Episode 537: The Day Smiles Returned to the Factory
The 18th episode out of 20
#SignsOfRecovery #MozukuMixedRice #AI_FinancialConsultant_Marumi #PrideInTheWorkplace #TurningFamilyFlavorsIntoProducts #TheWarmthOfUruma
“I used to think 'selling' was all about the numbers—
but it turns out 'smiles' come first.”
—Miharu, upon hearing the laughter in the factory for the first time in a while.
The steam from the mixed rice spread throughout the factory in the morning.
It was the 'Mozuku and Tuna Mixed Rice' that Marumi had prototyped.
Serving as a new product meeting, she decided to treat the floor staff to a 'tasting' first.
“Wow... this tastes so nostalgic!”
“It really keeps the flavor of your father's cooking alive!”
“Why don't you sell this as a retort pouch? It's bound to be popular!”
Even Kinjo-san, who is usually quiet, went back for three helpings.
■ 'Having people eat what we make' is something to be proud of
“Is this going to be a factory product?”
“Yes. We're giving 'my father's flavor' a new form.”
“So the flavors we create are going to reach the whole country again.”
A young member of the packaging team smiled happily.
Watching them, Marumi began drawing a 'Product Commercialization Flow' on the whiteboard.
Tasting Evaluation
Nutritional Labeling & Preservation Testing
Package Design Finalization
Line Prototyping / Test Production
PR Story Design
■ 'A company we can be proud of once again'
“There was a time when I was afraid to look at the inventory in the refrigerator.
But now, I enjoy looking toward the future.”
When Miharu said this, Marumi smiled and replied.
“It’s not the products that change a company.
It’s the ‘feelings of the people involved’ that change a company through those products.”
“When the atmosphere in a factory warms up, it’s proof that the company is being reborn.”
—An excerpt from Marumi’s Notebook, Chapter 537
Next time:
Chapter 538: The Day the Subsidy Was Approved
As proof of “rebuilding trust,” the re-applied subsidy was finally accepted. What had changed behind the scenes—?