FY 2023 Entrance Ceremony

On April 3, Sumitomo Riko held its initiation ceremony.

This year, for the first time in three years, the ceremony was held in person (partially), with myself attending at the Nagoya site and Chairman Matsui at the Komaki Head Office and Plant, with a live webcast connecting the two sites.

This time, without the restrictions of the Corona Pandemic, everyone who is scheduled to be assigned to the Saitama PLANT, Fuji Susono Plant, and Matsusaka Plant was able to participate in the ceremony at the Komaki Head Office and Plant.

As a congratulatory speech, I made the following remarks to the 108 new employees.

My message

When our company was founded, we started out as a venture company, taking on the challenge of new products and technologies in rubber belting.

Our history of taking on the challenge of new manufacturing by utilizing our strengths in polymer material technology and comprehensive evaluation technology in response to the changing times has become the foundation of our company.

In the 1950s, with the development of Japan's automobile industry, we entered the automotive anti-vibration rubber business, a component of that industry, and then we made a full-scale entry in the automotive hose business.

In the 1980s, we entered the precision parts business for office equipment.

Since then, our group has continued to grow, and we now have bases in more than 20 countries around the world. Our global market share has also expanded, and we feel responsible and proud to be a part of the supply chain.

In recent years, we have introduced new products such as “Finesulight”, which was born from our strengths.

However, I would like to encourage all of you to think about things from different perspectives and work without being bound by precedents.

I would also like you to reflect in your work the importance of "Banji-nissei”...... to be a person who is sincere in everything, to value "Communication," and to “Building a team that responds flexibly to change without being bound by past concepts”.

During the ceremony, I was very pleased to hear a very thoughtful declaration of determination from a representative of the new employees.

I think this was also a result of the real-life event, and it made me realize that we have moved into a new phase of “With Corona”.