2014
(Posted Oct. 2014)
- Development - Wide contributions to society through product development anticipating future needs
- Materials procurement - Supporting responsible materials procurement by linking the company internally and externally
- Manufacturing - Realizing the highest-quality products through even higher efficiency
- Sales - Staying close to customers to accurately respond to their needs
A Determination to Succeed: Never Give Up and Never Compromise
Ms. Keito Azumi
(entered company in 2011)
Development Section
Product Technology Department Lighting Device Business Unit
As members of the Product Technology Department of the Lighting Device Business Unit, Mr. Shinji Kawai and Ms. Keito Azumi are involved in the development of backlights used in smartphones and tablet devices. In recent years, the development of thinner and brighter light guide plates has become a critical requirement. Customer requirements rise every year, with some customers requesting such sophisticated requirements as a 20% reduction in thinness and 10% increase in brightness, and to eliminate uneven brightness when users view the screen, a challenging requirement which cannot be clearly quantified.
When dealing with these types of requirements, Mr. Kawai holds firm to a fundamental development philosophy of never giving up. "A host of difficulties always emerge when we try to apply current technology to plan the mass production of a new product in several years' time. We never say we can't do it, and we never compromise the customer's requirements," he says with the spirit of a veteran.
While following the example set by Mr. Kawai, Ms. Azumi strives to improve her own work by eliminating communication errors often occurring with development colleagues. "A lot of people are involved in our development work, so I often overlook the fact that there are many different development vantage points depending on the type of work each of us is doing, for example the molding of light guide plates and mold design," Ms. Azumi says in reflection of her work. "Other times, I realize that I didn't properly communicate something because of an unclear explanation, and I end up causing unnecessary work in the end."
Mr. Kawai has high expectations for Ms. Azumi. "Once we build some experience, we learn to anticipate what other people are thinking and what information they need under certain circumstances. It's hard to make progress on a project independently, but I expect you to mature into a developer who can think and act for yourself, instead of just an operator in a process," Mr. Kawai adds.
Aiming for High Quality Customers Can Trust
Mr. Shinji Kawai
(entered company in 1994)
Manager, Development Section
Product Technology Department Lighting Device Business Unit
The backlight products developed by Mr. Kawai and Ms. Azumi are not visible to users of the end-products, but they are critical to giving users a beautiful LCD experience. Additionally, by developing increasingly thin backlights, they are supporting the creation of smaller, more energy-efficient products with reduced burden on the environment. "Our direct customers are the LCD panel manufacturers, but our real goal should be to manufacture high-quality products that satisfy the device manufacturers and product users," notes Mr. Kawai. "It's very motivating to know that I've helped to develop a product that is playing a useful role in society," adds Ms. Azumi. "I'd like to see Minebea as a company that continually manufactures products reflecting next-generation needs, and which is relied upon by customers to create products of the highest quality and functionality."
This desire among product developers to provide affluence and convenience to society through the creation of great products is a spirit passed down from past generations of Minebea employees.
* Positions/assignments current as of time of interview (December 2013)
- Development - Wide contributions to society through product development anticipating future needs
- Materials procurement - Supporting responsible materials procurement by linking the company internally and externally
- Manufacturing - Realizing the highest-quality products through even higher efficiency
- Sales - Staying close to customers to accurately respond to their needs
