―Please tell us about how you prepared for the opening of your Thailand plant, as well as its current status.

Well, this was the first time that we had developed a location overseas, and this involved a lot of hard work during the six months that we set aside for preparation. What proved particularly challenging was the application process for the Thai Board of Investment (BOI), which was a long, drawn-out affair. Our customers were the same Japanese domestic manufacturers, but our portal for doing business was based locally in Thailand. We were starting from zero, so it took us one year of efforts to establish any sort of sales turnover.

However, I would have to say that harder struggles lie ahead. Manufacturing is a business where cash flow is a constant issue and breaking into new sectors is always challenging. As a result, we cannot get anywhere without a vision. The fact that Japanese manufacturing was able to take the world by storm is down to business leaders having a vision. We want to continue this tradition of business leaders who put their lives on the line to expand and develop their companies globally.

―Please tell us about state of the company when you took over as President/CEO.

When I assumed the post of President/CEO, the company was in a bad shape. Sales turnover had dropped to 50% off peak levels. Since the company was founded and had expanded on the back of the country’s recovery following the end of the war, the company had grown by listening to and responding to customer needs and requirements. The company developed its business approach during this period of growth.

However, this same approach became a limitation during more challenging economic times, and the company was not able to develop or expand into new fields. Employees would clock in and clock out on schedule every day, with no overtime work available, and they were rightly concerned about the future.

―What measures did you implement after becoming President/CEO?

For the first three years of my tenure we looked to increasing sales. As a result, we managed to register sales that were six times that of the levels seen five years previously and we had secured a significant chunk of the market share.

In year one, we looked to consolidate where we were. I personally wore work overalls and drove a 10t truck to visit plants all over Japan. The number of tire manufacturers operating in Japan has decreased in recent years, and at each location I noted that every plant had its own set of problems and challenges. For example, take the issue of maintaining and repairing these metallic molds. I drove a truck so that I could pick up and return these molds for maintenance and repair work. Conventional manufacturers shy away from maintenance and repair services. Our company had always engaged in helping our customers maintain their molds, so it was an area I had confidence in. I told everyone we dealt with that our company was happy to face up to any new challenge or problem, and this led to many opportunities to expand our business and help our customers. This is about the time that we began supplying all of the major tire manufacturers in the country.

I also had to work with our employees to change their awareness of the industry, our company and their roles. I was trying to ensure that we all shared the same vision. The vision was to spread the values of “Made in Japan” globally and to establish Shinko Mold as a leading brand when it comes to metallic molds for tires. To make this happen, we had to ensure we had the best product available on the market. Our vision on the plant floor was to remain modest and recognize that we had to take back the crown from our competitors in China and Korea.