Making Female Employees Shine Through the Accessory Project!

"Prioritizing employee happiness while creating an environment where employees can grow and thrive"

This is a philosophy that Orbray has cherished since its founding. While this applies to all employees, we have been particularly focused on promoting the advancement of female employees in recent years. In the manufacturing industry, where the proportion of males is high, we want women to take the lead and gain confidence and fulfillment through manufacturing. This sentiment gave birth to the "Accessory Project" that we are introducing today.

Women Leading Product Development from Planning to Completion

This project originated from the fact that the Yokote factory was manufacturing posts (shafts) – components for earrings. The idea emerged: "If we could have women contribute ideas and complete not just the shafts but entire earrings, it could boost their confidence and increase their job satisfaction." This concept was proposed by the sales team to President Riyako, who gave her approval, and the project launched in June 2023.

The project started with eight members: four from Orbray’s business office (BIZ), three from the Yokote factory, and one from the Yuzawa factory.

To learn about manufacturing and design, they ventured outside the factory to visit craft workshops and manufacturing sites, conducting extensive research. They set their own goals, sought cooperation from people in various roles across different business locations whom they wouldn't normally encounter, and worked toward completion through repeated trial and error.

Yokote-Yuzawa Team: Cosmic Aspirations Embodied in "Company Badges

The Yokote-Yuzawa team worked on creating company badges, driven by the desire to "let more people experience the beauty of ceramics created by Orbray's polishing technology."

Company badges not only instill pride in members of the organization when worn, but also serve as corporate PR tools during sales meetings and company presentations. The team also considered how the badges could serve as conversation starters with customers.

The design keywords were "celestial bodies," "light," "nature," and "cutting, grinding, and polishing technology." The members chose celestial bodies as the main motif, believing that the way celestial bodies shine when bathed in light perfectly represents Orbray as a company.

By applying our core technologies of Cutting. Grinding, and Polishing, we gave each orb a three-dimensional quality in which its expression changes depending on the viewing angle, and framed each orb in space through carve-outs, which also reduce the weight. These badges also represent the enduring quality that Orbray strives for: creating the future through excellent craftsmanship.

This was their first time creating craft items. The Yokote-Yuzawa factory team visited the workshop of Keita Sato, a craftsman of Kawatsura lacquerware, a traditional craft of Yuzawa City. The members spent time learning about materials and design while creating numerous prototypes.

Next, they carved shapes from ceramics at the Yokote factory and performed polishing and decoration at the Yuzawa factory. They created three colors: black, white, and milk. The milk-colored material utilized waste materials with SDGs in mind. They also experimented with phosphorescent paint that makes the company name glow green in the light.

The completed company badges have a three-dimensional quality and change expression depending on the viewing angle. They resemble the universe itself, shining timelessly. They express the "Universe," "Hope," and "Brilliance" that remain with us unchanged throughout time.

BIZ Team: Cross-Industry Approach with "Earrings"

Meanwhile, the BIZ team developed earrings with the concept of "making Orbray known beyond industry boundaries." Since Orbray's products are small and used in places invisible to consumers, their technical excellence and beauty are largely unknown to the general public. They wanted to make Orbray feel more accessible by creating earrings for everyday use.

Initially, they considered adhering stones that had been stored at the Yuzawa factory to ceramic posts (shafts) manufactured at the Yokote factory. However, the stones were too soft for processing.

Next, they prototyped earrings where both the decoration and the post were integrally molded from ceramic, but polishing the posts proved difficult, and they abandoned this approach due to processing time and cost considerations. They finally arrived at earrings with an all-ceramic structure but manufactured and bonded as separate parts.

While simple in appearance with black and white colors, the beauty of the ceramics stands out, and when worn, they sparkle with every movement. They also laser-engraved the company name clearly. The ceramic posts are safe for people with metal allergies. Utilizing Orbray's technology, they also created prototypes with matte finishes and rounded designs.

　

Women's Challenge That Opened New Chapters in Orbray's History

The project results were presented at an executive meeting. In fact, this was the first time in Orbray's 80-year history that female employees gave presentations at an executive meeting. President Riyako had long hoped for Orbray's female employees to speak confidently before large audiences, and improving presentation skills was one of the important goals of this project. The president was amazed at how the presenters' skills improved with each session, and executives highly praised them, saying, "Your efforts have created a new corporate culture" and "This is an event that will go down in Orbray's history."

The women who participated in this project expressed their feelings about it: "At first, I thought it would be difficult, but I was happy to be able to give it form with advice and cooperation from various people," and "It was educational to talk with people from departments I don't usually interact with and learn from highly skilled people. I thought the teamwork was wonderful." They were delighted to have participated in this project.

This project marks the beginning of a new chapter for Orbray's female employees – and that's no exaggeration. Taking this as the first step, female employees will propose ideas to launch projects, leverage technologies acquired through their work, collaborate with people inside and outside the company, and overcome challenges when they arise. While this project is a small step, Orbray plans to continue women's advancement projects involving more female employees in the future.

Regional Collaboration – Expansion to Hometown Tax Donations

The accessories and earrings created by the women are being considered for development as return gifts for hometown tax donations, as proposed by Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture. We are very excited about this opportunity to contribute to the regional economy.

It's a dream come true that these products, combining the creativity of female employees in Tokyo and Akita with Orbray's technology, will reach people nationwide.

A Company and Society Where Women Can Shine

President Riyako wants not only to make Orbray a company that embodies the concept of shining and radiating light expressed by its name, but also to help women throughout the regional community shine.

"When I tell people from other companies about this project, they listen with great interest. I hope such initiatives will spread to other small and medium-sized enterprises as well."

This project marks the beginning of a new chapter for both Orbray and its female employees.

Starting with individual employees generating ideas, then launching projects themselves, leveraging technologies cultivated through work and internal and external networks, and all the while overcoming various challenges – each step paves the way for Orbray's future.

We plan to continue expanding opportunities for advancement while involving more female employees.

Women becoming the "light" that illuminates the region – the first step toward such a future has just been cut, ground, and polished.