A newsletter from Sumitomo Electric USA Holdings (SEUHO) | |
In this issue: Mid-term Management Plan 2025 / Monozukuri Committee updates / HR Conference / MPSS training / Sumiden Wire hosts Dept. of Commerce / Judd Wire special event / SCI at Eastec show / 10th anniversary celebrations at SHMB, SEUHO | |
Mid-term Management Plan 2025 | |
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First came the vision, now comes the plan. On May 25, SEI published the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, which gives a closer look at some of the things that Sumitomo Electric Group will be doing over the next three fiscal years, as we collaborate to achieve the long-term objectives of 2030 VISION.
One example is the significant capital investment (on the order of $2 billion) that SEI will be making to increase product manufacturing in the growth areas of energy, mobility, and infocommunications. By the end of fiscal year 2025, these growth areas are expected to generate almost $8 billion in sales. On a worldwide level, this means a big increase in sales of submarine power cables, large-scale storage batteries, components for electric vehicles, advanced electronic devices, and other products related to two major trends: the growing use of renewable energy and the further evolution of communications technology in our daily lives.
Many interesting details are packed into the pages of the Mid-term Management Plan 2025 (or as it's simply called, "25M"). If you'd like to learn more, you can download a copy from SEI's website: click here.
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Note: Financial targets in 25M are specified in yen. Dollar amounts mentioned above are based on the average yen/dollar exchange rate in May of 133.5 JPY/USD. | |
Monozukuri Committee updates | |
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As we work to become bigger and more profitable, it's important to note that the strategy laid out in 25M isn't just about capital investment or a certain set of products. A great deal of attention is also given to how we can strengthen the Sumitomo Electric Group's business foundations, which include manufacturing, supply chain, intellectual property, and—most importantly—all of us who work at SEG companies.
In North America, one way such strengthening occurs is through the sharing of manufacturing best practices in the Sumitomo Monozukuri Development Committee. SMDC has more than 30 members from 12 companies in the US and Mexico. On each month's teleconference, these companies take turns to show what they are doing at their plants to make operational improvements in categories such as safety, quality, equipment, and kaizen (continuous improvement).
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Recently, SMDC had their first in-person event since Covid. The all-day event took place in North Carolina on April 25 and was composed of two parts. Part one was a "train the trainer" session that covered the proper procedure for conducting kaizen projects. In a kaizen project, small teams go through a series of steps to analyze a situation, identify a problem, set goals, perform root cause analysis, develop and execute countermeasures, and measure results. Many people who have joined kaizen teams in the past say that the projects improved their problem-solving skills. SMDC hopes that by having more trainers, we will see more kaizen projects at our companies and more employees benefit from the experience.
Following the training session was a "suggestion tour" of Keystone Powdered Metal Company's Cherryville plant. In this type of tour participants actively come up with ideas for improvement as they walk through a facility, rather than passively observing their surroundings. The 24 committee members who attended the North Carolina event enjoyed seeing how Keystone uses powder metal technology to produce various kinds of automotive components. And, in the spirit of the tour, they gave a number of useful suggestions to Cherryville management.
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SMDC has been working to promote knowledge sharing and skills development for over a decade. By contrast, it was only within the past few years that a similar committee was formed in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region. So as the EMEA Monozukuri Committee planned its first ever in-person meeting, they had an interest in learning from the Americas and including the SMDC in their agenda. To that end, SEUHO Vice President Kazuya Kaminaka was invited to attend the EMEA Monozukuri Committee meeting in Morocco from May 9 to 11.
Morocco is home to around 28,000 employees of three SEG wiring harness companies. In fact, Sumitomo Electric is among the largest employers in the country. The scale of these operations was a big reason that the EMEA Monozukuri Committee held its meeting in Morocco. During their stay, Kaminaka-san and 13 other attendees were given tours of three production sites and a SWS Competence Center. The tours were supplemented with presentations on the mission of SEI's MMEU (Manufacturing Management & Engineering Unit), Monozukuri Fundamentals Assessment, 200 Kaizen, best practices in forklift and pedestrian isolation, etc. It was an excellent opportunity for different regions to learn from each other.
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 | At SEWS Morocco: SEI PPE Senior Asst. General Manager Takehiko Nozaki (far left), SEUHO VP Kazuya Kaminaka (second from left), and EMEA Monozokuri Committee members. | |
Staying on the topic of knowledge sharing, Human Resources managers and staff from 15 group companies attended the SEG Semi-annual HR Conference on May 17 and 18. Most of the 30+ attendees were in New York City for the event, while several more participated by videoconference. Day One was primarily related to employee benefits, property and casualty insurance, vehicle rental programs, and other areas involving outside vendors. On Day Two, the focus shifted to internal topics such as recruitment, training programs, mentoring, and payroll. In addition, SEI Human Resources Development (HRD), SEUHO Risk Management, and SEUHO Legal were there to provide updates on relevant subjects. | |
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The following week, the 18th US MPSS Workshop was held in Houston and attended by 15 people from eight group companies. MPSS stands for Management Program based on the Sumitomo Spirit. In a nutshell, MPSS is standardized training for managers and supervisors that was developed by SEI for companies around the world. The program began in 2012 and has since been completed by more than 1,300 SEG employees outside of Japan.
Commenting on what he observed in Houston, SEI HRD's Group Manager Daisuke Mori said "I felt the participants have a good understanding of the Sumitomo Spirit, and actively exchanged their opinions on leadership and management." As for the fact that MPSS is now back to being done in person and not online, Mori-san said "I believe the advantage of in-person training is the ability to communicate informally. [Therefore] we will continue our efforts to expand global training opportunities."
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Special events around the region | |
Sumiden Wire Products Corporation welcomed eight people from the US Department of Commerce to their Tennessee plant on March 30. The visit was one of DOC's "hometown tours," a program that gives government employees a chance to learn about manufacturing around the country, while also providing companies the opportunity to express any concerns they have about unfair foreign trade practices. Sumiden Wire was selected as a tour stop because their products (prestressed concrete strand and stainless-steel spring wire) have been the subject of international trade cases in which imported steel harmed not only Sumiden Wire but also their industry. The highest-ranking DOC official on this visit was Lisa Wang, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Enforcement and Compliance. Four of Sumiden Wire's international trade attorneys also took part in the visit. | |
Sumiden Wire visitors with SWPC Executive VP Jon Cornelius and SWPC President Brian Burr (back row, third and fourth from left). | |
At Judd Wire headquarters in Massachusetts, Judd Wire and their long-time customer held an employee appreciation event on April 13. The customer, WireMasters, is a leading distributor of high-performance wire and cable. They are also the largest distributor of Judd Wire's cable for aerospace applications. "Five of their executives visited and gave speeches to reflect how much they value our partnership, especially the very people on the front line of our business who make such great products," said Judd Wire EVP Martin Daniell. To show their appreciation, WireMasters provided lunch for Judd Wire associates. | |
Not far from where Judd Wire is located, the Eastec trade show took place from May 16 to 18. A team from Sumitomo Electric Carbide was there to showcase some of their cutting tools to thousands of manufacturing professionals. SCI's booth highlighted two industries in particular: medical device manufacturing and aerospace manufacturing. For the latter, SCI displayed not only the relevant tools but also some aircraft parts that had been machined with these tools at the company's Tool Engineering Center. According to the SCI marketing team, recognition of the Sumitomo brand in the Northeast has grown steadily over the past few years thanks to the efforts of SCI's regional sales staff and major distributors in the area. | |
From left to right, SCI unless denoted: Michael Byron, Darrin Demers, Todd Brundage, Yuta Suzuki (Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal Corp.), Yoshinari Nagami. | |
In Brazil, sales of Sumitomo cutting tools is the responsibility of Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal do Brasil, who celebrated their 10th anniversary on May 10. SHMB marked the occasion by inviting employees, distributors, customers, and suppliers to a special event. More than 200 guests heard SHMB executives express their sincere gratitude for the many partnerships that have contributed to the company's success in Brazil. SHMB's special event was cleverly planned to coincide with Expomafe, one of the largest trade shows in Latin America for machine tools and related technology, which ran from May 9 to 13 in São Paulo. SHMB was one of 900+ exhibitors on the show floor, and they distinguished themselves by having a large booth and displaying a variety of new products. | |
SEUHO is another company that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, doing so on May 19 in New York City. Forty employees gathered for a day-long event that looked back at the company's first decade, looked closely at our present support of SEG companies and committees, and looked forward to doing even more for our stakeholders in the years ahead. We thank all the companies and SEI departments that sent us video messages, which were greatly appreciated! | |
Many thanks to this issue's contributors: Jon Cornelius (SWPC); Martin Daniell (JUDD); Michael Byron (SCI); Daisuke Mori (SEI); Sylwia Wygonik, Pat Descarage, Pavee Suvagondha, Kazuya Kaminaka (SEUHO). | |
The Sumitomo Electric Group, in accordance with the Sumitomo Spirit and the Sumitomo Electric Group Corporate Principles, strives to be a group of companies worthy of society's trust by conducting our business activities with utmost integrity. To learn more about our corporate philosophy, click here.
The SEG Code of Conduct is a statement of our shared values and the standards of conduct that are expected of each of us. It describes the fundamental principles and key policies that govern how we conduct business. The Code applies to all Company employees, officers, and directors, at every level. To download a copy of the Code, click here.
The SEG Compliance Hotline is an anonymous, confidential reporting system maintained by an independent third party, Navex, who immediately refers all hotline reports to SEI's Compliance and Risk Management Office. Please note that the SEG prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports concerns or raises questions in good faith. To access the hotline, click here. | |
This issue of the newsletter was written by a human (not ChatGPT) and published by SEUHO for the enjoyment of fellow employees at Sumitomo Electric Group companies in the Americas. To send us your thoughts, please use this online survey or send us an email. Thank you for reading this newsletter. | | | | |
