Our company will gradually invest in automation equipment, including IoT devices, to create a production system that can flexibly respond to the labor shortage caused by the worsening declining birthrate in the country and the rapid changes in the business environment in recent years. As a first step, we will advance the introduction of automatic assembly machines and automatic appearance inspection machines at our headquarters factory, and we will sequentially expand this to our overseas group locations in the future. By implementing automation and creative ideas, we aim to further improve efficiency and establish a system that can consistently provide our customers with high-quality products at low prices.

Our company resonates with the concept of health management and started activities in 2019 with the declaration of health. Although we are gradually taking small steps, we hope that by promoting activities to support the mental and physical health of our employees, we can contribute to the bright and active corporate culture and the desire for reform stated in our management philosophy. This time, we have received certification as a Health Management Excellent Corporation 2022 (Small and Medium-sized Corporations Division (Bright 500)) from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, continuing from last year. As concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus remain, and both mental and physical fatigue and stress from the pandemic environment are becoming more prevalent, we will continue our efforts to support the mental and physical well-being of our employees and strive to create a bright and healthy workplace environment.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, stress factors have changed, and not only Japan but the entire world has been exposed to various stresses. This has made us acutely aware of the importance of promoting health management as a company in response to the increasing anxiety and stress among workers. Our company conducts individual health counseling for all employees once a year by a health nurse. Additionally, we have decided to implement "Mental Health Counseling" sessions conducted by a health nurse, lasting about 40 minutes each, as part of our further mental health care activities. Starting in July 2021, we have established an environment where those who wish to can receive counseling in a way that ensures privacy and comfort. (The company covers the cost of up to seven sessions per person per year.) For Daiwa Chemical, a vibrant and active corporate culture and the well-being of our employees are driving forces behind our management philosophy. We will continue to strive to supply high-quality and affordable products to our valued customers from a bright and healthy workplace environment.

In June 2020, we were certified as a "Healthy Excellent Company" with the highest rank of 5 stars by the Kanagawa branch of the National Health Insurance Association. The impact of the novel coronavirus on health and the economy is spreading worldwide, and there is a situation where anxiety about an uncertain future cannot be dispelled. However, we believe that if each employee maintains a high awareness of health preservation and keeps their mind and body in good condition, it will lead to improved immunity and a company culture filled with a bright and challenging spirit.

The complete renovation of the clean room on the first floor of our second factory, which began construction in February 2019, has been completed, and operations started in April. Clean room specifications: ISO Class 8 compliant (Class 100,000) By establishing a system that allows us to complete processes from injection molding to finishing, processing, inspection, and packaging of silicone rubber products related to medical, power, and connectors within the clean room, we will continue to promote more stable quality maintenance. Additionally, along with this renovation, we have also expanded our silicone rubber injection molding machines, thereby enhancing our production capacity compared to before.

Our company believes that the concept of health management will become an important theme in future corporate management, and we are promoting activities aimed at enhancing the physical and mental health of our employees. To raise social awareness of health management, we have cooperated in interviews for PR activity booklets and collaborated in data collection with universities engaged in health management research. Although our efforts may be modest, we have contributed to activities that promote health management during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that these initiatives have been recognized, and as a result, we were certified as a Health Management Excellent Corporation 2021 [Small and Medium-sized Corporations Division (Bright 500)] by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on March 4, 2021. Moving forward, we will continue to improve our efforts in health management and strive to create a bright and healthy workplace environment for both the physical and mental well-being of our employees.

The explanatory material "Easy Basic Knowledge of Rubber" briefly summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of rubber molding methods, as well as examples of troubles related to rubber products. Currently, we are distributing materials that compile basic knowledge about rubber, the methods and advantages/disadvantages of rubber molding, and examples of common troubles that occur when using rubber products. 【Overview of the Material】 ■ About Natural Rubber and Synthetic Rubber ■ Applications of Rubber ■ What is Synthetic Rubber? (Discussion on composition, etc.) ■ Types of Rubber Compounding Agents ■ Mechanism of Rubber Molding (Crosslinking) ■ Advantages and Disadvantages of Rubber Molding Methods (Compression Molding, Transfer Molding, Injection Molding) ■ Examples of Troubles with Rubber Products (O-rings, Outgassing, Softening Degradation, Migration Contamination) *For more details, please refer to the PDF materials from related products and catalogs, or feel free to contact us. *We also accept online meetings. If you would like an explanation about rubber or have projects you are considering, please do not hesitate to let us know.