As a sales representative

I belong to the sales department. The sales staff not only serve as a point of contact with customers, but also play a role in connecting them with various departments of our company.
The project that I am introducing here is one of our largest projects, which took two and a half years from the time we receive an inquiry from a customer to the completion of a series of processes, including submission of the quotation, conclusion of the contract, the design and manufacture of the equipment, and delivery coordination.

As sales department, it was very difficult to reach a point where we could receive an order of this large-scale project since there were other companies in the same industry. I think if we hadn’t had a strong continuous relationship of trust between the customer and us, we wouldn’t have secured the order. I suppose that the customer checked all aspects of our capabilities such as planning, engineering, manufacturing, adjustment, and response. There may have been some twists and turns until we received the order, but I believe that having built a trust relationship with the customer over 20 years enabled us to get the order.

By the end of the project, the number of business cards I had received from customers and other involved was enormous. Working on the project for two and a half years, I had a valuable experience of feeling like a member of the community to complete the same project, regardless of the position of a customer or manufacturer.
It was a very emotional project for me, since I found it extremely rewarding and felt a sense of accomplishment that I had never experienced before.

As a coordinator for machine design

I was appointed as a member of this large-scale project and was able to experience various things. The fact that this project took more than two years from the start to its completion indicates how large the machine was for our company. As for myself, I feel that my technical and interpersonal skills have improved, in many senses.

I participated as a coordinator for mechanical design from the kick-off meeting to the final commissioning operation check. Although I was not directly involved in the detail design work, I was involved as its manager. Several companies gathered for meetings to finalize specifications. However, because it was large-scale project and had highly difficult specifications, various opinions flew around when deciding on a single specification, and it was often difficult to reach a decision. We had many meetings and discussed until we were both satisfied, moving forward little by little. Gradually, we became able to exchange views with the people involved, beyond the company boundaries. We became able to discuss any technical aspects of the project. Although we were scolded sometime, we also received suggestions for various ideas and learned a lot.

Despite the large equipment, the final commissioning adjustments proceeded very smoothly and were completed. Thanks to the efforts of all the members, we could meet the contracted delivery date. The final meeting was a large one attended by dozens of people. The moment the inspection was completed, we took a commemorative photo, and it felt like my previous experience and what I had considered common sense were once again overturned. (Because we usually end with the signing of the commissioning completion form, and there is no commemorative photo.)

Also, the smiles on the customers’ faces were unforgettably good. I am sure it was because we had been working together for more than two years, sharing hardships and joys, toward a single goal. I think this is one of the best parts of our made-to-order production.

At the end, the client invited us to dinner to celebrate the successful completion of the project, and we had the opportunity to congratulate and thank each other for the job well done, which was a very good memory.