SRK-TN 30th Anniversary – High Employee Engagement and Organizational Competitiveness

I recently attended the 30th anniversary celebration of SumiRiko Tennessee, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as SRK-TN) in Tennessee, USA.　
SRK-TN is the second company to be established in North America, following SumiRiko Ohio, Inc. in Ohio.
It has three plants in the United States: the Midway plant where its headquarters are located, the Tazewell plant, and the Pass-Through plant. With a motto of maintaining high standards of safety and quality control and responding flexibly to customer needs, we have been engaged in the manufacturing and sales of automotive anti-vibration-rubber and hoses.

30 Years of Overcoming Difficulties 

Since its founding, SRK-TN has experienced numerous challenges, including the Lehman Shock, the COVID-19 pandemic, and recent tariff issues.
Although they operate at three separate plants within the United States, under the leadership of President Keisuke Ito, they have overcome challenges through teamwork, and in recent years, with stable growth, SRK-TN has become a driving force behind our operations in the Americas.
SRK-TN conducts its business based on the following four principles, and has earned trust, including receiving awards from major customers for its quality.
• Continuous improvement of manufacturing processes
• Flexible proposals to meet customer needs
• Establishment and continuous operation of a quality management system
• Prioritizing human resource development and systematically improving employee skills and motivation 

A workplace environment that fosters high employee engagement 

The concept of this 30th-anniversary ceremony is "a wish to pass on to the next generation," reflecting on the past 30 years and shaping the next 30 years.
The ceremony was held simultaneously at each of the three factories in an open factory format, with consideration given to allowing employees to introduce their workplace to their children, partners, and families.
Seeing everyone enjoying barbecues on the premises, playing on inflatable bounce houses and real police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, and introducing their families to each other, filled with smiles, I felt the strong sense of unity and high employee engagement at SRK-TN.
Furthermore, at the evening party, I and other Sumitomo Riko Group executives, the SRK-TN manager, and former employees Randy Rumbley and Cal Doty were in attendance.
Each of us shared our past struggles, thoughts, and future aspirations, and together we celebrated this milestone.
I was particularly moved by the reunion of Mr. Randy Rumbley, who played a key role in SRK-TN's founding from its launch until a few years ago, and the current managers who were trained by him. Through this ceremony, I felt that SRK-TN took a step towards its next leap forward, and that our heartwarming collaboration deepened even further.

Gratitude and Collaboration 

At SRK-TN, employees regularly share ideas and initiatives for maintaining quality with one another and continuously strive for improvement without becoming complacent with the status quo.
I am sure that the trusting relationships not only within these three plants but across our entire North American bases will support the competitiveness of SRK-TN in order to create new value and solve the challenges of future society.
This organizational collaboration and trust are essential for our group's global bases, spread across more than 20 countries worldwide, to move in the same direction based on the Sumitomo Spirit of "Banji-nissei," "Shinyo-kakujitsu," and "Fusu-furi." As outlined in the Sumitomo Riko Group Vision for 2029 (2029V), specifically in our focus on "Developing people and peers who will pioneer the future," our group will further advance global talent development.
Furthermore, we will share best practices from our North American bases across the entire group, leveraging high employee engagement to enhance our organizational competitiveness.
Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude once again to all the SRK-TN employees and related parties who have supported us for the past 30 years.
Let us continue to work even harder in our business, with S.E.C.Q. (Safety, Environment, Compliance, and Quality) as our basic policy. 

I presented Mr. Keisuke Ito, President of SRK-TN, with a cloisonné enamel plate featuring the iris, the state flower of Tennessee, as a commemorative gift. The iris symbolizes faith.