The entrance ceremony was held on April 1. President Yoshiya Miyabe gave a speech to the new employees as follows:
Introduction
Congratulations to all of you on joining Kanematsu Corporation.
I’m very pleased to be able to welcome you to our company. Kanematsu’s future is in your hands.
Focusing on diversity
Today we are welcoming 49 new members to the company. Similarly to last year, members with various backgrounds are joining us. Kanematsu places importance on diversity, and the reason behind this is that we have a corporate culture that values each and every employee’s talent and humanity, regardless of nationality or gender. The rich sense of humanity that your seniors also possess is our company’s precious asset, and thanks to which we have been able to create many businesses to this date.
Responding to a new era
As you all know, our society is undergoing rapid technological innovation, driven by AI and other advancements. Meanwhile, geopolitical risks are escalating due to the ongoing conflicts around the world, and environmental problems are growing ever more serious with each passing year. In this way, the situation we are in today is evolving at an ever-accelerating pace.
For over 130 years since our founding in 1889, we have conducted business activities with a pioneering spirit and creativity to contribute to social and economic development, adhering to our Corporate Principle. Over our long history, we have had many eras where the future seemed uncertain, like the one we are in now. However, we have a track record of being able to adapt to many changes until today, leveraging the Corporate Principle that has been inherited. I’m confident that we will be able to cope with the new era as long as we have the courage to change, placing our unwavering philosophy as the axis, in the years to come. I hope you create unprecedented new value by maximizing your ability acquired by combining the flexible mindset, individual characteristics, and wisdom of you with various backgrounds.
New Kanematsu
Our three-year medium-term management plan, “integration 1.0,” was launched last year. In order to achieve one of our goals envisioned in “integration 1.0,” which is to become “a solutions provider leading the transformation of efficient and sustainable supply chains,” we are making efforts to promote integrated management across our entire group. In fiscal 2024, Year 1 of “integration 1.0,” we began personnel exchanges with Kanematsu Electronics, dispatching seven members for the first-year phase of the program. In addition, we held the Kanematsu Group Sports Festival for the first time in a decade, aiming to strengthen cooperation between group members. In fiscal 2025, Year 2 of “integration 1.0,” we will implement group-wide initiatives to nurture more DX human resources with expertise in the trading company business, as well as strengthening our organizational structure toward creating new value.
Closing words
I would like to close my speech with a bit of advice for you. I always say:
“Taking action is what counts.” Some of you may already have an idea of what kind of work you want to do at Kanematsu, while some of you may be yet unsure about what you want to do. In real life, there are many situations where you have to do things reluctantly, not being assigned to the job you hope for. However, I think it’s important to “start from what you can do now and where you are, in other words, take action at any rate.” When taking action, always respect and be sincere to those around you and put your heart into it. By continuously following this attitude, more and more people--both in and outside the company--will want to work with you, and these people will eventually become your irreplaceable assets. Once you can build such relationships, you will be able to enjoy your work very much. I do believe that this attitude will allow you to lead an abundant life with no regret.
Once again, congratulations on joining Kanematsu. Let’s stay healthy and enjoy our work together. I look forward to your future performances, and this will conclude my speech.