Jinno, who had been told since childhood that he would "succeed his father," naturally entered the path of manufacturing and never felt a strong desire to do so or a dislike for it. Nevertheless, he was able to continue welding from the age of 18 becausewelding was enjoyable.

Craftsmen at that time had a "learn by watching" approach.

"I was told to try welding scrap metal lying around. Later, I was told, 'This is no good,' or 'This will make money,' but at the time, I didn't really understand what was wrong."

Through such trial and error, he began to feel the depth of welding.

"The way the current is set, the welding angle, whether there's oil on the material, various factors influence the finished appearance.Even if the same person uses the same machine, just one change in current can alter it. I think that's what captivated me."

After Jinno mastered welding techniques, Jinno Seisakusho operated for about 30 years with two main pillars: his father's press working and Jinno's welding.
However, with his father's sudden passing, the pillar of press working was lost.

"When my father passed away, I took over as president, but I didn't know anything about press working, so I wondered what to do. I tried learning from external press working suppliers, but it didn't go well."

So, Jinno decided tooutsource press working and focus more on sales.

Even after Jinno took over as president, the business operated as a sole proprietorship for about eight years.
This was based on his father's belief that "since you grew up in Katsushika-ku, you should repay your gratitude by paying taxes to Katsushika-ku."

However, as sales grew significantly, he consulted with a tax accountant and incorporated the business.

"Sales started to climb steadily after I began wearing red overalls. When I was making sales rounds in the Urayasu Steel Industrial Complex, I started to be called 'the president in red overalls' everywhere I went."

Before that, he reportedly wore black or orange overalls to hide oil stains.
However, he changed his overalls to red, thinking it would be better to stand out to be remembered.

When acquiring new work, he often receives referrals through connections. At such times, the impact of being "the president in red overalls" likely had a positive effect.

Of course, sales didn't increase just by changing the overalls to red.
Leaving a strong impression also means that bad rumors can spread easily.

To increase sales, trust is necessary, specifically the belief that "you can't go wrong with the president in red overalls." And that trust is built by accumulating achievements.

"Even when dealing with major general contractors, I would provide proposals along with the quotation, suggesting how costs could be reduced or lead times shortened by looking at the drawing. Sometimes they might wonder what this downtown old man is talking about, but about 80% of the time, they value those proposals and place orders."

It is said that Jinno's accurate proposals are so trusted that they are sometimes treated as part of new employee training.

"Apparently, managers send new employees to 'get a quotation from Mr. Jinno and be scolded once.'"

Advice based on experience and knowledge gained on site must be a great learning experience for new employees.

Jinno organized and is active as the representative of the "Downtown Joint Network."
This organization was established to achieve cost reductions by collaborating with 46 downtown factories, benefiting both the downtown factories and the companies placing orders.

"Initially, it was focused on social gatherings, like 'Let's meet on the second Friday of every month to drink and exchange information.'"

During such information exchanges, he urged craftsmen struggling with declining sales to "go out and do sales," but they were reluctant to take action.
So, Jinno proposed that they conduct sales as joint members.

For example, if press parts and rubber parts are needed, by placing an order with Jinno, the Downtown Joint Network ensures that both types of parts can be supplied.
Furthermore, for instance, if the usual delivery price for press parts is 100 yen and rubber parts is 100 yen, participating factories have set their own rules to propose a total of 199 yen instead of 200 yen.

Companies placing orders can get all necessary parts by ordering from a single company. Also, it's possible to reduce costs compared to ordering individually.

Moreover, downtown factories can reduce sales costs by circulating work among themselves.

"If we have a joint network, we won't have to turn down incoming requests. Processing that our own company can't handle can be done by another factory within the joint network.Work tends to slip away quickly. That's why it's important to generally not refuse work and to have a track record of meeting deadlines."

Jinno feels a sense of crisis regarding the future of downtown factories.

"When the Downtown Joint Network was formed, it was mainly centered around the second and third generations of factory owners. Butthose members have grown older. Moreover, many factories lack successors."

In reality, several factories have decided to close down due to a lack of successors.
Jinno reportedly took on the management of their machinery and premises, allowing them to continue working on a commission basis.

The reason he goes this far isbecause Jinno likes craftsmen.

In modern times, machine performance has improved, and much processing can be done if one can program.
As a result, craftsmen with manual skills that can achieve precision beyond machines are steadily decreasing.

"Of course, money is important because it's work. But I believe craftsmen are people who can be motivated by things other than money. Like continuing until they are satisfied with the finish...While it's also for the company and for money, I think the main reason they do it is because they love it. It's a shame that such craftsmen are decreasing."

Work-life balance is important, but isn't working like a machine not enjoyable?
I sincerely hope that more people who became craftsmen because they love manufacturing will emerge in the future!