INTERVIEW
"Grasping our customers' needs"
SHINGO HAYASHI
Special Sales Department, Manager / Mid-career Hire of 2016
Born on April 23, 1979. Now with a family of 5 consisting of a wife, 2 daughters (aged 13 and 12) and an 8 year-old son. His weekends are a hustle and bustle with activities such as jogging and road-biking, after which he enjoys watching TV with his family while enjoying some alcohol.
Why did you join YOSHU?
I was involved in the trading of steel sheets and pipes at my previous job. My longest attachment was being in charge of steel sheets for manufacturing automobiles and home appliances. I was introduced to YOSHU by my former superior (current Chief of General Affairs in Yoshu). Attracted to this owner-operator company which stood out among the traders and manufacturers, I decided to join YOSHU.
Upon entering YOSHU, I was able to accustom to my new work environment quickly, thanks to my experience with the steel industry, being assigned to a department that allows me to leverage on my skills and the support of those around me. However, I am still not good at operating the systems which I did not use in my everyday work and have to enlist the help of my colleagues.
I still panic when receiving non-stop requests for sales orders and quotations over the phone. We have a lot of customers and items so I get nervous when attending to customers that are not under my charge.
What is your job in the department?
My department conducts sales and our customer base consists mainly of manufacturers. We do sell products in our stock but we also take the role of the middle man to negotiate with our customers, suppliers and traders for products that are not in stock. We also make arrangements to find the best procurement source for our customers, ensure quality control and work out the details, while adhering to the deadlines.
There are often times where the quantity of shipment from our connected warehouse is more than expected, leading to an extremely low stock. When our manufacturers were unable to replenish the stock in time, we managed to fulfill orders by looking for alternative materials.
Although replenishing our warehouse stock and managing our progress is challenging work, I feel that it is extremely worthwhile.
YOSHU puts "Making our customers happy" as our priority, and we try our utmost best to fulfill the needs of our customers and help them in any way possible, be it regarding our stock or areas that are unrelated to stainless steels.
We continue to create new schemes to serve our customers better, while looking for new suppliers. Being entrusted with procurement and receiving the trust of our customers makes our work a rewarding one.
Message to future hires
We sell anything as long as it is something our customer needs.
By valuing our customers and suppliers, we have opened up many possibilities.
Let us work together to look for more sales channels and suppliers!