Araki originally worked for a construction company.

"I worked for a construction company that my father founded and my brother now manages. Although I sometimes went to sites, I mostly handled internal work such as construction management and accounting."

Araki became president of a manufacturing factory, a different industry, because his construction company was considering manufacturing steel conduits for use in its construction projects.

"For railway-related construction, conduits are needed to lay cables. The idea was that if we could manufacture them within our group company, we could ensure smooth supply and reduce costs. That's how it started."

Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. specializes in processing metal into cylindrical shapes, such as strainer screens and baskets for plating factories.

He thought this technology could also be applied to conduit manufacturing.

Although Araki's entry into manufacturing was prompted by conduit manufacturing, he states that they do not currently perform conduit manufacturing.

"For conduits, on-site surveys and measurements must be conducted at night when trains are not operating. Then, drawings are created for manufacturing."

To manufacture conduits, not only manufacturing technical expertise but also personnel capable of working at night are required. Furthermore, these individuals must be able to assess the site, determine the necessary conduit shapes, and design them.

Considering the securing of personnel who operate differently from conventional business practices, and the tools and technologies required for processing, it is highly likely that starting new conduit manufacturing would not be cost-effective.

Therefore, while they have not proceeded with conduit manufacturing, which was their initial goal, they contribute to improving the construction company's capabilities by manufacturing specially shaped parts, such as cable mounting brackets, that cannot be handled by off-the-shelf products.

Furthermore, he is working on improvements utilizing the objective perspective gained from entering the industry from a different field.

Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. has many processes that rely on skilled craftsmen's manual work. This technical expertise allows them to meticulously meet customer needs.

For example, the ability to handle a wide range of sizes for strainer screens, from pipe sizes 10A to 350A, is one manifestation of this technical expertise.

Araki realized that Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd.'s strength lies in the craftsmen's ability to handle every aspect of manufacturing, from start to finish, with pride and a sense of responsibility for their work.

However, he says that this is also a weakness.

"I felt there was a disparity in workload among the craftsmen. While it's good to take responsibility for one's own work, I felt that this was too strong, leading to a reluctance to let others touch their work."

So, Araki had each craftsman list their current tasks and created an opportunity for them to present their findings.

Through this inventory of tasks, it was discovered that the monthly order volume and work speed were mismatched, leading to missed deadlines.

"The workload became too much for one person to handle. This led to increasing delays in delivery. They said, 'Our customers are understanding,' but I wasn't convinced."

So, Araki discussed how to meet deadlines and partially reallocated tasks that had been handled by one person to other employees.

"By partially resolving the concentration of work on one person, I believe we gained a little more flexibility. Although it's tight, we are now able to complete manufacturing within the delivery time."

Araki, who came to manufacturing from a different industry, was able to take over Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. perhaps largely due to the experience and skills of the craftsmen.

For example, to create a cylindrical shape, sheet metal is bent with a three-roll bending machine, followed by welding.

At this point, depending on customer requirements and sheet thickness, the welding method changes between overlap welding and butt welding. They have the technical capability to finish such forming with an accuracy of about 0.1 to 0.2 mm while adapting to the situation, which earns them customer trust.

Supporting Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. alongside the individual craftsmen's skills are the factory manager's experience and knowledge.

"For any customer request, he can instantly assess and communicate, 'We might be able to do it this way,' or 'We can process it using this method.' Especially with new requests, the most challenging part is the coordination and planning required to translate customer needs into a tangible product."

For Araki, who entered from a different industry, the factory manager is a reliable presence. However, he also states that this is a source of concern.

"The factory manager is 75 years old. I don't know what would happen if he were no longer here. That's why I believe we must ensure the succession of skills and knowledge."

Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. states that they want to take on new challenges going forward.

"For example, I believe that if we can bring in-house the spinning that we currently outsource, the range of work we can undertake will expand, allowing us to better meet customer demands."

He says that spinning could potentially allow them to handle smaller-lot production orders than they currently do.

"Not just spinning, I want to take on various challenges. However, I consider this a next step after prioritizing our existing customers."

To achieve this, Araki's top priority is to ensure the succession of the factory manager's skills and knowledge.

Business succession and skill succession are issues not only for Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. but for the entire manufacturing industry.

"The manufacturing industry faces a successor problem. Without manufacturing, our lives cannot function. However, much of manufacturing is understated and goes unnoticed."

For example, the strainer screens manufactured by Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. are generally not well-known.
However, they play a crucial role in ships, industrial machinery, and other applications.

"If manufacturing is perceived as understated and not profitable, I believe it's difficult to find successors. We need to communicate its social significance and that manufacturing can be profitable."

If Araki had not taken over, the skills cultivated at Kuramoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd. might have ceased to exist.
It is precisely because of Araki's background that he feels such a strong sense of crisis regarding the successor problem in the manufacturing industry.