Young designers compete en masse at manufacturing sites
The careers of our designers and engineers start with manufacturing.
Mr. Nakamura, you are focusing efforts on nurturing young engineers to follow you, aren't you?
At Nikon, I felt the necessity to raise professionals dedicated to manufacturing and proposed setting up a training program. This started in 2005 and the program still continues.
What was the occasion that gave you this idea of raising young engineers?
Most novice engineers join the company immediately after college and graduate school. Entering the company, they are assigned mostly to design work at first. This is one system of raising engineers. But what they learn out of this process is very limited, with restricted views on engineering. For example, after two or three years, a camera designer is already a good designer, but may lack other knowhow, such as optics or other knowledge of Nikon products and technologies. When engineers are still young, they need to experience an extremely wide spectrum of products and technologies.
That's how important you consider the manufacturing program you started.
Indeed. Its objectives are as follow: The program aims at nurturing machine designers and engineers, so that they will grow to be the core of the company with a true understanding of manufacturing, thus reinforcing the spirit of manufacturing at Nikon. In other words, it delivers all the necessary knowledge of procedures in manufacturing: planning, design, experimentation, prototype and delivery. Then, you experience words of appraisal, complaints, repair requests, maintenance, etc. All the processes are included.
You obtained ideas and knowhow from your experiences?
I was lucky to learn extensively about optics and many other subjects through being given the assignment to develop ophthalmic lens automatic inspection equipment when I was still just merely a novice. What's more, it was on-the-job training. It was incredibly useful for me, and I want young novice engineers to experience the same. I intend to continue these efforts to help nurture the engineers of tomorrow, as an important part of my work.
So, manufacturing engineer programs are equivalent to on-the-job manufacturing training. Your engineering DNA is handed down to young engineers in this way.
The program terms are set for two years. Engineers learn through working. Training is very practical, dealing with actual products. After two years, the trainees are assigned as engineers in different departments. I hope that in the future they will take their turn in the role of trainers, to lead and instruct others who follow them through the practical work of everyday operations.