Vol.33

People who run an organic company (Part 1)

Abe, Ikeuchi

In this series, “IKEUCHI’s People,” we introduced the voices of IKEUCHI ORGANIC employees over a period of six months. As a bonus track of the series, we asked President Abe and Representative Director Ikeuchi to sit down and talk about their impressions of the series. We would like to share with you in three parts, the first, middle, and second parts, President Abe’s thoughts on the future direction of IKEUCHI ORGANIC, which he will take after assuming the presidency, and Ikeuchi’s motivation to free himself from management and devote himself to monozukuri.

Reconfirming the Individuality of Each Employee

–First of all, please tell us what you think of the article on Ikeuchi’s human resources project.

Abe: My main impression is that we are not listening to what people have to say. In reality (when talking with others), we only talked about the superficial aspects of business operations, and it was not until the interview with Ikeuchi’s people that the individual’s personality was revealed to us. If we knew that he/she thinks like that and has this kind of backbone, we would be able to communicate better. I think the way of communication would have been different if I had known that he/she had this kind of background and this kind of way of thinking. So I realized how much I was only listening to superficial information.

–How about you, Mr. Ikeuchi?

Ikeuchi: No, I was surprised to hear that he had this kind of thought in mind when he made the product (laughs). (Laughs) I shouldn’t say such a thing as a former president. That is why, on the contrary, I am probably enjoying (the series of articles) the most. As long as there are no misleading expressions in the articles, they are published.

–Our intention with this project was to provide as much of the real voice as possible, and to encourage the people within the company to first love and get to know the people next to them before loving Ikeuchi. And when the fans ask what they want to know next, we want them to know what we do and what we do not do.　I thought, “Why don’t we focus more on the voices of the people who make our products?　This project was born out of this idea.

I would have liked to hear the opinions of all the employees, and then finish with the opinions of the two of you, but there was a change in the president at this point (laughs), so I thought the content of what we would hear might change.

Ikeuchi: (The reason for the change of president) I was shocked when I read about Ikeuchi’s personality (laughs).

Not going against the flow, but connecting to the next

–Why did you decide to hand over the authority of president to Mr. Abe?

Ikeuchi: Basically, I had always wanted to give it to him while he was still in good health, but I couldn’t make up my mind or find the right opportunity. Well, I had Abe act as acting president while I was recuperating, but one of the companies said they would not meet with me if it was Abe. It is natural for a small, medium, and micro company to be reluctant unless the top management always goes, so I decided to appoint someone who is on the front lines of business as the president.

–What did you think when you heard about the change of president?　I think there was a feeling that it would come someday. What do you think about the fact that it came in June 2016?

Abe: I am not one to go against the flow. A lot of things happened during the time (the representative) was ill, and I thought it would be better to do so externally as well. However, it is difficult to say when is the best timing. I am only thinking about how to connect to the next generation without going against the flow.

–Ikeuchi: Yes, it’s very good.

Ikeuchi: Yes, I think it was a very good opportunity. （I had been saying for a long time that I would hand over the position (of president), but it had been a long time coming.

–I think it was a very good opportunity for me.

(Laughs.) — Did your view of the company or your outlook on life change after your illness at the beginning of this year or after your extended absence?

Ikeuchi: My outlook on life has changed a lot since I had the same illness two years ago. This time, I was rather calm and watched how the company would operate in my absence, so there may have been some good things because I was not there, and there may have been some bad things because I was not there.

–How did you feel when you saw the company moving forward while you were on leave?

Ikeuchi: Without me, the company has the hardest time at the end of the month, and since the three times I was away were cleared, I felt that the company surprisingly had the strength to last at least a few months. I was very happy in that respect, because people around me probably see me as more of a one-man operation than I should be.

The brand stands, so it doesn’t matter who takes over.

–Before IKEUCHI ORGANIC became an organic company, Representative Ikeuchi decided to become an organic company, and we have been doing things one by one, such as using wind power, using organic cotton, and trading through fair trade. Do you have any actual plans or ideas on how to make IKEUCHI ORGANIC a more organic company?

Abe: I think we are very lucky to have been able to change the branding of IKEUCHI ORGANIC, and I think the change was very good for our customers, as we have already changed our CI, opened new stores, etc., and have already gained brand recognition.

Branding is a way of thinking, so if IKT and Ikeuchi Towel had remained the same, Keiji Ikeuchi would have been the brand. When it was changed to IKEUCHI ORGANIC, it became an icon (symbol). The fact that Keiji Ikeuchi is the representative of IKEUCHI ORGANIC cannot be separated from the brand, but at any rate, the brand was established. Then, to put it another way, the person who manages this company can be anyone. Because the brand was established. I was very grateful that we were in a situation where anyone could take over.

What I have to do now is how to pass on the brand to the next person without changing the current line. In running a company, there are some things that cannot be done by our own efforts, so we have to ask for cooperation from various people and make recommendations. The speed of recommendation differs from the end-user’s point of view, the internal perspective, the business partner’s perspective, and the investor’s perspective.

If we don’t unite these perceptions, I don’t think people will be able to envision the right kind of growth. There is no doubt that things will definitely snarl up, but it would be better to converge if that is possible. I think it is my job to make adjustments in that direction.

The IKEUCHI ORGANIC brand has a personality

–I think that President Ikeuchi would like President Abe to follow in the footsteps of what he has created up to now, but do you have any requests for him to not only follow but also to come up with something new?

Ikeuchi: I have been president for 33 years, and it has been 17 years since IKT/Kaze de Kaze de Weaving Towel, the factory brand that was the predecessor of IKEUCHI ORGANIC, was created. I asked Mr. Nagaoka to do the CI so that when he goes to high school, he will be able to better convey my ideas to Mr. Kenmei Nagaoka.

I thought that if he/she was considered a child, we could watch him/her grow as he/she graduated from college and entered the workforce over the next four years. I decided to name the company IKEUCHI ORGANIC because I wanted them to remember to make organic products.

–During your third year as IKEUCHI ORGANIC, do you feel that you have successfully graduated from high school?

Ikeuchi: No, I still have to take the university entrance exam (laughs).

Abe: I may not take the college entrance exam (laughs).

Ikeuchi : I think this brand is alive and has a personality. I did not come here with my own ideas, but the customers have probably demanded that we go this way, so I think that as long as we look at the customers who support us, we probably won’t make any mistakes in the way we go forward after this. However, if I look at a different part, I will make a mistake.

Continue to middle part

Interview June 2016
Interview and text by Mutaguchi and Kamio
Photographer/ Yuji Kimura (Kimura Photo Office)