logistics plant that creates new value as a profit center.

 

Just like the machines we deliver to our customers, delivery itself is not the finish line. It is the starting line.

 

Our goal is to make full use of this new facility so that it will contribute to our profitability for the next 10 or 20 years.

 

Following the relocation of our Tokyo Sales Office to its new premises, this marks another major capital investment for ISOWA.

 

Let’s make the most of it and use it to help reduce our customers’ opportunity loss!

 

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who was involved in the construction of this new facility.

 

*”KIKAI” is homonym in Japanese, meaning “Machine” and “Opportunity” :)

 

 

 

After the completion ceremony...

 

We invited ISOWA’s TASUKE-bito partners to join us for a Summer Festival Open House to celebrate the completion of our No. 5 Logistics Plant.

 

In addition to 250 TASUKE-bito partners, we were joined by children who became ISOWA fans through our Dream Kitchen activities, the Dream Kitchen staff, and our neighbors, whom we had inconvenienced during the construction of the new plant.

 

Altogether, around 300 people joined us for the celebration!

People, people, and more people...

First, Hikaru gave a few words of welcome to everyone, but with so many people gathered, it was almost impossible to tell where he was speaking from!

 

After that, our guests had the opportunity to see ISOWA’s machines in operation.

Among all the TASUKE-bito partners, the members of Dream Kitchen were also watching the machines with great interest.

Mr. Y, President of Company S and Chairman of the ISOWA Friendship Association, gave the closing remarks. Company S is located so close to us that you could almost say we are neighbors, and as many as 43 of their employees joined us for the event. Thank you very much!

ISOWA’s strategy is centered on the value we provide to our customers: “Contributing to the reduction of opportunity loss in corrugated board plants.”

 

One of the key ideas supporting this strategy may sound irrational at first, but we believe it is actually essential to making the entire strategy work: being “fair, open, and aboveboard” with our customers.

 

In a sense, being truly fair and transparent is extremely difficult in business. However, within ISOWA’s overall strategic story, we want to turn what may seem “irrational” into something that makes sound business sense.

 

In the same way, with our TASUKE-bito partners, we want to achieve “mutual prosperity”—to grow and prosper together.

 

That, too, is difficult in business. In fact, we still have a long way to go, even more so than with our efforts to be fair and transparent with our customers.

 

But just as we have worked on transforming our corporate culture for more than 25 years, we believe that if we take a long-term approach and turn what may initially seem irrational into something rational, we can build a truly resilient supply chain.

 

I promised our TASUKE-bito partners that we will continue working toward that goal.

 

We sincerely appreciate your continued support, partnership, and guidance.

 

And finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came and made the event such a wonderful gathering!

Following the event for our TASUKE-bito partners and neighbors, we wrapped up the day with the ISOWA Family Summer Festival for our employees and their families.

I gave the opening remarks wearing my favorite Roadster T-shirt, but there were people, people, and more people! Even standing on the stage, I couldn’t see everyone’s faces.

The newly completed No. 5 Logistics Plant, which had been completely empty just moments before, was now packed with people, with barely any room to move!

We invited a total of 10 food trucks to the festival.

 

These photos were sent to me by Mr. I, our photographer, and I didn’t even realize that there was a food truck serving “1-Pound Steak” until I saw it in the photos.

 

What a surprise!

There was also a wide variety of drinks to choose from, including alcoholic beverages.

And as you can see, the festival was a huge hit! This time, we introduced a brand-new attraction. And that was...

What could it be???

Huh?

Who is this suspicious-looking person?

Perhaps…

Oh, it’s an Art Car!

The man in the center is the artist, Mr.Daichi Mori. Ever since I first saw his Art Car project at Cafe Plus α, which is run by my younger brother, I had been hoping that someday we could do something like this at ISOWA, too.

And we finally made it happen! Here is what it was like before the painting began...

Oh, and the man in the photo with the car is my younger brother, Takashi, the owner of the café. In addition to helping with the Art Car, he was also in charge of serving sweets at the festival.

And then, with the help of the children...

It was transformed into this amazingly colorful and cheerful service car!

We removed the license plates for the painting, but make no mistake. This is a genuine ISOWA service car. We’ll put the finishing touches on it, and soon our service team will be visiting domestic customers in this one-of-a-kind vehicle. If you see it coming your way, please give it a warm welcome!

And from there, the story naturally led into a demonstration run of an ISOWA printing machine.

A large crowd gathered in one corner of the plant, waiting for the demonstration to begin.

Then Mr. K, who was running the show, started giving some instructions to one of the children.

Actually, our engineers had prepared something special just for this day. A start button designed especially for our little operators!

When the child touched the “SPEED UP” icon...

The machine started running at full production speed!

And then...

A huge round of applause erupted from all the families watching.

What a wonderful sight, so very ISOWA!

Everyone had a fantastic time, enjoying all the delicious food from the various food trucks. What a great atmosphere, it was simply the best!

And then, the party was over.

But just when it was coming to an end, I witnessed yet another wonderful moment.

Many of the participants spontaneously began wiping down the tables with the wipes that had been provided. It reminded me of soccer fans cleaning up the stadium after a match.

That’s the ISOWA-bito spirit!

Supported by such wonderful people, our two-night summer festival—the 2026 ISOWA Friendship Association Summer Festival and the ISOWA Family Summer Festival—came to a very successful close.

To everyone on the organizing team, thank you so much for all your hard work, right up until the very end.

It was so much fun. Thank you all!!

Rock Music is Fun

Looking good! This is so much fun. Don’t I look pretty cool? I started playing the drums in my first year of junior high school, and continued until I graduated from high school. But look at this…

 

Wait, if you look closely at the guitar… you can see corrugated flutes! Yes, it’s made of corrugated board. Pretty playful, isn’t it? This is a picture that one of my former customers, Mr. N, gave me as a birthday gift. Just to be clear, he didn’t give me the guitar itself, he gave me this picture. Just what you’d expect from a former corrugated professional! But when and where did he take such a photo? I asked him (well, I didn’t actually ask him, haha.)

 

The answer was, “I created it.”

 

???

 

“With AI.” Haha!

 

Sooo coooool!!

 

So, I decided to create a version of my actual original role, a drummer! The top picture is the one I made, trying to make it look as realistic as possible. Awesome!! I gotta say, I did a pretty good job! Mr. N, thank you very much for your wonderful gift and inspiration.

Two Interns from HUST

 

HUST stands for Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

 

Last November, four professors from HUST visited ISOWA. When it comes to HUST, it goes without saying that it is the most selective university in Vietnam — a prestigious institution boasting top-tier recognition and academic rigor across Asia.

Our connection with them began thanks to Ms. D, (the woman on the left) a brilliant Vietnamese engineer who has been working with us as a full-time resident supporter ("TASUKE-bito") since last June.

All the members working with her agreed that Ms. D is incredibly talented, and when I looked into it I found out she’s a graduate of Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

This led us to invite her former professors to visit our factory in Kasugai, which resulted in a very passionate and deeply connected exchange.

Following a visit to ISOWA by four professors, we decided to accept the two interns they selected, Nam and Hui have arrived in Japan.

 

Under the “strict” (haha) guidance of their senior, Ms. D, they will be working on their assignments for the entire week. Right at the start of the afternoon, they came by together to say hello.

 

 

Over the years, I have given lectures to Vietnamese business executives four times.

Remembering that JICA, the organization that hosted those lectures, had previously translated my presentation slides into Vietnamese, I gave those materials to the two interns as a gift.

Along with this, I shared this message with them: "Everyone works for their own happiness and that of their family, but your colleagues around you feel the same way. If you try to pursue your own happiness at the expense of others, you won’t be happy yourself in the end. When you respect and cooperate with your colleagues, they will do the same for you. At ISOWA, we work as a team, not alone. I hope you will experience this philosophy during your internship, while keeping safety as your top priority.”

They both looked so nervous, so to break the ice, I asked them about their hobbies. They answered "Basketball" and "Video games." Hobbies truly are universal! (haha)

Since they traveled all the way to Japan, I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to learn about Japanese culture and business etiquette, so I gave them a little advice on how to handle business cards.

We wrapped up our talk with a handshake, and then Ms. D chimed in, "Me too, please!"

I told her, "I was holding back because I worry about being accused of harassment if I ask—but I'm so happy!" We then shared a firm handshake.

If you have any questions about the materials I gave you, feel free to ask me anytime. I’d be happy to talk about them. Enjoy your internship at ISOWA to the fullest and learn as much as you can.

 

Let’s Make Great Family Companies!

Company L. has been one of our valued customers since Jack’s grandfather purchased an ISOWA FFG back in 1973.

On April 29th, Jack, his wife, Josie, and his daughter, Amy, visited our company while they were on vacation in Japan.

They stayed in Kyoto, left there at noon to visit ISOWA, and returned to Kyoto that night.

 *The distance from Kyoto to Aichi, where ISOWA is located, is about 115 km(75 miles).

I last met Jack three years ago in the fall.

 

After they arrived, Darz from the Overseas Department gave them a company introduction. At the end of her presentation, she was talking about ISOWA’s philosophy, then suddenly lost her words and started crying.

 

That was a big surprise for both Jack’s family and me. However, seeing someone cry while talking about the company is something that makes the company president truly happy. I was deeply moved by her presentation.

 

After that, Mr. A took them on a tour of our factory, and at the end of the tour, Mr. S, a leader from the Engineering Department, spoke in English about his passion for development. I could really feel his extraordinary passion for development. Great job, Mr. S!

 

After the factory tour, all three of them told us, “The factory is very clean!”

Jack, who owns a family business as I do, also said, “I deeply understand that we and ISOWA are heading toward the same destination.” He also asked, “How do you keep 300 employees united?”

The conversation about local communities and charitable donations became very lively.

Until now, we have mainly considered donations from ISOWA Japan's perspective. However, this conversation inspired us to think about how ISOWA America might also contribute through charitable activities within its capabilities, especially in the United States, where a culture of philanthropy is deeply rooted.

 

After that, we went to dinner together. Since Jack visited us with his family, I decided to treat them together with my family.

The most impressive dish was this Chateaubriand served with egg yolk and grated daikon radish. The beef was quite thick, yet it was so tender that it could easily be cut with chopsticks. That showed just how excellent the beef was.

 

We also prepared some special gifts.

One was “Kohen,” a sake from Kintora Brewery, a Nagoya-based sake brewery run by relatives on my mother’s side. I hope they chilled it and enjoyed it at their hotel.

 

Another gift was a piece of calligraphy featuring the Japanese kanji character for “Liberty,” written by my wife on colored paper made with MILDAN using recycled milk-carton paper, experimentally provided by T Company, another valued ISOWA customer.

They could not read the kanji and did not understand its meaning at first. However, when I explained the meaning to them, they were very surprised and excited! It turned out to be a really great gift idea.

 

In return, when they visited Tokyo, they also brought us special good-luck charms from Sensō-ji, a temple in Asakusa, including a talisman for business prosperity.

 

With the “Liberty” calligraphy and the good-luck charms from Sensō-ji, we will continue striving to build great family companies together!

Hone Their Skills

 

One day, our company-wide morning meeting began with an award ceremony for two employees born in the 21st century who had passed the Level 2 Skills Certification Exam: Mr. K (far right) and Mr. I (second from the right).

 

Mr. K had been in Saudi Arabia until recently to install a Falcon machine and had just returned safely shortly before the current conflict began. Of course, he hadn’t anticipated that such an event would occur, so he was quite shocked when it actually happened.　Besides Mr. K, there were two others who had gone on the business trip with him. They returned even later than Mr. K, and the conflict began the very moment they got back. It was truly a relief that they were able to return safely. Great job, and welcome back!

 

The other successful candidate, Mr. I, isn’t very good at speaking in front of people. He was more nervous than anyone else—before he spoke, while he was speaking, and even after he finished. He gave it his all and expressed his gratitude to the seniors and colleagues who supported him leading up to the exam. Every time he stumbled over his words, I’m sure everyone at ISOWA-BITO was cheering for him in their hearts. After it was over, Mr. H, who was sitting next to me, seemed to be clapping from the bottom of his heart. I’m sure I’s feelings were clearly conveyed to everyone who attended the morning assembly. I think you’ll be able to do even better next time, Mr. I.

 

I look forward to seeing them continue to hone their technical skills and communication abilities. Congratulations, Mr. K and Mr. I.

 

And in this photo, besides Mr. K and Mr. I—the two on the right who passed the skills certification exam—and me (as a bonus), there’s one more person in the picture. It’s our new employee, Rudy.

 

It’s a bit unusual to have a new employee at this time of year, and he looks a little older than the typical new hire, doesn’t he?

 

Actually, he is the husband of Dharz, who joined our company last September. After obtaining a family stay visa, he finally arrived in Japan from the Philippines in mid-February.

 

At the company-wide morning meeting, following the presentation of the vocational skills certification awards, Rudy gave a self-introduction in Japanese. He said, “Work is fun, but self-introductions make me really nervous,” so he must have been quite nervous, but he managed to deliver a self-introduction in Japanese that was perfectly understandable. Bravo! Even though his wife, Dharz, had been introducing him to me as “Rudy” even before he arrived in Japan, apparently he himself says, “It’s not ‘Rudy.’ Please call me ‘Rody.’” I wonder if they’re having marital problems? (lol)

But when Rudy’s entry permit was approved, they apparently cried tears of joy together during a video call, and they seem so in love that there’s probably no need to worry about that.

 

He started working at ISOWA this week, but unfortunately, because he’s on a family stay visa, there are restrictions on his working hours, so he only works in the mornings. But he’s incredibly enthusiastic. Apparently, he asked, “I have time in the afternoons, so I’d like to go home and study. Would it be okay if I took the blueprints home with me?” Good for him! With guidance from such a wonderful colleague and by using translation software, let’s hope he masters the skills quickly.　I hear he’s enjoying his breaks with his colleagues. Study Japanese hard, get your official work visa, and do your best so that the day when you can live in Japan with your three children—your ultimate goal—comes as soon as possible! We’re all rooting for you. Go, go, Rudy!!