When Akio joined the company, manual machines using general-purpose equipment were mainstream, but it was an era when more companies were gradually introducing computer-controlled machines.
Teramoto Tekko had no employees who could operate a machining center. Akio had to attend a machining center training course with no knowledge of machining whatsoever.

“I was unable to sleep every night… Sometimes, when an idea struck me, I would go to the company at 3 AM to work.”
The situation where he was the only one who could operate the machining center, combined with the discerning eyes of senior craftsmen, was a great pressure for Akio.

However, by working desperately to create products that would satisfy those discerning eyes, his skills rapidly improved, and he fully mastered it in about half a year.
From then on, machining requests utilizing the machining center increased, and the machining center became the main pillar of Teramoto Tekko.

When Akio first established Yoshida Seikou Select after becoming independent, his work was primarily centered on Teramoto Tekko.
“My father told me, ‘If you leave, productivity will drop. Please take on all of our company’s work.’”
However, thinking that wouldn’t be enough, Akio embarked on developing new clients through unfamiliar sales activities.

He also engaged in cold calling, but most companies reportedly did not take him seriously.
Nevertheless, he continued sales without being discouraged, gradually increasing the number of companies that placed orders.
“Since I had always been in the technical field, I struggled with how to promote our company’s technology.”
By increasing clients one by one and delivering high-precision products through uncompromising work, his technical skills were further refined, and he gained trust.

Yoshida Seikou Select is equipped with machining centers, turning machines, electrical discharge machining (EDM), and grinding machines. Each machine has dedicated personnel who are constantly honing their skills.
“We adjust in micron units to achieve precision beyond what is specified in the drawing.”
Achieving precision beyond the drawing, not just according to it, is not easy.
Since machining alone cannot achieve that level of precision, ultimately, craftsmen make manual adjustments.
What they particularly excel at is not the precision of individual parts, but processing to enhance precision when assembled.

Even if individual parts are highly precise, they may not “fit perfectly” when assembled.
To enhance assembly precision, they hold internal meetings for each and every product.
“With the technology of each machine and the skills of the craftsmen, there are limits to what can be done and what is difficult. By coordinating these, we consider how to process to achieve the desired quality.”
By leveraging the skills and experience of each craftsman and complementing each other’s skills, Yoshida Seikou Select produces high precision.

Those who particularly appreciate the precision of Yoshida Seikou Select are the assembly workers on site.
When assembling, they can truly feel the high precision, as parts are neither too loose nor too tight.
“Actually, we manufacture products to meet customer requirements, even for parts not specified in the drawing.”
By understanding the actual machine specifications, they instruct craftsmen to be mindful of the finished product desired by the customer.

What makes this possible is because Akio closely observed assembly work during his time at Teramoto Tekko.
Because he understands the difficulties in assembly and what points to pay attention to, and can concretely visualize the finished form and movement, they can consider even points not written in the drawing.
And because they prioritize the precision of the assembled unit, not just individual parts, they can meet customer demands without compromise.
The craftsmen also take pride in their skills and are constantly striving to “make something even better!”

They are also mindful of the balance between precision and cost.
“High precision is important, but overdoing it only increases costs. Discerning where high precision is necessary and where it is not. That balance is difficult, but we instruct them to be mindful of this point during processing.”
It’s not just about spending time.
Achieving both high precision and cost-effectiveness – that is the reason why Yoshida Seikou Select is highly regarded and chosen.

Yoshida Seikou Select is working on developing its own products.
“Ever since I became independent, I wanted to create our own products, not just subcontracted work.”
What they are currently developing are aluminum plant pots.
Akio, who liked foliage plants and succulents, focused on plant pots.
“I realized that people who truly love plants cultivate them with deep affection.”
In bonsai, not only the plant but also the pot together form a single work of art.

Such ceramic pots for bonsai are quite expensive.
He thought that foliage plants, like bonsai, could become wonderful works of art when the plant and pot are integrated.
“I thought we could make aluminum pots by utilizing our technology.”
Thus, he began designing beautiful plant pots that enhance the plants, incorporating the golden ratio.

However, when a pot designed in 2D was rendered in 3D, he noticed distortion depending on the viewing angle.
“In 2D, it’s a shape viewed from one direction. But actual pots are not viewed from only one direction. People often look at the pot from above to view the plant. I realized that it wouldn’t result in the beautiful shape I had imagined.”
He pursued beauty that cannot be fully expressed in design drawings by finely adjusting the shape while machining.

The machining also incorporates unique techniques.
He had an idea that knurling could be used as a pattern and applied knurling to the rim.
However, knurling was not straightforward.
The pattern inevitably had undulations.
“The cause was that the cutting resistance is stronger at the start and end of the tool’s engagement, resulting in a non-uniform finish.”
To make the pattern encircling the pot’s rim uniform, it was solved by delicately adjusting the feed rate at the start and end of the tool’s engagement.

There are also innovations in the glossiness of the pot surface.
“A white haze would appear depending on the machining method. We achieved this gloss by adjusting the tool angle to the absolute limit.”
Through repeated trial and error, these aluminum plant pots, utilizing meticulous techniques and ingenuity, received high praise both internally and externally.
Going forward, they aim for commercialization after at least one year of observation and experimentation, checking for problems with plant growth, whether it’s okay to expose it to direct sunlight, and how the aging degradation of aluminum progresses.

Although they are dedicating time to developing their own products in this way, they are not aiming to become a major manufacturer.
“It is one of the tools to let many people know about our company’s technology.”
This beautiful plant pot is packed with Yoshida Seikou Select’s technology, from design to machining.”
For every failure and hardship in developing their own products, many challenges and innovations are born, leading to the improvement of craftsmen’s technical skills.

In machining, when you make something 100 times, you don’t get the same quality product 100 times.
Subtle differences can arise due to various conditions.
It is the craftsman’s experience and skill that adjusts these.
However, such skills are difficult to document and can only be learned intuitively by gaining experience on site.
Therefore, there are also skills that are fading away because they cannot be passed down.

The scraping technique that his father, Seiji, had honed is one such skill.
Yoshida Seikou Select also performs scraping, but the number of requests is decreasing.
Scraping is a delicate process that can only be done manually.
Because it takes both time and cost, fewer companies are requesting it.
And this means that the skill cannot be passed down.
Parts that have undergone scraping are less prone to failure and can maintain high quality for a long time.
That is why it is thought that demand has decreased as a technique that goes against the era of mass consumption.
Not limited to scraping, sometimes high precision may not be appreciated, being judged solely by price.

“When assembly doesn’t go well, there are times when there are no issues even after checking the drawings or part dimensions. To adjust this, the assembly man-hours on site increase.”
Yoshida Seikou Select takes time to adjust to achieve precision that considers assembly.
On the other hand, some suppliers deliver at a lower price without spending much time, judging that it’s sufficient if the dimensions match.
Such differences affect on-site assembly operations.
And on site, the number of craftsmen with the skills to handle such problems is decreasing.

“If things continue this way, Japan’s good old techniques will fade away.”
By aiming for higher precision product manufacturing, Yoshida Seikou Select ensures that craftsmen are passing down their skills while improving them.
They hope for an era where wonderful skills that cannot be expressed in numbers or documents are properly evaluated.