*This article is translated using machine translation.
Please be aware that the accuracy of the translation is not guaranteed. Some proper nouns might not be translated correctly.
We bring you the second installment of our serial "Together with Our Customers." This article will be written in a relay format, with each employee featured in the article selecting an employee to introduce in the next article.
Our second guest is Kaminaga Yasuyuki, who is based in Mexico.
*Details are current as of July 2025.
I currently live in León, the capital of Guanajuato state, which is position in the Bajío region of Mexico's central highlands, and work in León, one of two offices in the company's two locations: Monterrey in the northeast, and León in the center. Based in Mexico, we sell plastic injection molding machine and provide customer support. We work hard every day to support business development in local markets and accurately respond to local needs.
There are approximately 2,000 Japanese people living in the state of Guanajuato where I live, which is a large proportion of the approximately 10,000 Japanese people in Mexico as a whole. León is blessed with a large number of Japanese restaurants and access to Japanese ingredients, thanks to the presence of the Japanese Consulate in the city. For my daily shopping, I often go to American-owned supermarkets.
Located at an altitude of 1,600 to 2,000 meters, León poses no issues for daily life, but walking uphill quickly leaves you out of breath, making you keenly aware of the thin air unique to high altitudes. Although Mexico is often associated with hot weather, but León is characterized by a large daily temperature difference, ranging from 5 to 10 degrees in the morning to 25 to 30 degrees in the afternoon. Since business trips sometimes take me to areas where temperatures exceed 40 degrees, so I always pay careful attention to my health. Although the dry and strong sunlight can be a bit of a concern, there is a lot of sunny weather throughout the year and we enjoy comfortable days.
In terms of food culture, beef-based meat dishes are mainstream, and compared to Japan, they are characterized by having less fat and allowing you to fully enjoy the flavor of red meat. Tacos are incredibly delicious, and the flavors and styles vary depending on the region and store, so one of the fun things to do on a business trip is searching for your favorite tacos. For some reason, there are not many chain restaurants in Mexico, so exploring new food outlets is rewarding.
I have also been supported by the characteristically bright and cheerful nature of the Latin American people. It is a little inconvenient that English is hardly spoken here, but most people are warm and welcoming even with my rudimentary Spanish, and combined with the sunny weather, I rarely felt uncomfortable.
Mexico has roughly the same population as Japan, but its land area is about five times larger. Manufacturing is dispersed throughout the region north of Mexico City, and León is within three hours of access in any direction, north, south, east or west. In addition, we fly daily to Monterrey in the northeast and major cities along the US border, covering a wide range. Our clients are primarily Japanese companies, but also a wide range of companies, including American companies along the US border, European companies, local Mexican companies, Taiwanese companies, Korean companies, and Chinese companies, which have been on the rise in recent years. These diverse companies are operating their businesses across a vast area. Many of our customers are in the automotive industry, and with approximately 90% of their products exported to the US, we are highly dependent on the US market. Recently, due to the impact of tariffs, short-term investment appetite has subsided somewhat, but construction of new industrial parks is progressing in some areas, and continued growth is expected in the medium to long term.
We have been steadily expanding our business in Mexico for many years, providing strong support to the production activities of our local customers. The Monterrey office was established 24 years ago, and the León office 12 years ago, and we cover a range area. Both locations have ample parts inventory and are staffed with experienced sales and service staff. This allows us to respond quickly and provide fast, reliable support. In addition, our managerial staff have been with the company for over 15 years since joining as new graduates, and most of our service staff, excluding new recruits, have over five years of experience. While the length of employment in Mexico tends to be short, our retention rate is very high.
In addition, the Monterrey office is permanently equipped with a demo machine, allowing customers to check out the actual machine before purchasing. Recently, we have received an inquiry from a new American customer through our network, and negotiations have begun. Although they were interested in our machine, they were hesitant to introduce it because they had no result of installing our machine or any other Japanese molding machine. Therefore, we proposed an on-site demonstration at our Monterrey office, and the customer visited us to see the equipment in action. In addition to experiencing the machine's quality and ease of use, the customer also viewed our extensive parts inventory and was reassured by our support system, which led to them placing a formal order. We can also hold molding seminars on the machines or at the customer's factory, and can assist with the smooth launch of new models, training of new employees, and the correction of molding defects. Furthermore, we also provide maintenance training courses, and can provide direct instruction on the necessary maintenance work using the customer's actual equipment. This helps prevent problems on-site and contributes to building a stable production system. Holding seminars and maintenance courses is rare, and is a strong point of our technical support system.
Through years of business development and by supporting a wide network of customers across the country with a well-stocked inventory of parts, experienced staff, and a robust organizational structure, our company has earned a strong reputation among Japanese enterprises operating in Mexico. We will continue to strengthen our locally rooted support system and contribute to our customers' stable production.
The SE100EV-A is permanently installed in the Monterrey office.
I enjoy going around cafes and restaurants with my wife and finding our favorite places. Mexican food is not particularly strong and most Japanese people find it delicious. I also often take short trips by car to other states to change my mood. During my travels, I stroll through colorful towns and experience the richness of Mexican culture through the vibrant colors and warm, handmade local crafts. Also, because I live in Mexico, far away from Japan, I take a lot of time off to travel to places like Cancun and Argentina to refresh myself.
Next, I would like to nominate Mr. Okawa from Vietnam. Although it is a country that is familiar to Japanese people, I believe that the unique perspective of an expatriate will provide interesting and familiar information about local culture and trends.