<June 4, 1980 Wednesday Nihon Kogyo Shimbun>
Electronic printing ⑦ NEWLONG SEIMITSU KOGYO
Inoue Kiki Seisakusho, the predecessor of Newlong Seimitsu, started as a small family of three, including Inoue, his father Hideo, and a friend from his time at Nissan.
The core of their work was the manufacture of parts for industrial sewing machines that imitate imported sewing machine parts. At a time when imports were not yet permitted, it was not easy to manufacture precision parts, but there was demand if they could make it.
The factory was converted from a warehouse in Kamata, Tokyo. Inoue and Hideo built a hut the size of about three tatami mats in the corner of the site, where they stayed overnight and continued their work. A business that started with a mere 200,000 yen of scrapped funds, there was no time to leave the factory. It lasted all night. The lunch box brought by Mrs. Toshiko from her home, which is about thirty minutes away, was the ultimate comfort.
He learned the hard way how difficult it is to quit your job and become independent.
For about half a year after he became independent, during that so-called research period, he worked with very ordinary machines and borrowed equipment. Plans take time, and production efficiency did not increase immediately.
Before long, the funds naturally ran out. There was no way he could raise the money necessary by selling household goods. Instead he went among relatives and relations in order to borrow money. It was the first time in his life that he had struggled with money.
Time was needed for technological development as well. Even after making many prototypes, the dimensions and functions did not go as planned. Even Hideo, who once worked on the decoration of the front door handle of Mitsukoshi's main store, could say that the technology of the precision industry was a distant existence.
“It was a blind start. It was literally a series of hardships for about three years until we became a corporation.”
Inoue recalls the past.
......
He said that the joy of creating things was the only thing that supported him. In other words, the spirit and tenacity of the engineers were the driving force to overcome the difficulties.
“The biggest secret to succeeding in a business after quitting the job is to fall in love with the business, have conviction, and do your best.”
These are the words of Satoshi Sakurada, the president of Mos Burger, who succeeded in creating a fast food chain store from the overseas field of a first-class securities firm.Although the areas of challenge are different, it is interesting to note that Inoue's comments are common.
In any case, in the course of his continuous hardships and efforts, Inoue maintained his stance of always thinking and seeing things from the perspective of a manager.
The idea is that everything, such as how to make things, how to organize processes, and the efficiency of time management, is a learning experience. This is a perspective that did not exist during his office worker era. It might be more accurate to say that he didn't need to, but the big dream of independence naturally made Inoue feel like a manager. Through steady, day-by-day accumulation, he began to see a ray of light. In the autumn of 1950, September, two years after the company started, an opportunity arose to build a new factory near the current head office factory, leaving the former warehouse in Kamata.
A neighbor told him that there was a site for sale that happened to have been burned in a fire. At 462 square meters (140 tsubo), the room was reasonably spacious and convenient for transportation, the neighbor recommended.
In two years, Inoue had acquired some technical skills. The number of employees had increased to sixteen, and being at a turning point, Inoue decided to relocate the factory. He was encouraged by the fact that the head of Cho Sewing Machine Co., who was his supporter, also supported him financially.
“I will also provide capital, so please do your best as a subcontractor for a specialty.”
Through that hope from Cho, a new location with a floor area of 165 square meters (fifty tsubo) was completed.
(Titles of persons omitted)
<Written by Kunio Michida>
From June 3, 1980, to the 16th, over 2 weeks; Nihon Kogyo Shimbun (now:FujiSankei Business i.), reprinted with permission.
