The 4h Proposal-based Workshop Innovation Practice 2019 Report from the 2nd Session

On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, the second session for “Innovation Practice 2019” was held in the form of “fieldwork.” Total 18 participants including postdocs, doctorates, an undergraduate, instructors and operating staffs, visited the proposing company, Hirotuku Co., Ltd.

We were broken up into two groups and started a factory tour. We watched the end to end process from stock management of the raw materials, cutting of konbu seaweed, removal of foreign objects (such as pebbles, hair, dust, etc.), boiling of konbu (boiling temperature and time duration differ by the grade of kombu), seasoning & cooling, packaging to loading for shipping. For most of the participants, it’s been a while since they did this type of factory tour last time. Some of them got interested in the structure of the automated machines, some were keen to watch the operational procedure of staffs and some were raising questions to the chief of the factory from time to time. Everyone had different interest and diversified viewpoints.

After the tour, we held a Q&A session, inviting key representatives from the respective divisions at Hirotuku. The participants raised many questions to them, based on their own expertise and experience, from the organizational structure, quality control process, product development, marketing strategy to sales targets. Some of them highlighted the challenges Hirotuku faces today, which could be starting points of the group discussion to start from the 3rd session.