Episode 132: Takasago Perfumery Co., Ltd.
The next day, Lee Chang-jin and Jin Seon-ah were on board, seated side by side in first class.
Looking out the window of the plane that had taken off from Gimpo Airport, the sky was full of fluffy clouds.
While enjoying brunch and chatting, the plane soon arrived at Tokyo Airport.
After getting off the plane and picking up her luggage, Jin Seon-ah asked Lee Chang-jin,
“Which way is your destination, Chang-jin ssi?”
Lee Chang-jin, who took out his notebook and checked his schedule, replied.
“I think I’ll stop by Tokyo first and then go to Shizuoka. The factory is in that direction.”
Jin Seon-ah murmured with regret.
“Then I guess we have to part ways here. Unfortunately, I have to go from the direction of Minayama……”
“How long are you going to stay here?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. It could be three days if it’s short, or a week if it’s long.”
Lee Chang-jin, who checked the schedule once again, nodded.
“Then our schedules are about the same. I’ll pick you up when I’m done early. Let me know.”
“Yes, yes. I hope Chang-jin ssi will stay in Shizuoka until then.”
Jin Seon-ah, who hugged him, gave Lee Chang-jin a short kiss on the cheek.
Jin Seon-ah, who fixed his tie, whispered softly in Lee Chang-jin’s ear.
“Have a good trip. Yesterday was nice.”
Jin Seon-ah, who made a heart with her hands, avoided the spot, a little embarrassed.
Lee Chang-jin waved his hand until she disappeared.
After a while, Lee Chang-jin, who packed his luggage, got on the airport train.
The appearance of the Japanese Shinkansen in the 1970s did not look much different from that of the 2000s.
Lee Chang-jin realized Japan’s economic power in its timeless majesty.
‘As expected, Japan in this era is great, then and now.’
The streets were bustling with people passing by, and skyscrapers stood in rows on the streets where tens of thousands of people gathered.
Japan was the world’s second-largest economic power, with a real economic growth rate of 9.1%.
Japan’s mythical economic growth was largely due to the success of the manufacturing industry.
‘Takasago Perfumery Co., Ltd.’, which Lee Chang-jin is looking for, was also a company that developed through the period of high growth, and was based in Ota Ward, Tokyo, which is famous for its expensive land prices.
“Is this the place?”
The place Lee Chang-jin visited was the Iwata factory in Shizuoka Prefecture. The factory, with its impressive gray walls, had a very neat appearance, perhaps because it was newly built.
A man who appeared to be a manager found Lee Chang-jin while he was looking around outside the factory and approached him.
“Excuse me, but this is a restricted area for outsiders. What brings you here?”
The man’s attitude was polite, but he was wary.
“Ah, I’m from Daese Industries in Korea. I’m here on business.”
When Lee Chang-jin took out the official document he had brought in advance and showed it, the manager’s expression, who read the document, softened noticeably.
“Ah, you came on a business trip to our company.”
“Yes. I have something to discuss about business.”
“I’ve been instructed from above. I heard that CEO Lee from Korea is coming, so I thought he was an elderly person, but I didn’t know he was such a young man. I’ll show you right away.”
The manager guided Lee Chang-jin through the factory tour course in accordance with the headquarters’ policy.
In response to the other party’s sincere welcome, Lee Chang-jin thought that the deal would be concluded more easily than expected.
However, such anticipation was shattered the moment he brought up the import story.
The manufacturing manager in charge of reception showed difficulties.
“Ah, I’m sorry, but visits and import and export are different. It is difficult to sell our fragrances to companies we do not know well. If we use our company’s products to manufacture defective cosmetics, wouldn’t that be a problem for our image?”
The manufacturing manager’s tone implied a sense of superiority over their products. Lee Chang-jin was dumbfounded and offended. He was outraged that they underestimated Daese Chemical without even looking at it.
But the reason the opponent can be so confident is because of the confidence in the quality of the product.
Lee Chang-jin, who had calmed down, calmly persuaded his opponent.
“The initial purchase volume may be small, but as cosmetics begin to sell, the import volume will gradually increase. Please think of it as an investment for the future rather than now.”
However, despite repeated requests, the industrial company’s response was lukewarm.
“Well. I don’t know how we can trust a start-up company with no trading experience. First of all, we do not handle small-scale transactions. Our exports are handled by Sumitomo Corporation, so it would be better to contact them.”
Most overseas transactions of Japanese manufacturing companies rely on a trading system through trading companies.
If you leave the work to a trading company, it is easy to manage risk, and if a claim is received, the trading company employees who are proficient in foreign languages will become troubleshooters, so manufacturing companies can focus on production with peace of mind.
Moreover, since Japan’s general trading companies, like banks, have accumulated a lot of money as reserves, there was no need to worry about being ripped off even if there was a problem with the transaction.
In particular, it was no exaggeration to say that the present was the time of Japan’s greatest boom. From the fragrance company’s point of view, they could make enough profits just by supplying domestic demand, so there was no need to be obsessed with exports.
Despite Lee Chang-jin’s continued persuasion, Takasago repeated the same answer like a parrot.
“I’m sorry. It’s a pity, but it’s our company policy to trade only through trading companies. Contact the trading company if necessary.”
“Then please give me a chance to brief you. Now that I’m here, I’d like to at least explain about the products of our company.”
But Lee Chang-jin did not give up. He couldn’t even imagine going back empty-handed after coming this far. Takasago was also embarrassed by Lee Chang-jin, who visited the company every day.
“If they say no, you should just leave. He’s a man who doesn’t listen. How many times is this?”
“This is getting tiring. Can’t we just kick him out, Factory Manager?”
Somehow, the story even reached the ears of Director Ishihara, who was dispatched from the main office.
Ishihara became interested in the word “export to Korea.”
“So…… A businessman from Korea is asking for a direct deal with us?”
“Yes. He is a man who built a chemical factory in Korea, and he plans to develop and sell cosmetics mainly made of titanium dioxide this time. He wants to use our products as fragrances, but the purchase volume is small……. Even if we tell him to import through a trading company, he won’t budge.”
“Hmm, what’s the name of the company?”
“Daese Chemical. It’s a newly launched company, and I heard that their main business is mechanical engineering. He says he’s the owner.”
“Hmm, you mean the owner of a start-up company came here himself? Then it seems that he thought this work was quite important.”
Director Ishihara, who had heard the story, tapped the table with his finger.
He had a slightly troubled expression on his face.
How much time had passed? He looked up with determination.
“Hmm…… It’s not good to kick out a guest who has come from afar. So, he wants to trade directly with our company, so wouldn’t it be better to listen to him at least once for courtesy? Let’s give him a chance to brief us.”
Maybe it was because he admired the effort of going there every day. He finally got a chance to brief.
Lee Chang-jin prepared for the briefing using the materials prepared by the headquarters.
The briefing venue was set up in a small conference room at the Iwata factory.
If he changed the mind of Director Ishihara, who gave him the opportunity, this work would be done.
Director Ishihara was the son of the owner of Takasago and also a decision-maker.
However, on the day the briefing schedule was set, a sudden and unexpected situation occurred.
The moment Lee Chang-jin was about to turn on the projector, the lights flickered and the entire conference room went dark.
The factory manager, astonished by the sudden blackout, raised his voice.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Blackout. Production facilities at major process lines N3 and N4 have tripped, causing damage.”
Upon investigating the situation, it turned out that the power distribution facility was shut down due to overheating due to motor overload. The factory manager, who grasped the situation, immediately ordered.
“Then turn on the emergency generator right now.”
“Th, that……. I checked, but it doesn’t work either.”
“What, the emergency generator doesn’t work either? Where is the repairman?”
“He went on annual leave today……. There are no technicians in the factory who can handle the facilities.”
“What are you talking about? Does that make sense?”
“I just requested an expert from the emergency generator manufacturer as an emergency, but it takes time to come from the headquarters. It will take a while to arrive. I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
Perhaps the situation was serious, the power outage showed no sign of recovery. As if it couldn’t be helped any longer, one of the staff in charge of the briefing apologized to Lee Chang-jin and asked for his understanding.
“I’m sorry, CEO Lee. I think it would be better to proceed with the briefing next time. Now that the generator in the company has broken down, it doesn’t seem like the right time to proceed with the briefing. Excuse me, but please understand.”
Lee Chang-jin, who heard those words, realized that this was an opportunity.
“If there is no one to fix the equipment, can I take a look? I’m an engineer, so I know a little bit about power facilities. I also installed a substation while building a chemical factory.”
“You?”
When the briefing staff reported to their superiors, the factory manager frowned.
“No, what do you know and why are you stepping up? How can someone who doesn’t even know our factory system repair a generator? And you call yourself an expert, how can I believe that?”
Lee Chang-jin, just in case, presented the engineer’s license he had brought with him.
“Here, is this enough proof?”
The factory manager’s expression changed subtly as he looked at the engineer’s license. The qualification system is only valid locally, so it is usually not legally recognized in other countries.
However, Japanese people tend to respect skilled technicians as a country that values Monozukuri, or craftsmanship.
The factory manager’s expression softened noticeably as he checked the certificate.
However, it was true that he was reluctant to get help from outsiders.
“Let’s stop. If you try to be brave, you might end up breaking down more.”
“Please leave it to me once. I am from Mannheim. I’ve worked with this kind of equipment a lot until I started my business. If it’s not at a level I can handle, I’ll step back cleanly.”
“This is not something I decided alone. Then I’ll let you know later.”
The Japanese who returned to their seats murmured to each other.
“He seems quite confident, why don’t we leave it to him?”
“No, what do we see in him and leave it to him?”
“It’s better than throwing away the fragrance like this. I think the loss will be huge if we leave the processing process unattended.”
Since fragrance is a more sensitive item than you might think, the scent will disappear if left unattended in the process for even a few hours.
The staff’s attitude was also serious as time was running out. At that, the manufacturing manager made an absurd expression.
“Come on, he’s Korean. He’s an engineer, but he’s got a license from an underdeveloped country, how can we trust that?”
“There’s no other way. He speaks Japanese fluently, so it seems he’s been around foreigners, he might be more skilled than we thought. Besides, he’s from Mannheim, isn’t he?”
Opinions were divided over whether to give him the job or not.
As the argument between the two sides grew longer, Director Ishihara, who had been listening quietly to the discussion, took control of the traffic.
“Well, well, let’s leave it to him for now.”
“D, Director!”
“Is there any other realistic alternative right now? It’ll be a few more hours before the repairman from the generator manufacturer arrives, and we’ll have to scrap everything we’re currently producing. We have nothing to lose, right? He came here to ask us to import directly, so he wouldn’t have stepped forward without any confidence.”
Lee Chang-jin waited patiently for the discussion to end.
After a while, Director Ishihara approached him as if the discussion was finally over, and bowed his head politely.
“It seems that the discussion has been a bit long because it is a serious matter. Then, excuse me, but I’ll ask you.”
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
As soon as permission was granted, Lee Chang-jin rolled up his sleeves and began examining the emergency generator.
Fortunately, looking at the type of generator, it was a diesel generator that he was familiar with during his time in Mannheim.
- Continues to Episode 133 -
