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.