5th international skills contest

We held the 5th international skill contest at Kasumigaura Institute on November 4 and 5, 2008. We have been holding this contest to improve employee skills and develop human resources, aiming the world's best quality. At the contest this year we held contests for measuring and coating with participants only from Japan on a trial basis for the first time in addition to the welding contest held in previous years.

Forty-nine competitors from factories in the world participated in the contest, pitting their skills against each other in a competition that included a paper test. The winner of the welding contest was Mr. Masami Matsuzaki from Tsuchiura Works. Two employees from Hitachi Construction Machinery (China) and one from Hitachi Construction Machinery Indonesia also won prizes. As for the trial contests that were open only to employees of factories in Japan, the winner of the measuring contest was Mr. Shiro Kuramoto from Hitachinaka Works, and the winner of the coating contest was Mr. Kazuya Aoki from Tsuchiura Works.

Many people including executives of the companies, factory officials, presidents of associated companies, and people from collaborating companies came to see the contest, livening up the occasion. The contest fostered our manufacturing culture and raised understanding of the Kenkijin spirit because the participants became to know each other and learned from each other's skills.

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