A member of the Operations Team, chiefly in charge of making the firm cotton core of the shikibuton. He also takes part in the cotton-filling of comforters and the roll-cotton shaping of three-layer shikibuton, and supports inspection and packing across teams.
firm cotton is my main battleground
In the workshop I am chiefly in charge of making the firm cotton core of the shikibuton. That firm cotton layer is the most critical “bone” of the futon — its firmness, density and resilience directly decide the support a customer feels in sleep. Beyond firm cotton, I also take part in the cotton-filling of comforters and the roll-cotton shaping of three-layer shikibuton.
“Let no unit-to-unit variation arise”
When making firm cotton my standard for myself is “so that no product-to-product difference arises.” Concretely, that means size, thickness, weight and firmness — none may carry batch-to-batch deviation. Fifty firm cotton from the same batch should all fall within an extremely narrow band of difference. This is the foundation of stable manufacturing craft.
Cross-team support
Everyone in the workshop is a “multi-skilled worker” — beyond our own core process, when inspection or packing is short-handed we go over and fill in. That cross-team flexibility is the basis on which the workshop can stay small yet steady. Helping “across the boundaries of teams” is everyday life here.
Working for the customer’s better sleep
I hope the firm cotton I handle can lift a customer’s sleeping comfort just a little — “if it leads to an improvement in our customers’ sleep, I would be glad.” That is the fundamental drive behind every shift.