Cultivation and Utilization of Human Resources
Basic Concept
Our founding philosophy of “Value-discerning open-mindedness and cooperation” means “to always place the greatest importance on caring for people, to always work together, and to seek mutual understanding without compromise through friendly competition.” This philosophy has remained unchanged to this day, and it has become the basis of our business activities. We recognize that human resources are the most vital component of our management base. Based on this recognition, we conduct human resources training and education and support the active participation of employees, as we believe that the growth of our employees is linked to the sustainable growth of the company. We also recognize that respecting a diversity of opinions and values is what generates innovation and improvement. To make the most of this, we have set up a corporate environment and personnel system for recruiting and utilizing a wide range of human resources.
In the cultivation of human resources, we aim for employees to embody the Code of Conduct, which is set out in our corporate philosophy Tsubaki Spirit, in their daily work.
• Continuously take on challenges with a desire for self-betterment
• Constantly acquire advanced skills, and continuously seek to enhance them
• Be able to take action under your own responsibility
We support the steady growth of our employees of all job types, such as providing them with various opportunities for training and education in a systematic and scheduled manner, as well as creating a human resources training and education roadmap every five years for young employees.
Enhancing Our Training and Educational System
The drivers of the Group’s growth are the technological capabilities and advanced technical skills we have continuously refined as a manufacturer since our founding in 1917. With the aim of passing on expertise to the next generation and reinforcing technical skills, we launched the Tsubaki Techno School in April 1998 for young engineers. Subsequently, we expanded the curriculum to include technical and sales categories. We have reorganized the curriculum by dividing it into a Techno School for engineers, a Skills School for technicians, and a Business School for office and sales staff. We are currently enhancing the contents of each school, as well as focusing on the cultivation of human resources with skills and knowledge in IoT/AI.
By combining training by function with level-specific training across all job categories, we have generated a positive cycle in which we increase the awareness of employees and enhance technological and technical levels.
We are also actively using external training resources such as selective training, to cultivate next-generation business leaders. We also have a study in Japan system that sends employees to study at universities to acquire a doctoral degree, while they are still working at the company.
Human Resources Training System (Tsubakimoto Chain)
Objective: To train personnel strategically and systematically with the ability to anticipate and flexibly respond to changes in the social environment while broadly contributing to society through their personal growth.
| Level-specific | Training for new employees and mid-career employees |
|---|---|
| Training when promoted, training for management-level and executive-level positions | |
| Training to improve logical thinking and for leadership development | |
| Function-specific Training | Engineering (mechanical engineering, processing technology, electronics, control, etc.) |
| Technical skills (beginner, intermediate, advanced) | |
| Sales (sales skills, basic skills for the sales field) | |
| Global Training | English language skills (writing, presentations, meetings) |
| International training for young employees, training for cultivating international personnel | |
| Other Training | Training for: career planning, life planning, mental health, compliance, safety, health and education, information security education, human rights education, telecommunications education, external dispatchment |
(1) Cultivation of Young Engineers
The Tsubaki Techno School conducts practical training using our original curriculum. It includes a beginners’ skills course, which deals with basic technologies and processing technologies, an intermediate skills course, which covers materials engineering, control engineering, and computer science, and more. In the intermediate course, young engineers improve their problem-solving capabilities in addition to enhancing their knowledge and skills through activities such as setting a topic from among issues at the workplace and implementing measures to resolve it. We are also developing human resources with proficiency in AI and IoT by incorporating new technological fields into the curriculum.
Besides this training, we are, through a Technology Forum at which departments present their latest technologies, widening opportunities for employees to share ideas, interact, and engage in co-creation in a way that transcends departments.
In addition, we assign young and mid-career engineers to outside seminars as a growth opportunity. This is where they can learn advanced technologies and technology management, and interact with engineers from outside the company.
(2) Improvement of Monozukuri Skills
The Tsubaki Group is making efforts to pass down and reinforce monozukuri (manufacturing) skills through (1) cultivating technicians, (2) a processing training program that, through hands-on instruction in basic technologies and skills, aims to pass down our company’s unique assets, and (3) cultivating next-generation employees by establishing the qualification of Master Craftsman, the highest ranking qualification for technicians.
We are also offering post-promotion level-specific training and advanced technician training for employees who are in charge of creating environments for and activating the cultivation of instruction in the workplace by using their expertise and experience. These training programs contribute to further improving technical skills.
Since 2012, the Tsubaki Technical Skills Olympics have served as a platform for the mutual study and presentation of these skills. Outstanding technicians in the Tsubaki Group assemble to compete in ten events for all operation categories, such as Engine Lathe Operation, Welding, Measurement, and CAD Drafting. Those with the best scores are given gold, silver, and bronze medals. Overseas Group companies have been taking part in this event since 2016, and this helps invigorate the organization via technological guidance and exchange among employees, between different business divisions, and between Japan and overseas, in addition to heightening technical skills.
Tsubaki Technical Skills Olympics
(3) Cultivation of Global Human Resources
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Tsubaki Group’s total net sales that came from outside Japan grew to 63.3%. Currently, 51.6% of all group employees work at locations outside Japan.
This situation has made the cultivation and strengthening of globally minded human resources a task of extreme importance for the Group. We introduced our global trainee system in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011. This system allows young Japanese employees to be assigned to subsidiaries outside Japan for one year of training. This experience is intended to expose them to other languages and international business practices, while helping them better understand other cultures. To date, a total of 119 young employees have been assigned overseas as part of this system. We are also striving to cultivate and strengthen our pool of personnel who can work globally through international training for young employees and customized training for cultivating international personnel.
In addition to these initiatives, we are also actively accepting assigned employees from overseas-affiliated companies. So far six employees from the United States, Thailand, China, and India have been posted to business sites in Japan; and since FY 2022, there has been one assigned employee from South Korea working in Japan. The assigned employees work together with local employees at the head office and main factory in Japan. This gives them the opportunity to reaffirm our company’s corporate philosophy, and to acquire technical skills and knowledge during their time working in Japan, which they bring back with them to their home country and fully apply at work. It is also an excellent opportunity for employees in Japan to deepen their mutual understanding with the assigned employees and be exposed to international mindsets.
FY 2022 Topics
Tsubaki Global Online Talk Room Now Open
In FY 2022 we opened the Tsubaki Global Online Talk Room, with the aim of encouraging communication in English with local staff at our overseas bases. We hold this training program regularly to improve the communication skills of Tsubaki Group employees in Japan and overseas, as well as shorten the sense of distance with local offices and overseas bases, and of course to improve language skills.
Participants have provided positive feedback about the program, such as “I was able to have a better conversation in English than I thought I could - it’s given me confidence!” and “I realized how important it is to practice using my English skills.” The participants have come to realize many things about themselves through this training, so we will continue to implement the program and gather many more participants so that we can keep improving the language skills and capabilities of the Tsubaki Group.
Roll Out of New System for the Cultivation of Global Human Resources
In FY 2022 we introduced a new System for the Cultivation of Global Human Resources, which allows employees to freely select the training they need according to their individual skills, place of posting, and expected roles, etc. This program is for employees who are currently working overseas or will be posted overseas in the future. This system aims to cultivate human resources who can actively participate in a global work environment, and maximize their ability to adapt to work duties overseas and at local offices according to each phase of (1) directly after their posting, and (2) during their posting.
In FY 2022, we implemented a training program for employees who will be posted overseas in the future, and in FY 2023 we will expand the program to include employees who are currently working overseas.
