Chapter 3 - Nurturing "Kenkijin Spirit" through New Challenges in the Americas
Hitachi Construction Machinery’s operation in the American continents entered a period of massive transformation with the termination of the agreement with Deere, as did Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas, which took lead in implementing the change. Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas had only 40 employees in August 2021, but has rapidly hired 100 more locally, and welcomed an additional 40 from the parent firm in Japan, boosting its current total to 180.
The Group’s corporate values are one of the elements helping to bring them all together -- what Hitachi Construction Machinery calls the “Kenkijin Spirit”.
The Kenkijin Spirit is based on three key ideas, all starting with the letter C: Challenge, Customer, and Communication.
For the global Hitachi Construction Machinery Group, this Spirit helps define its sense of value and code of conduct. It also serves as a guideline for business growth in the Americas.
CEO Quinn says that at Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas, where diverse human resources are gathered, the Kenkijin spirit will serve as a guiding principle to bring the team together.
Uniting Diverse Employees
CEO Quinn of Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas describes the Kenkijin Spirit as “a set of customs that invites personal opinions to help get things done even better, in a company culture that is extremely open and transparent. Everybody expresses themselves, and nobody attacks anyone for a different opinion. Once something is decided, everyone helps get it accomplished. This isn’t a dictatorship or top-down management, it’s all the employees contributing to improve products and processes.” Quinn is confident that this is one of the major reasons Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas is able to utilize its diverse workforce so effectively.
Vice President Wilson explains that one of the ways this is implemented is to talk things over with employees and customers, to make organizational changes if needed, and to find ways to provide even better service. “For example, we listen to what our customers have to say, but we also listen to what people who decided not to buy our products have to say. If there’s something we didn’t or couldn’t do, we want to know about it, and make it better. It gives us a chance to grow as a company.”
Babliton Cardoso, Senior Director of Mining Equipment Sales, says his personal interpretation of the Kenkijin Spirit might be a little different: “I feel that it helps everyone share common objectives with the company, and understand the company’s goals and the methods used to achieve them. They provide the tools and rights needed for the company and each individual employee to grow.”
Jason Mizen, National Rental Accounts Manager says: ”To find out what each dealers and cuntomers expect from us.”
Listening to customers to discover how to increase their benefits, actively exchanging ideas and opinions inhouse, and then finding ways to make the necessary improvements - as Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas rises to meet new challenges, the Kenkijin Spirit spells out a code of conduct to serve as a guiding light.
Overview - Building New Business in the Americas
