"Many of our clients come to us because they are in trouble," Suzuki said.
There are largely three patterns for projects that other design offices refuse, deeming them "difficult." One is a lack of design know-how because the machine or equipment is something the designer has no experience with. Another is the inability to effectively materialize the client's vision. And finally, the inability to design due to a complex mechanism.

Companies struggling because their design requests have been rejected for such reasons are Michiiro Co., Ltd.'s clients. For example, many suppliers can somehow design one-off items like custom machines. However, the difficulty level significantly increases when it comes to mass production. This is because supporting documentation based on design standards is required to clearly indicate service life, design life, strength, and so on. Furthermore, designs must consider aspects such as where consumable parts will be and cost implications.
Michiiro Co., Ltd.'s significant strength lies in its ability to design not just by creating drawings, but by considering all aspects, including the underlying rationale.

Kawasaki, who is primarily responsible for design, possesses a truly diverse range of technical experience. He has performed electrical design for machining centers, control panel design, circuit design, and circuit board design for the pachinko industry. He also has experience in NC internal software programming, production technology for broadcasting equipment, and improvement design. Furthermore, he has undertaken a wide variety of designs, including smartphones, commercial refrigerators, large industrial magnets, semiconductor inspection equipment, medical devices (automatic urine analyzers, stool analyzers, PCR testing machines), and process equipment for the automotive industry. He also has experience in machining operations.
"I performed machining of prototypes and other items at a factory using a machining center that I was involved with. I believed that if I didn't know how the machines I designed were being used, I couldn't judge whether my designs were correct."

Among these numerous experiences, smartphone design was reportedly the most challenging. It was when smartphones were just beginning to spread, and it was the first smartphone manufactured by that particular maker. Moreover, the goal was to create the world's thinnest. Kawasaki joined the design team around the time the arrangements for the first prototyping were completed. The problem was the lack of criteria to judge the quality of the designed product. Therefore, they decided to adapt the design evaluation standards for conventional mobile phones. However, no one understood the basis for the numerical values in those evaluation standards.

For this reason, Kawasaki began by researching all available cases and creating new evaluation standards. When asked why he could be so thorough, Kawasaki replied, "While I have a thirst for knowledge, I also believe that value is created when you do things that others are reluctant to do."
It is precisely because of the experience accumulated with this attitude that they can take on designs that are deemed "difficult."

Kawasaki says that when designing, he tries to elicit as many detailed requests as possible. He asks, "We can consider methods A, B, and C, but which one would you prefer?" He explains, "If you ask 'What should we do?', you often don't get an answer quickly. But if you present options, you get an immediate response."
In this way, by aligning the customer's vision with the designer's skills, they complete designs that meet the customer's demands.

What Kawasaki hopes for is to build a network of colleagues with whom he can consult.
"When designing alone, assumptions and personal preferences can sometimes creep in. So, it would be great if I could consult with colleagues before showing it to the customer."
To achieve this, it might be necessary to have colleagues who, like Kawasaki, have a thirst for knowledge and are well-versed in various designs. If this comes to fruition, Michiiro Co., Ltd. would become the strongest design group, comprised of high-level engineers.

Suzuki states, "I want to create a company where professionals gather who can be consulted and offer advice when customers are in trouble." By creating new mechanisms through manufacturing, people's lives become more convenient. However, few people truly understand how to actually create something or what systems to utilize to make things better.

By effectively utilizing existing knowledge and technology, there are various possibilities such as resolving labor shortages, producing safe food, and reducing costs through mass production. However, there is actually a shortage of engineers who can achieve this. The reasons might be poor working conditions or low social status. Also, it might be that the true joy of manufacturing is not being conveyed to children.

Talented aspiring engineers are born every year. However, highly skilled individuals often work for major manufacturers and are engaged only in designing products made by those manufacturers, making it difficult for them to acquire a broad perspective and diverse design skills.
"I believe many people choose manufacturing not out of a desire to change the future or create new things through manufacturing, but for reasons like high salaries or status. It's difficult, but I think we need to change that."
For Japanese manufacturing to become a globally respected presence, it will be necessary to increase the number of true designers.