Fukasawa says, “For the five years after I joined Kito in 2006 I was part of chain production, then I moved to the Manual Hoist Assembly Team. I’ve been working for seven years on the team, with the motto, ‘Do your very best, always.’ Working conditions change continually with production loads and personnel changes. Because we assemble products here by ourselves, the abilities and experiences of the workers can have significant effect on production volume. I work for my best performance, regardless of the situation, without making excuses.”

Tagawa says, “I’ve been assembling manual hoists for the seven years since I joined Kito. Speed is critically important in product assembly. I feed parts and set up work processes so the line runs smoothly. I look for the optimum moves of people and goods, like a baseball manager does. Fukasawa, always a cheerful mood-maker, is my role model. I hope to be like him, someone everyone around him depends on.”

Fukasawa: “Another important thing I think is ‘kyoiku’ which in two Japanese characters, means ‘grow together.’ The team leader doesn’t know everything, and can’t do everything alone. I often learn and derive inspiration from younger team members. As we exchange opinions and stimulate one another, the entire team grows. I work to build an environment that encourages this kind of teamwork.”