TV Osaka Co., Ltd. (2024.09.26) TV Osaka Co., Ltd. Friction with the field, battles with major companies…A record of the rebuilding of a small factory by a former elite trading company employee, “A publicly recruited president has arrived – Will the small factory be revived?” Broadcast on Saturday, September 28th! [TV Osaka] Documentary 7 “Publicly recruited president has arrived ~ Small factories are revived Ka~” Broadcast on Saturday, September 28th from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. “People who make a huge contribution to our lives even if they don’t stand out,” and “People who stand by and walk alongside people who are socially vulnerable.” This is a documentary program that shines a spotlight on such people discovered during daily news reporting. In the 19th episode, we take a close look at the former elite trading company employee of Mitsui & Co., who becomes the new president of a small factory that was suffering from the double straits of lack of successor and poor management, and takes on the challenge of rebuilding it. No. 19 “Publicly Recruited President Has Arrived ~ Will Small Factories Revive?”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/20945/1857/20945-1857-0f4f146b051578993f150609ea8dad9c-1920×1080.png
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/20945/1857/20945-1857-00a44f87ce2474ccd33fdb099877a4f5-1920×1080.png (C) TV Osaka Tanaka is a civil engineering and industrial materials manufacturer that has been in business for 102 years in Izumiotsu City, Osaka, which is known for its textile industry. The company changed its business from a rice merchant to a textile, spinning, and textile business, and is now a small factory that manufactures nonwoven fabrics made from recycled car interior materials, carpets, and other materials. In particular, we boast a 60% share of the domestic market for nonwoven fabrics for river bank protection to prevent landslides.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/20945/1857/20945-1857-faf66a47c3434adbdaf8e77f824b0b56-1920×1080.png (C) TV Osaka However, the founding family, who had inherited the company from generation to generation, sold the company due to illness. The new owner, an investment fund, decided to publicly recruit a president from outside the company rather than from within the company. Nozomi Sumiyoshi (65) was chosen from among many applicants eight years ago. Mr. Sumiyoshi is a former elite trading company employee who worked for the major trading company Mitsui & Co. After working in the United States and the United Kingdom, he was seconded to a pharmacy chain and has experience in restructuring its business as president.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/20945/1857/20945-1857-c089d21fda848dcf3a108ec566db72ef-1807×978.png (C) TV Osaka He was entrusted with the task of reviving a small factory that was riddled with problems. Demand for nonwoven fabrics as a whole has fallen due to a decline in public works projects, and sales have been on the decline for over 20 years. After taking office as president, he immediately put his skills to use, including reviewing sloppy inventory management and introducing new production methods and performance-based systems. Employees on the front lines can’t hide their bewilderment at the sudden approach of the publicly-hired company president, calling it “too strict.” It is a daily occurrence that we pass each other over trivial matters. Mr. Sumiyoshi has faced this situation with sincerity.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/20945/1857/20945-1857-400d4c7483b8f92a34436202309ab300-1920×1080.png (C) TV Osaka Meanwhile, we developed the carbon fiber “Tanacross” that would become the pillar of our rebuilding efforts. Carbon fiber is a material that is harder than steel and lighter than aluminum, and is expected to be used for tunnel repair and reinforcement. However, in Japan, even in rural areas, major manufacturers have become a barrier, and not a single copy has been sold even a month after its release.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/20945/1857/20945-1857-98315113972b85e6cb06bcfbd9c4795c-1920×1080.png (C) TV Osaka Therefore, Mr. Sumiyoshi set his hopes on expanding overseas, something he had rarely done up until now. Using the skills from his days as a trading company employee, he moved to Cambodia as a sales stage. In Cambodia, where floods occur almost every year, the problem is that the banks are not well maintained, so there is a great opportunity for Tanaka’s products to enter the country. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/20945/1857/20945-1857-83778fc27200fa66609c1f67beff6647-1920×1080.png (C) TV Osaka As a result of our steady efforts, we now have the opportunity to promote our products to high-ranking government officials. Will there really be a business opportunity for
“Tanacross”, with the fate of the company at stake? And will the small factory be revived by bringing together the confused employees?