Leader of the Operations Team. She handles general affairs, ordering of raw materials and outsourced work, repair arrangements, and coordination between the various teams — one of the key supporters of the workshop since the Fifth Generation took over.
Keeping the workshop running smoothly
As Operations Team leader, I manage general affairs, orders for materials and outsourced work, repair arrangements and coordination between teams. Much of my work happens behind the scenes, but good coordination keeps the production chain running smoothly.
Care even in where the tape goes
I usually work in administration, but I also help prepare shipments. I pay attention to where the tape goes, how easily the box opens and how securely the futon is packed. These small details shape the customer’s first impression of our workshop.
Learning as a 5S instructor
Since this April I have been taking the Ashikaga 5S instructor training. “Arranging an environment that is easy to work in, and a standard for judging what is truly needed” — this methodology of order and judgement is helping me redesign the workshop’s workflow. I am also preparing for the Certified Sleep & Bedding Advisor qualification; “pursuing a slightly better futon, little by little” is a direction shared across the workshop.
The “mother figure” of the workshop
Our representative says I am the workshop’s “mother figure.” I do not see it that way myself, but when something comes up colleagues do tend to come to me first. That trust has built up little by little over the four years since the representative took over. A stable family workshop needs a person like this — someone trusted in the everyday. That is how I understand my own work.