photo: Mizuho Takamura
text: Takehiko Nakanisihi
Alumni who are currently business owners visit the campus,
A serial project looking back from that time to the present.
This time, as a specialized manufacturer of truck bodies,
Business partners and
It has received overwhelming support from users
He is the third-generation president of Yamada Body Industry.
山田車体工業
Teikyo University Faculty of Science and Engineering
Graduated from Department of Mechanical and Precision Systems
Yamada Body Industry
President and CEO
Kazunori Yamada ? ? ?
Head Office Location | 600, Matsunaga, Kaisei, Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, 410-0874 |
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Corporate philosophy | Sincerity, Execution, and Affinity |
profile | Graduated from Teikyo University's Faculty of Science and Engineering in March 1995. With a view to future business succession, he gained experience in sales at a trading company, then joined Yamada Body Industry in 1997. He served as Managing Director from 2001, and took up his current position in 2003, when his father, the previous president, passed away. He has taken over the business, which specializes in the manufacture of truck bodies, and is demonstrating his management skills to ensure further evolution. |
Since its founding in 1946, Yamada Body Industry Co., Ltd. has been manufacturing truck bodies, mainly loading platforms, and is involved in all stages from development to sales. Amid economic crises such as the oil crisis, the collapse of the bubble economy, and the Lehman Shock, the number of competitors in the industry has fallen to less than half of what it was at its peak. However, Yamada Body Industry has survived thanks to its high level of technology and adaptability, and continues to operate without debt while actively investing in equipment.
Current president Yamada Kazunori had made up his mind to take over the company from his father even before entering university. At university he acquired the knowledge and skills required in the manufacturing industry, and after graduating he worked for one of the company's clients to hone his business acumen. Then, at the age of 30, he became the third-generation president. The company currently has about 300 employees. They manufacture about 700 custom-made truck bodies per year. Although he is in a position to take command alone, Yamada's stance is the exact opposite. He listens to the voices around him and values human relationships above all else. We got a glimpse of this senior colleague who is gentle with everyone.
I studied manufacturing at university, and the knowledge and experience I gained are useful to me now working in the manufacturing industry. The most memorable thing was the meaningful time I spent in Utsunomiya.
I made more friends through classes, clubs, and dormitory-like apartments, and we developed friendships that went beyond grades and departments. I am still in contact with about 10 people who I studied with in the same research lab. Those relationships, in which I could talk to them about anything, became a