2016

Mr. Hiroshi Noguchi: I understand that 43% of the Hamamatsu Plant's 828 employees reside in Fukuroi City, and about 80% reside in the area including Hamamatsu, Iwata, and Kakegawa. It's wonderful that so many employees live in local communities. I think Minebea represents a model for promoting the revitalization of local communities through the employment of younger workers. I'd like to see Minebea continue to promote the benefits of living and working in local communities to the younger generations. For example, you could expand the number of plant tours so that younger people could see how the Hamamatsu plant develops so many great products for society. Younger workers will feel that they can realize their dreams right here in Fukuroi City. At my institute, students are studying the sciences, so it would be very beneficial for us to have Minebea promote internships and hiring from local universities.

Mr. Hirotaka Fujita: We've offered plant tours in the past, and if there is interest, we will do the best we can to offer more in the future. As for educational collaboration, our employees have visited local universities to act as guest instructors. This has been a great exchange program for everyone. We introduce business initiatives outside Japan and share our initiatives on manufacturing. If it's helpful for local students, then we are eager to continue.

Mr. Fujio Toyoda: The plant tours allow students to see the latest manufacturing technologies, and this is very encouraging for young children and students thinking about future careers. The chamber of commerce and industry is also spearheading industrial tourism. For example, each year Fukuroi City hosts the Student Formula Japan, where students design and build their own sports cars and compete with each other on performance. This seems to be an area closely related to Minebea's business.

Mr. Hirotaka Fujita: It certainly is. For the Student Formula Japan competition, we donate rod end bearings and other automotive parts in response to requests from various universities. In the past, we've also had these university students take tours of our Hamamatsu Plant. For Minebea, the race is a great opportunity to promote interest in our company among distinguished students and boost our recruiting efforts.