News Room 2013 (The former Furukawa-Sky)
President Okada's 2013 Speech Welcoming New Employees (Summary)
April 1, 2013
Congratulations on joining Furukawa-Sky. I would like to welcome you on behalf of everyone at the company. There are two main things I would like to talk with you about today.
The first involves the economic policy called "Abenomics," which was introduced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government after it was elected at the end of 2012. While this policy is improving the export sector, it is also causing prices to rise on power, fuel and raw materials. The domestic market will continue to contract because of the shrinking and graying of the Japanese population, making the situation tougher for materials manufacturers, including Furukawa-Sky.
Our Three-Year Medium-Term Plan, which was in place through FY2012, was established by taking an objective view of this reality. We have made progress in the three key elements of that plan: domestic structural reform, promotion of global expansion, and development of new products and technologies. Two of the most important topics of the plan are our integration with Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, which is scheduled to take place on October 1, 2013, and the startup of our Thai plant, planned for April 2014. These two developments will be steppingstones toward Furukawa-Sky's global presence.
Our slogan for 2013 is "Fulfill our tasks through increased speed and quality, and move to our next stage." Our vision is extremely clear, but in addition to taking on new challenges we need to pursue speed and quality, which is no simple matter. To prevail in the global arena, we have to find swift, high-quality solutions to complex issues. Today's world is characterized not by "the big devour the small," but rather by "the quick eat the slow." Please remain aware of this.
My second topic is a request to you. I hope you will immediately adapt your skills toward dealing with the great volume of important work in Japan and overseas. At the same time, though, a company rides on the strength of its people, with success or failure ultimately determined by the quality of its personnel. This is why we provide everyone with a good learning environment. The important thing is that everyone should take an active rather than a passive approach by putting their all into their work.
Therefore, I would like to offer some advice. As Professor Shinya Yamanaka, a Nobel Prize winner, has said, "The more difficult something is, the greater the clarity of vision required." If the organization and the individual share the same clearly defined goals, most of the organization's endeavors will be successful. We will establish a clear vision that everyone can share. I believe that collaboration is vital to good work and personal success. Robust collaboration makes it possible to clearly define the role that each person needs to fulfill. Also, you can gain significant experience by applying the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle all the way through to success. This makes people flexible, as they gain an array of knowledge and experiences that they can draw on. If you take this idea to heart, you will make great strides.
Furukawa-Sky offers all of you a wide variety of fields in which to flourish, both in Japan and overseas. I hope you will take pride in joining our company, and maintain a sound body and mind. Let us work together build a new Furukawa-Sky.