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JournalIn Their WordsReading time: About 4 min

Three stories
from our staff

Three short stories drawn from the words of our staff in the 2020 company brochure.

Episode 01 – Return

Back,
on Saturdays only

After leaving high school, R. K. worked at Takane Electric for three years, then left. The new employer had shorter working hours, with Saturdays and Sundays off.

But on one of those Saturdays, Takane Electric asked R. K. to come in as a part-timer. For a while, R. K. worked weekdays at the new company and Saturdays at Takane Electric. Doing electrical work at both, R. K. came to feel that Takane Electric was the better fit, and rejoined the company in 2013. By the time of the interview for the 2020 company brochure, it was R. K.’s eighth year back.

One reason R. K. gave for returning was the breadth of experience in electrical work and the chance to learn many things. The other, R. K. said, became clear only after leaving.

“Having worked for another company, I realised again how important it is to have steady work, the way Takane Electric does.”

At the time of the interview, R. K. held the Class 1 Electrical Works Execution Managing Engineer and Class 1 Electrician qualifications. R. K.’s message to those who will join was a single line.

“Let’s brighten up Japan with the power of electricity!”

R. K., Regional Division (Regional Section 1 at the time of the interview). Rejoined in 2013.

Episode 02 – Process

Asking why
at every step

K. A. joined Takane Electric in 2016, after an acquaintance suggested it. K. A. works in the Engineering Headquarters on electrical installation work in buildings ordered by local governments and government agencies, and at the time of the 2020 interview held the Class 1 Electrician qualification.

Asked what K. A. keeps in mind at work, the answer was to ask, at every step, “Why is this done this way?”, and to work with the aim of learning. In the Engineering Headquarters’ work, the wiring is pulled through, the boards are connected and tested, and only then do the lights come on.

“The process until the lights come on runs deep, and every day is a run of learning, so the work is very rewarding.”

The Engineering Headquarters’ track record includes electrical works for the seismic retrofitting of Sakura City Hall Building 4 and repairs to the receiving and transforming equipment at the JMSDF Shimofusa Air Base. The building and the client change from job to job. In the staff profile on the website, K. A. also wrote that every day is a run of learning, and that it is interesting.

Of the company, K. A. wrote that it is a place where one can work freely: a workplace without too much strain, where one can aim to become a professional in electrical work. At the head of the same profile, it says:

“Electrical work runs deep, so I think thinking things through is what matters.”

K. A., Engineering Headquarters. Joined in 2016.

Episode 03 – Circuit

Chose installation
over inspection

Even before joining, T. N. was interested in building maintenance work. Comparing inspection work with installation work, T. N. decided installation was the better fit and applied to Takane Electric’s job advertisement. T. N. joined in 2016 and works on UR rental housing and prefectural housing in Chiba Prefecture.

In the early days, T. N. could look at a distribution board and not tell where the electricity was flowing from or to. A distribution board is the box that divides the electricity entering a building into circuits, room by room.

“When I can look at a distribution board I didn’t understand when I joined and follow how the electricity flows, I get a small sense of achievement.”

Beyond that lie more complex circuits. T. N. said the aim was to gain qualifications and practical experience, and to be able to carry out work with a full understanding of how complex circuits are put together. At the time of the 2020 interview, T. N. held the Class 1 Electrician qualification.

T. N.’s words for those who will join were about the length of a working life.

“Electricity runs deep. It’s a line of work where you can keep learning for a lifetime from this alone.”

T. N., Regional Division (Regional Section 3 at the time of the interview). Joined in 2016.

Staff comments are quoted from the 2020 company brochure, the recruitment video and the company’s website.