COMANY INC. is a manufacturer creating a comfortable and functional space through "partition."

Kenta Tsukamoto, Representative Director, President, and CEO

 

The era has changed from Heisei to Reiwa, and the world is rushing. However, in 2020, people's lives are radically altered by the spread of COVID-19. The lifestyle, including ways of working and learning, has also changed drastically.
We, human beings of this world,　are now living with many challenges, including those mentioned. The impact of global warming could not be ignored in our daily lives, and the scale of damage caused by typhoons and heavy rains is increasing every year. Large earthquakes are frequently occurring in Japan, and the alarm has been sounding on large-scale earthquakes. Recognizing that many of which are the result of repeated mass production and consumption merely to pursue efficiency for economic development, and we, human beings of this world, have forgotten the coexistence with nature, while at the same time, we must realize now that there is no real happiness in future if we continue the same practice. It should be our vision to break away from such a society and build a new normal to develop harmony with not only the economy, but also society and the environment. I came to realize this and suddenly recognize it as an immediate problem because of the spread of COVID-19. We aim to contribute to everyone's well-being and create a brighter world for every individual to reach their fullest potential without leaving anyone behind in COMANY Group. Therefore, while adhering to our philosophy, our important management axis, which is universal and should not be changed, we aim to change what needs to be changed boldly. We are working on the

"Challenge for Change- "To the new world."

 

 

The beginning of COMANY dates back to 1961 when it was set up as a cabinet manufacturer. Shinkichi Tsukamoto, the founder of COMANY, had suffered a great deal of difficulty since its founding, based on its customers' and employees' trust. In overcoming such a tough founding period, he concluded that what is essential in conducting business is " (not money but) mind." Since then, we have been valuing the spirit of "humanity" and "fraternity." It means to stick to the beliefs of what is right as a human being and to work hard together with one's fellow for joint growth. We also cherish a heart-to-heart relationship above all in conducting our business. Our business started from creating value in the space by separating it with partitions. Then we improve the design and functionality by applying our accumulated technology and enhance the value by spatial representation. We would continue to pursue the true meaning of the word "partition." The term "partitioning the
space" means not only dividing the space but also "organizing the occasion and generating a platform." Similarly, we have been developing our business aiming to create an optimal room for the space. About half a century after becoming a partition manufacturer, we have grown into a leading company in the industry.

 

 

A year has passed since I became president in June last year. It was indeed a turbulent year as many things happened, including natural disasters and the spread of COVID-19．

When thinking about what should be valued in such a situation, I firmly believe that it should be our founding spirit, that is, "Our spirit is humanity and fraternity," and the belief that "companies must exist to contribute to the well-being of the world." We will continue to value management based on this spirit and philosophy, which has been passed down since our founding and was regarded as a universal one that will never change.
At the same time, we have made every effort to improve corporate value by rapidly making the necessary changes to adapt to the world's drastic changes. We are working toward growth in the future by embracing challenges without hesitation under the watchword of "challenge for change." In the end, we will further enhance the know-how and technology
accumulated so far; face various social issues through partnerships with industry-government-academia-private partnerships. We will also make efforts to realize "creation of
interior space" and "development of personnel" so that every individual can reach their fullest potential. We will make further contributions to the world through our partition
business. We would realize our mission to develop people and create a sustainable environment for all people to work better, learn better, and live better to contribute to all people's bright life." We will also take on challenges as quickly and proactively as the world needs.

 

 

Currently, the environment surrounding our business is rapidly evolving with technological innovations such as 5G, IoT, and AI. In addition to the various challenges brought by Japan's declining birthrate and aging population, many issues that significantly change people's lifestyles are piled up, such as, widening regional disparities due to accelerated concentration in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the need to address vulnerability to disasters, global environmental issues, and infectious disease issues.

To solve these problems, we will emphasize "self-sufficient and decentralized society," "promotion of innovation through diversity & inclusion," "improvement of interior space value through technological innovation," and "improving responsiveness to environmental protection, disaster risk reduction, etc." Regarding the creation of interior space, we have set four growth domains to solve the issues. These are "Environment-- Creating of a sustainable global environment;" "Safety & Security-- City planning to coexist with disasters;" "Activity--platform creation to foster people's activities;" and "Well-being-Human resource development that enables each individual to play an active role ". We will expand our business by clarifying how these four growth domains will operate in our business areas, such as offices, factories, medical care, welfare facilities, and schools. So we can move from "society in which someone is left behind, or the environment is sacrificed while pursuing the only efficiency by mass production and consumption."

We believe it is crucial to create a "society for every individual to reach their fullest potential without leaving anybody behind, and at the same time, each person can connect and make the most of each other more than ever in coexistence and coprosperity." Our vision for 2030 is to "Empower all life," we endeavor to realize a society in which all people shines in harmony with the economy and environment.

 

To achieve our vision of "Empower all life" by 2030, we are conducting our activities following the COMANY SDGs ∞ Model (hereafter "Möbius Model")*, a value creation model
formulated in 2018. To realizing "management that contributes to the well-being of all people" through our efforts to achieve goals outlined in the SDGs, this value-creating
model aims to contribute to our stakeholders who are our customers, business partners including our suppliers, employees, local communities, the global environment, and our shareholders and investors. The right side of the ∞ Model represents how we contribute to the world and our customers through our products and services, while the left side represents how we contribute to the well-being of our stakeholders. Furthermore, these activities are not carried out independently of each other, but rather they interact to
create a synergistic effect and a continuous cycle of contribution and development. The aim is to realize these goals through technological innovation.

*Refere to “The Comany SDGs ∞ Model” on page 16

 

Many talents must gather together and develop diverse ideas to generate innovation to solve various social issues. We believe that the promotion of diversity and inclusion (hereafter
"D&I") is indispensable for our continued development as a company, and we have positioned it as a central axis of our growth strategy. By emphasizing diversity, we can bring
out the abilities and individuality of each individual and increase the number of such individuals who are motivated and willing to grow their potential to the fullest extent,
thereby invigorating the organization and society as a whole and leading to sustainable growth.

In particular, our company has created a male-dominated workplace due to conventional customs and stereotypes. We see this as an essential issue for us to overcome. We have
started to develop a corporate culture of innovation through diversity, including the launch of the Sustainability Management Promotion Committee and the D&I Promotion Working Group in 2019. All our employees, including senior management, are working to achieve D&I.

By 2030, we aim to eliminate various barriers, including the gender gap, and achieve a target of 30% or more female employees and 20% or more female managers, thereby
creating a society and a company where all people are respected individually.

 

Finally, we believe that the SDGs' goal of "strengthening universal peace in larger freedom" is consistent with our mission of "contributing all people’s bright lives.” As stated in the COMANY SDGs ∞ Model, our value-creating model, we will set specific plans and targets and steadily implement them while valuing active dialogue with all stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, local communities, the global environment, and shareholders and investors.

Besides, we see that proactively addressing "human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption" in the ten principles of the four fields of the United Nations Global Compact is not only a social responsibility that companies must fulfill but also the possibility of innovation. Thus, we have signed the United Nations Global Compact and promote the realization of 10 principles.

We will continue to carry on the founding spirit and philosophy that we have always valued, while boldly changing what needs to be changed under the watchword "Challenge for Change - To a New World -". We would also actively work on new things so that
we can contribute to "all people's bright lives" and strive to be a company that is essential for the world.