Realizing my own growth as a businessperson through trial-and-error struggles in Thailand

After joining Hitachi Construction Machinery, I worked for the overseas section of its Marketing Group, and was responsible for marketing and sales promotion at a sales company in Thailand until 2019. I returned to Japan in January 2020, and presently my main duties are managing the entire Marketing Group in its Planning and Administration Dept. I studied Thai at my university, and was already familiar with and loved the Thai culture and people, but there were many difficult aspects in business. I struggled to get local staff and customers to understand and agree with rules and concepts of compliance, something widely accepted at Japanese businesses. Each time I was asked why we couldn’t do something that our competitors could do because we were a sales company directly owned by a Japanese manufacturer, I racked my brain to explain why. And I was reminded each time that things that I considered obvious and correct were nothing more than a “Japanese way of thinking” and weren’t necessarily applicable to the rest of the world. Speaking Thai gave an advantage in smooth communication with local staff and more precisely understanding our customers’ requests. On the other hand, because I understood their feelings and arguments, I sometimes also found myself caught between the local and Japanese staff. However, I believe that precisely because of this experience, I acquired the skills that I can apply to my current duties and that allow me to go about my work while keeping a comprehensive view of the whole picture.

The speed and change needed in Japanese businesses, and awareness of one’s own role in evoking a sense of crisis

Because of my experience of being transferred overseas, I newly realized that Japan is just one country in this vast world and that each country and each individual has their own sensibilities and ways of thinking. In order to survive harsh global competition, greater speed than before and the courage to change conventional approaches are essential. I think that the Japanese business culture, which carefully solidifies the foundation and does things steadily, is unrivaled in terms of quality and is wonderful. However, it is also true that in the world of global business, quality is not always prioritized in all cases, and you cannot compete globally in the way you take for granted in Japan. This tendency is particularly noticeable in Asia, where the aggressiveness of China and South Korea is intense. Now that I have returned to Japan and am surrounded once more by Japanese business culture, I sometimes find myself thinking in terms of Japanese business practices. Without forgetting the days when I was struggling overseas, I hope to proactively make suggestions to make us a stronger company overall by applying such global perspectives within its Japanese organization.

I joined Hitachi Construction Machinery Africa in 2011. Its main attraction was that it is a global company. I had already intended to work for a major company that would allow transfers between departments in order to apply my skills in as many fields as possible. I came to Japan with my family in May 2019 with the fortunate opportunity to work at the IT Promotion Headquarters (currently the DX Promotion Headquarters) in the Head Office, which I find very fulfilling. My responsibility in the DX Promotion Group is to support the introduction of the core selling systems for our overseas group companies. What I like about the Japanese culture is that it’s so wonderfully rich in altruistic spirit. Japanese people tend to be great at seeing things from the other person’s standpoint. I believe that it’s because the country has a long history and its culture has matured. When I return to South Africa someday, I definitely hope to take this culture back with me and help it take root there as well. What our South African customers look for most from their suppliers is support. Support means to be our customers’ partner. We respond swiftly to inquiries, solve trouble, and supply new equipment if needed. Our support rooted in Japan’s altruism will likely be a big advantage in business in South Africa.

I want to proactively digitize our customer experience

A field where I feel there’s room for advances is digitization. South African customers are active smartphone users. They like to access support systems and simply order the parts they want from their screen without going to the office. For developing such systems, tight cooperation and coordination with the headquarters is necessary. I hope to be a bridge in this kind of situation and simultaneously establish our corporate vision at local group companies. South Africa is a country blessed with plentiful natural resources and has great potential in the field of mining. At present, companies are reluctant to take part in the project due to the risk of political instability, but once there are more businesses embarking on serious projects, our machinery will become a significant presence in the country. Unfortunately the unemployment rate in South Africa is at an extremely high level for the moment, at 28% or more. It would make me exceedingly happy if we can in the future provide solutions to stimulate the local economy and contribute to creating employment through Hitachi Construction Machinery Africa’s business.

Shiny orange construction machinery led me to join Hitachi Construction Machinery

I am from South Korea and studied chemistry at my university. My hope for the future was to use my science education to work for a company that has world-class technology and contribute to it with my own expertise. I was living in the United States at that time, but when people around me heard about my future hopes, they said, “You can speak Japanese. Why don’t you work in Japan?”, so I began considering working for a Japanese manufacturer. Then I remembered footage of a disaster site from the Great Sichuan Earthquake in China that I had seen on TV years ago. The orange construction machineries working steadily for disaster recovery amid the sad scenery full of rubble and soil had left an impression on me. I later learned that they belonged to Hitachi Construction Machinery, which became a big motivation for me to join the company. Since actually joining, I have noticed how broad-minded the company is as a global enterprise. Although women’s careers are still lagging behind in Japan, I know from my experience living in various countries that in reality there are no differences in ability based on gender. Change may be gradual, but if all women keep doing their best, surely paths will open up and eventually turn into a big road. I believe that Hitachi Construction Machinery has a foundation that welcomes ambitious women, and a firmly-rooted corporate culture in which talented people from various backgrounds work together for progress.

What’s important in digitization is people’s feelings

I currently belong to the IoT Systems Section in the Research And Development Group. Construction machinery needs applications that make full use of IoT not only for moving machines, but also improving accuracy and usability. I am working on this kind of advanced technology. Specifically, I am involved in the development of applications that allow processes to operate efficiently and safely, such as by locating the workers and machineries deployed on the entire worksite. Progress in digitization has enabled work with a minimum number of staff. However, the users of systems and machinery are always people. It’s important not to force digital technology onto people, but allowing the users themselves to choose whether or not they will use it. At the development stage I therefore make sure to leave room for users to make modifications or adaptations themselves. One of the strengths of our machinery is its high operability. When I hear that experienced users compliment the ease of use of our IoT and ICT solutions, in addition to the characteristics of our construction machinery which allow operators to perform fine movements as intended, that’s a huge encouragement for me as a developer.

I joined Hitachi Construction Machinery as a recent graduate in 2014. My major at my university was related to machinery, so I thought it would be nice to work for a company that made “large machines,” and went to information sessions for various manufacturing industries including airplanes, ships and trucks in addition to construction machinery. What was decisive for me to join Hitachi Construction Machinery out of all these companies was the congenial atmosphere I felt at its information session. Even after joining the company, this impression has not changed. I like the openness of the workplace, where we can talk frankly about both work and private matters. Since there are many employees from overseas, I also learn a lot from getting to experience different ways of thinking. I currently work at the Tsukuba Central Parts Depot in Ibaraki Prefecture, where I am responsible for parts inventory management and shipping for overseas sales companies and distributors. I make use of the reduced work-hours system from 9:30am to 4:15pm (regular hours are from 9:00am to 5:30pm) while my three-year-old son is at his preschool. I find this system very reassuring and convenient, since I can set my work hours in 30-minute increments depending on need and can work reduced hours until my child graduates from elementary school.

Ingenious ideas are needed for improving the construction industry’s image

Because my son often had a fever, I sometimes had to take a sudden day off at least twice a month during his first year in preschool. I was grateful that my colleagues kindly supported me when I took several days off. The reduced work-hours system is very helpful, but I sometimes wish we could choose work arrangements that would be a little more flexible. For example, when there are tasks that can’t be completed in time due to an unexpected request for another task or the like, that is conventionally handled by working overtime, but because I can’t do that, I have to depend on the others. It would be great if there were a system that would allow me to work in the evenings when I have relatively more time to spare. Overall I believe that it’s a friendly environment for women to work in. People say that there are still very few women working in the construction machinery industry, and maybe we need more ingenious ideas to improve our image in order to fix that. I myself grew up between an older and a younger brother, and have liked machines and robots since I was little. Machines and robots have a “boyish” image, but if girls come in contact with them since an early age, they too will become interested in them. For example, if fun and appealing cartoons on the theme of construction machinery were to be made, a lot more women might want to work in this industry.