YAZAKI: Past, present, future. We are connected.

In those days, it seemed as if clocks in Vietnam had been stuck for twenty years. Taxis fashioned out of old cars left when the U. S. military withdrew after the war belched thick clouds of black smoke as the traveled through the streets.

Documents required when applying for an investment license to establish a new company included a thirty-year business plan and financial statements from the parent company. Moreover, when bound together, catalogs and related business explanations that were submitted produced a book that was two and a half centimeters thick. The application was filed at the end of December, and the license was granted three months later, much earlier than anyone had anticipated. Yazaki EDS Vietnam was officially born.

Of course, at the time, few foreign companies, and even fewer Japanese companies, were doing business in Vietnam. Consequently, the number of people who applied for jobs as local employees was ten times greater than the number of openings. Astonished when, to a person, every applicant said, “I can do 100% of what is expected,” interviewers ended up making their hiring decisions based on the person’s look, personal appearance, way of speaking and other factors. The first nine university graduates that were hired then were given thorough training that included six months at Yazaki’s Gotemba Factory in Japan. These nine are currently in charge of operations in various departments. As for rank-and-file employees, the decision whether or not to hire was made after checking if the person worked diligently and could serve in a two-shift system.

The staff was assembled and full operation began in September. However, in the beginning, the employees’ proficiency was low and the new company could not make deliveries on time. To provide instruction, veteran female part-timers were sent from worksites in Japan to Vietnam. When they arrived, they found that the Vietnamese learn very quickly, even when verbal communication was difficult, if they used a process of actual demonstration and then practice by the employees. Three months later, instruction was completed and the “aunties” prepared to return to Japan. The farewell was a sad one, however, as both sides found it difficult to part, and there were tears all around.

In time, it was discovered that the Vietnamese were adept at learning languages. In fact, when some twenty Vietnamese employees were sent to a factory in Thailand for three months of machinery training, they all returned having mastered Thai. It became apparent that work would proceed more smoothly if, instead of having the Japanese learn Vietnamese, the Vietnamese were asked to learn Japanese. Convinced that this was the case, Yazaki EDS Vietnam’s then president made the decision to put emphasis on Japanese language training.

Dealing with discipline and bad manners was troublesome. No one picked up trash even when it was everywhere. Under such circumstances, ensuring tidiness and orderliness was impossible. Top managers responded by taking the lead in picking up trash. Every morning, they stood in front of the lockers and continually called out “Good morning!” to arriving employees. At the morning assembly, they patiently explained the company’s thinking, and when the company’s performance was good, they made everyone happy by praising employees for their hard work or by presenting mementos. Such small steps built momentum until, eventually, the employees began giving greetings on their own.

Gradually, within three or four years, high-quality employees began to emerge. After seven years, enough progress had been made to allow the development of Vietnamese middle managers in Yazaki EDS Vietnam for the creation of a new company, Yazaki Haiphong Vietnam (YHV), in Haiphong in northern Vietnam. These middle managers were capable of independently preparing production plans based on drawings from Japan. They have since been promoted to the department or section head level and are serving as mainstays of the company.

First, hire young human resources, teach them the basics of manners and discipline as human beings, and nurture them. Cherish the ties with the local community. While it may appear to be indirect at first glance, the Yazaki approach to education produces consistent results around the world.