DOWA CSR Report 2019

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The DOWA Group aims to be a company trusted by all stakeholders for sustainable development and is taking initiatives to enhance the relationship with society through its CSR activities.

Priority Measures Promoting work-life balance
Support for career development done on the initiative of employees
Self-Directed and Self-Driven Initiatives

　Akita Zinc, located in the waterfront area in the city of Akita, is the largest zinc smelter in Japan with more than 200 employees. Zinc is an important material that supports industry and life as anti-corrosive metal plating for such things as automobiles and building materials, and as a corrosion resistant component for ships and bridges, etc. Akita Zinc is the smelter with the largest market share in Japan, producing about 200,000 tons of zinc annually. It also achieves world-class quality using our unique technologies such as the hematite method.

A Virtuous Circle of “Recruitment”, “Training” and “Retention”

　At Akita Zinc, in order to strengthen the production base through human resource strategy, we are promoting initiatives with the aim that the three areas of recruitment, training and retention function well. Akita Prefecture is the region in Japan where the population is declining at the largest pace, and we need to cope with the drop in the working population, with the falling birthrate, aging of the population and increasing employment mobility. In order to secure human resources, it is important not only to increase new hires, but also train and retain employees that leads to further recruitment. Therefore, we are engaged in recruiting activities to prevent mismatches, and in addition to creating a working environment where it is easy to work, we are working to develop human resources that will make each person feel the job is more worthwhile and satisfying so they can show off their abilities.

From Guidance and Development to Support and Promotion

　“Seeking the vitality of workers, and contributing to society through environmentally friendly “manufacturing”. is Akita Zinc’s new corporate philosophy that was formulated in 2018 by the in-house“ Workplace Skills Improvement Project Team”. The Workplace Skills Improvement Project is an initiative undertaken by the entire DOWA Group with the aim of improving workplace skills that are indispensable to building a foundation for corporate growth from the perspective of human resource development. With the project at Akita Zinc, we believe that the corporate philosophy is the basis of human resource development. From the starting point of “what is the company for”, manufacturing has returned to the spirit of human resource development from the time the company was founded, and it has been summarized as our goal. At present, we are working to spread this as a philosophy that should be shared by all employees.
　Akita Zinc’s Workplace Skills Improvement Project Team consists of members from each department selected by questionnaires of all employees, with a particular focus on human resource management that encourages voluntary changes in behavior. Currently, based on the idea that “people have the power to grow on their own”, we are moving from human resource development centered on guidance to developing activities that incorporate ways of involvement, such as support and facilitation to promote awareness and personal growth. In the future, we will promote the creation of an environment where human resources with shared goals can each be active in autonomous and self-propelled Initiatives.

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What External Evaluation Aims For

　In FY 2015, Akita Zinc was the first company in Akita Prefecture to be recognized as a “Youth Yell” company with certification by the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare that the company is active in recruiting and training young people, and has excellent employment management. Since then, the company has continued to be certified for five years. In FY 2017, the company received the Human Resources Development Director’s Award of the “Good Career Company Award” that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare awards to companies that have model employee career development support. In addition, it has received high praise for helping employees balance work and childcare, such as the “Baby Wave Action Chairman’s Award” that is awarded to model companies in the area of stopping the declining birthrate, certification by the city of Akita that the company is contributing to a town for healthy children, and the child care support leader declaration of the Akita City Ikuboss Declaration.
　Getting external evaluation is not only recognition from the outside that the company is a place where it is easy to work, but recognition through the third party’s evaluation is an opportunity for employees to feel proud about their own workplace, and has the effect of reminding employees that their company is a place where it is easy to work. In addition, by getting the awards, since the points of praise are clarified, such as the low turnover rate and the high rate of taking paid vacation, it also helps to strengthen and deepen our efforts.

　Akita Zinc promotes the creation of a business foundation centered on the“ people” who support the sources of manufacturing through various initiatives that take advantage of internal and external viewpoints.

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VOICE

The decrease in the population is often viewed as a negative for both the national and local economies and the company, but it has given us a strong opportunity to change. Previously, economic indicators such as production volume and sales were the main management indicators, but in addition to that, as a measure for nurturing and retaining human resources, we have conducted employee satisfaction surveys, quantitatively evaluated motivation and job satisfaction, and can now consider more specific measures and improvements. We believe that the vitality of workers is the source of good “manufacturing” that leads to customer trust and satisfaction. The level of satisfaction still has a way to go, but while respecting each other’s values, and with each thinking and acting individually, we would like to pursue a richness of spirit and an improvement in our corporate values.

MIURA Takahiro MIURA Takahiro, Manager, General Affairs Department, AKITA ZINC
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Progress of Activities

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