NEWS

2022 New Year's Reflections

January 01, 2022

I want to wish all of you a very happy New Year. I hope that you have enjoyed a restful and peaceful New Year's holiday.

Last year, like the year before, was a year disrupted by COVID-19. The Tokyo Olympics were held amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything was unprecedented. In spite of this, the Japanese athletes gave outstanding performances that helped us forget about the gloom for a while.

Also, in November, we received the very exciting news that Shohei Ohtani, a U.S. Major League Baseball player, was unanimously selected as MVP. His words and actions brought to mind the phrase, "Of thy sorrow be not too sad, of thy joy be not too glad." Even when things are going well or you feel at the peak of your career, you should behave calmly, never be haughty, and always remain humble. On the other hand, even when you are disappointed, things are not going well, or you feel you have hit rock bottom, you should stay composed and calm, unperturbed by anything. His goal is much higher than we can imagine, and MVP is probably just a point along the way. I have nothing but respect for his stoic efforts to always strive for even greater heights. I have learned many things that are essential to life and running a company from him.

Common sense has changed in many ways; in jobs, companies, schools, social norms, work styles, diversity, and distribution patterns. COVID-19 has caused a paradigm shift. With a rapid shift from IT (Information Technology) to ICT (Information and Communication Technology), our society is now a remote one that forces us to recognize the importance of telecommunication. Convenient and available anywhere, virtual technology does open up many possibilities, but I also believe that, conversely, real meetings are becoming more important. JAPAN PACK 2022, Japan's largest packaging exhibition, will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from February 15 to 18 this year. You can see a variety of new machine models and new proposals in real life. I'm also looking forward to meeting people I haven't seen in some time. I hope to see you there.

A major change in the packaging industry is the "Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics" (abbreviated as the "Plastic Resources Circulation Law"), which is scheduled to go into effect on April 1 this year. The goal is to reduce the use of petroleum by promoting resource circulation and recycling. While plastic is indispensable for packaging, which is necessary to reduce food waste, those of us in the packaging industry do not want to see plastic escape into the ocean due to inadequate post-processing creating a significant negative impact on the ecosystem. How to collect used plastic as well as separate and recycle various materials for environmental friendliness is a major and urgent issue facing not only the packaging industry but also the government. Everyone involved, including consumers, must pool their wisdom and go through trial and error to break through. This year will be the start of that process. We at Omori Machinery would like to propose solutions for various issues such as environmental friendliness, energy savings, and efforts to cut labor and improve productivity using robots, AI, and DX.

Last year was a year of many constraints for our company. While the new tool of the web exhibition was established, real exhibitions were canceled or postponed across the board. We could hardly travel on business, especially overseas, which significantly affected our sales activities. The installation and test operation adjustments for exported machines also took a longer time due to the quarantine periods in the various countries. This also highlighted the limitations of working remotely. This year, while it does depend on the easing of restrictions, we will gradually clear the pile of overseas projects that we were unable to complete due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will further promote globalization.

We believe that a company becomes stronger by overcoming hardships. All of our employees will work together, and with your help as well, we will aim for further growth with the motto, "Of thy sorrow be not too sad, of thy joy be not too glad."

Lastly, I wish you all much happiness, and most of all, good health in the New Year. I thank you for your continued guidance and encouragement.

Omori Machinery Co., Ltd.
CEO and President
Toshio Omori