Our Group company Nihon Jiseizai Kogyo Co., Ltd., an electrical steel sheet processor, held a ceremony to mark the completion of its new office and began operations there on December 8.

The company was established in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture in 1964 to heat-treat electromagnetic cores. That same year, Nihon Jiseizai Kogyo launched the construction of the Harima Plant in Kasai City, Hyogo Prefecture, the company’s current location. The plant was expanded in 1978, and its head office functions and production were later relocated from Osaka Prefecture to the plant in Kasai City, where they remain.

The old office was almost fifty years old and had poor thermal and sound insulation. A study was launched five years ago to improve the work environment and increase employee motivation.

The new office has two stories, with office space and the president’s office on the first floor and two connectible conference rooms and a cafeteria on the second. Hiromi Maeda of the General Administration Department was in charge of the design. A “hot-desk” system where employees are free to change desks was adopted in the first-floor office space. A large monitor was installed there so that workers can see what is happening in the plant. The lockers and cabinets are all black to create a stylish feel.

The cafeteria on the second floor is a large space big enough to seat all the employees. The interior has woody tones, and the chairs are bright colors like blue, green and orange. Plants adorn the walls. The OA equipment in the conference room was also revamped, and now includes a large LCD TV and an ELMO digital whiteboard.