Building People and Teams to Pass the Baton: The Challenge of the Kyushu Region, Automotive Hose Bus

Recently, I received reports on on-site Kaizen as part of the SRIM-CZ (Slim C-Z) initiative from three companies in our group within the Kyushu region (Sumitomo Riko Oita Advanced Elastomer Company Limited: hereinafter SRK-AE, Sumitomo Riko Kyushu Company Limited: hereinafter SRK-K, Tokai Chemical Kyushu, Ltd.: hereinafter TCIK) and from the Automotive Hose Division at the Komaki Headquarters and Manufacturing Plant.

SRIM-CZ activities, an acronym for SumitomoRiko Innovative Monozukuri and Challenge Zero (zero disasters, complaints, and defects at factories), are implemented to invigorate on-site improvement activities and enhance technical capabilities across the group.
By visiting each business division and group company, we can directly observe everyone's production improvement efforts and commitment to quality, creating a valuable opportunity to share the wisdom and passion found on the front lines.

Co-creation: A Collaborative Framework in the Kyushu Region

The first change is the mindset of collaborating across business divisions.

Building People and Teams to “Pass the Baton”—The Automotive Hose Business Headquarters' Challenge

The second change is the employees' proactive attitude toward mutual learning.

The Automotive Hose Division is advancing innovative manufacturing improvement activities centered on “Developing People and Peers,” as outlined in our Group Vision 2029V, focusing on quality, cost management, manufacturing process development, and digital transformation.
In the workplace where this report was given, in the past, new employees (mentees) had only a limited number of employees to whom they could easily turn for advice or to whom they could speak up about any problems they were having.
So, they introduced a mentor-mentee system in order to create a workplace environment where diverse talent could work comfortably.
To alleviate the mentees' anxieties, members of the project team across groups proactively held study sessions to share information on methods such as empathy, active listening, and positive feedback when providing work guidance, thereby enhancing their knowledge as mentors.
Little by little, mentors and mentees—and even among mentors and among mentees—are beginning to open up to one another, and since this initiative of "Passing the Baton" from mentor to mentee began, the turnover rate for new employees has steadily improved to zero.
Continuing these proactive learning activities will lead to improved employee happiness, or well-being. When employees take initiative and sincerely address challenges—rather than relying on the HR division, both individuals and the organization grow.

Sharing information across the entire group ～ Individual and organizational growth through co-creation

In addition to the SRIM-CZ activities, I visit factories several times a month and engage in frank discussions with everyone on the ground.

Please feel free to share with the entire group anything you notice or find difficult to do. It is important for the manufacturing, design, and production technology departments to work together and respond flexibly.
I ask all core employees to create a virtuous cycle in the organization where feedback is picked up and improvements are made.

Let's keep the cycle of Kaizen activities going and connect them to the future.

As we continue growing into a more dynamic manufacturing company, I hope we’ll become a workplace that’s truly rewarding, with higher engagement and stronger performance.