When he joined the company, he was engaged in various machining processes. "When I was younger, I was very conscious about finishing as many parts as possible in a short time." However, the quality was not satisfactory because he only focused on speed, and he sometimes received strict warnings from his superiors. He eventually started paying attention to quality while watching the way his superiors worked. "I realized the importance of supplying products with stable quality, while paying attention to the lead time." The manufacturing site was using numerically controlled (NC) lathes which automatically perform machining just by inputting a program. However, Mr. Masuyama selected the rotational speed and shape of the edge tools suitable for the material of the parts, and he checked the actual finish with his eyes and hands to ascertain the peculiarities of the machine. He also made fine adjustments of the numeric values in some cases. In order to improve the level of finish, he continued to make an "extra effort with his hands."
In addition to machining processes, he gained experience in various departments, such as progress management and assembly in the Engineering Section. Currently, he is involved in the manufacturing of fixtures in the Production Engineering Department, as well as improvement of the workplace, such as changing the layout of the plant. Nevertheless, his "spirit of quality first" will never change. He mentioned "I always think about what I can do to make the manufacturing easier." In the changing of the plant layout, he conducted numerous examinations of the suitable layout from the viewpoint of the workers, while considering the installed condition of the equipment. He mentioned that "even though my position changed from manufacturing products to supporting manufacturing, I will never change my [spirit of manufacturing high-quality products]."
Mr. Masuyama became a "Master Engineer*1" from the spring of 2016. "This is a great honor which makes me realize the importance of my mission to pass on my skills to future generations." He conducts activities as an employee with a designated title, and provides training through daily work. Not only to pass on the skills I have acquired in the past, but also as a craftsman, "I would like to pass on the spirit of an engineer by demonstrating an attitude of quality first in daily work."
