Hiroumi Hamajima faced tough challenges when taking his role as General Director of Heavy Industries Vietnam (SHIV) in 2021 amid the COVID-19 outbreak. After years of working with local employees, he has learned profound lessons about teamwork and Vietnamese workers.

Hiroumi Hamajima faced tough challenges when taking his role as General Director of Heavy Industries Vietnam (SHIV) in 2021 amid the COVID-19 outbreak. After years of working with local employees, he has learned profound lessons about teamwork and Vietnamese workers.

Powerful Sense of Team Spirit

Working with Vietnamese, Hiroumi Hamajima has learned from them their determination and spirit of teamwork. They never give up and always support one another.

Hamajima, General Director of Sumitomo Heavy Industries Vietnam. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

Hamajima remembered most the COVID-19 period when the factory faced the risk of suspending operations. Many employees stayed at the factory for months to keep production running and ensure supplies for customers. For him, it was more than a business challenge. It was a profound experience about sense of responsibility and collective strength.

Those difficult days brought the Japanese manager closer to his Vietnamese colleagues. To this day, he remains grateful and respectful to his employees for their commitments that helped the company overcome such a challenging period.

Discussing technical issues with a worker at the SHIV factory. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

Hiroumi Hamajima inspects a production stage. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

At a factory with more than 1,000 employees, Hamajima does not just sit in meetings with managerial staff, but walks through workshops, greeting workers, learning about their work and concerns. At every skills competition, he cheers on workers in person, seeing the events as opportunities for his employees to share experiences and improve their skills.

Hamajima, Sumitomo Heavy Industries Vietnam’s general director, is admired by thousands of Vietnamese workers. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

Having worked for years with Vietnamese engineers and staff, Hamajima highly values their ability to learn and adapt, their dedication to their jobs and willingness to take on challenges.

Career Development Fostered by Technology

For Hamajima, technology is useful only when it goes hand in hand with people’s growth. Operators need to understand technology, technicians need to master equipment, and managers need to solve complex problems.

Working with a design engineer. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

 

From this view, SHIV places strong emphasis on staff training and career development. Many technicians, specialists and managers at SHIV have grown from simple jobs like machine operation. For Hamajima, this is one of the company’s most valuable achievements where workers not only spend time with technology but also develop their career with it.

He attaches importance to a healthy working environment - a key factor to foster employee loyalty. Practical improvements, such as reducing the smell of oil and lowering heat and machinery noise, reflect the company’s concern for the people who keep the factory running every day.

During his stay in Vietnam, Hamajima has witnessed major changes, from the pandemic to increasingly high requirements for technology and quality. Yet, SHIV workers are keen to learn and adapt to improve themselves, which, for Hamajima, is the greatest value, rather than modern production lines or high-tech products.

Hamajima inspects a product at the factory. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

A factory cannot grow merely with machinery and technology, but with the people working in it.

Hamajima continues his workshop visits, stopping by machines to greet workers and ask about their work and everyday life. He is a captain who stays close to his crew, standing shoulder to shoulder with them to steer the ship.

Discussing work with technology department staff. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

What Hamajima wishes to leave in Vietnam is not just Sumitomo products, but a skilled workforce that can confidently grow on their career path.