Orbray Receives Award for Supporting Local Economy’s Revitalization

Orbray Co., Ltd., received the FY2023 Award for Supporting a Local Economy’s Revitalization from the Japan Foundation for Regional Vitalization. The ceremony was held at Yuzawa City Hall in Akita Prefecture on Nov. 21, 2023. The foundation, which is incorporated as a public-interest body, cited our company’s efforts to create new jobs and advance sustainable development goals as reasons for the award.

The award is intended to honor companies and private organizations that have contributed to the development of local economies, and promote further revitalization by making their activities known nationwide. It has been offered by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications since 2002.

For more about the foundation (in Japanese)
https://www.furusato-zaidan.or.jp/yushi/kigyotaisho/

Reasons that Orbray Received this Award:

• The company has significantly contributed to expansion of employment in the region. About 80 percent of the workers at Orbray’s Yuzawa factory are from Akita Prefecture and 60 percent reside in Yuzawa City.
• Orbray has endeavored to nurture future leaders in the region, such as through factory tours and workshops for the region’s students, including a program called “From Projects Orbray.”
• The company has also hosted a series of events to encourage younger generations to find jobs in the area.
• Orbray holds an annual clean-up of the surrounding areas, and engages in planting trees and recycling uniforms as part of its efforts to promote its SDGs.

Award Ceremony Speech by Orbray President Riyako Namiki:

We are very pleased to receive the Award for Supporting a Local Economy’s Revitalization, thanks to the recommendation of Yuzawa City. We would not have achieved this great honor without the support of the foundation, Yuzawa City, and the residents of the region. I would like to express my gratitude from the bottom of my heart.

Next year, our company will celebrate the 85th anniversary of its founding. The year will also commemorate the 57th anniversary of the Yuzawa factory’s operation. Taking advantage of our proprietary jewel-processing technologies of “cutting, grinding and polishing,” which we have continued to develop and refine since the beginning, we have provided products to customers all over the world from our base here, in Yuzawa City. In recent years, Orbray’s synthetic diamond has been attracting attention, and we expect the material to be applied to next-generation power semiconductors, electric vehicles, and quantum computers. We are committed to growth through technological innovation and steady business management.

As many as 80 percent of our employees at the Yuzawa factory are from Akita Prefecture and 60 percent live in Yuzawa City. In May, we unveiled a plan to move part of our headquarters to Yuzawa City and open a new factory here. Through these initiatives, we aim to create more jobs and help to invigorate the region’s economy further.

Over the past several years, we have focused on nurturing future leaders in the region. We have invited students from local schools to tour our factory, and have sponsored workshops such as “From Projects Orbray” to encourage the area’s young people to play a leading role in the future of the region. We hope to build a sustainable future for the region, and provide venues for younger generations to be active in creating such a future.

We also opened a new Yuzawa factory named Orbray [TRAD] in August, which includes a café and space for meetings and events. We plan to use the venue to hold seminars so that the area’s residents can get together and learn. One of our goals is to team up with other companies in the region to advance Yuzawa City’s new initiatives to make the city more attractive.

Finally, I would like to underline that we were able to receive this award only with support from all of you. I hope to continue to work together with you to build a better future. I appreciate your continued guidance and encouragement. Thank you very much.