Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems (HIES) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Yoshihiko Tachibana as the new General Manager of Hitachi Global Air Power Suzhou Co., Ltd. (HGAP-SZ), effective from April 1st, 2024. This transition follows the relocation of the current General Manager, Mr. Natsuki Kawabata, who will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of HGAP in the United States.Mr. Tachibana brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the industry. He joined Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems (HIES) in 2004, where he had been primarily responsible for HIES's international sales of Hitachi-branded air compressors. Prior to joining HIES, Mr. Tachibana served as a sales support engineer for overseas customers, gaining valuable insights into different business cultures and practices.During his career, Mr. Tachibana has had the opportunity to work and lead teams in various oversea countries, including China (Shenzhen), the United Kingdom (London), and Thailand (Bangkok). In China, he played a critical role in transferring the test bench from Japan to Shenzhen; and led the subsequent training for local engineers to grow as the future representatives of the company for China market. In the United Kingdom, Mr. Tachibana oversaw the sales of components by actively visiting and approaching customers across Europe. His footprint covered more than 20 countries during his tenure. Moreover, in Thailand, he led the team and successfully doubled the sales revenues within six years.Mr. Tachibana will soon relocate to Suzhou, China. With his extensive international management experience and excellent track record, Mr. Yoshihiko Tachibana is well positioned to lead HGAP-SZ into the next phase of growth and development in China.

Quality is not only a matter of trust but also a key to success. It occupies a position of utmost importance within Hitachi Group's core values.During November 2023 to January 2024, the HGAP Suzhou factory successfully organized the quality event in line with the HIES Group's quality theme. The event focused on " Gauge Management Improving" and unfolded a comprehensive quality management competition among 12 teams within the factory. The air-end second-line team emerged as the winner, setting an example for the factory staff with orderly gauge management and improved safety precautions, thereby solidifying the defenses for safe production at the factory.In the daily production of the factory, unanticipated damage due to improper measurement tool management occurs from time to time. Unreasonable storage methods and improper or disorderly placement not only increase the waste of management time and costs but also pose potential safety risks. In response, the HGAP Suzhou factory's Quality Month event, centered on gauge management, offered valuable lessons to the factory staff in terms of awareness and action.From the initial disorderly placement of gauges, unclear quantities of measuring tools, and safety hazards, to now having all gauges and measuring tools placed at designated spots, uniformly labeled for clarity, with organized inventory lists for easy management, and significantly reduced unanticipated damage, the quality management situation at the entire HGAP Suzhou factory has been transformed.“By improving our gauge management processes, we not only guarantee safer and more efficient operations within the HGAP Suzhou facility, but also makes our customers trust every HGAP product even more. Let’s carry this spirit beyond Quality Month, making it an integral part of our daily work.” States Colin Chen, the quality manager at HGAP Suzhou.

On December 20th, the management team and representatives of HGAP-SZ visited the Suzhou Social Welfare Institute to carry out a public welfare activity with the theme of "Warm Public Welfare Journey during the Winter Solstice and Christmas Season".During this visit to the Suzhou Social Welfare Institute, HGAP-SZ not only donated money and goods to contribute to social welfare, but also prepared surprise Christmas gifts and interactive activities to show their love and care for the children, bringing them a meaningful Christmas.We believe that every small act of kindness can warm a heart. This public welfare visit allowed the children to feel the care of their growth, and also instilled a sense of responsibility and commitment in the employees of HGAP-SZ. As a member of the economic society, HGAP-SZ has long been actively practicing corporate social responsibility, giving back to society through more public welfare activities and spreading positive energy to promote its mission.Grace Gong, Senior HR Manager of HGAP-SZ, said, "In the future, we will continue to promote and uphold the corporate social responsibility of HGAP-SZ&SSAI through diverse forms of activities, shaping a better brand image. We hope to have a positive impact on our employees and business partners through continuous efforts, and we also hope to inspire more individuals and companies to engage in public welfare activities and spread love to all."

On December 4th, representatives from HGAP-SZ Outstanding Distributors, who were awarded the Group Award for the 2022 fiscal year, traveled to Japan with the goal of learning advanced technology and strengthening collaborative exchanges. They embarked on an immersive experience to explore innovative compressor technologies.The first stop on this journey was the Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Shimizu Works. Here, the distributor representatives learned about the history and development of Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems. As the main production base for Hitachi compressors, the Shimizu factory boasts a strong design team and continuously optimizes compressor technology details to quickly adapt to user needs and market changes, creating more efficient production systems for users.Currently, the demand for large oil-free compressors in China is increasing. To fully understand the design and production of large oil-free compressor heads, the distributor representatives visited the second stop of the trip, the Tsuchiura Works. As the production base for Hitachi's large oil-free compressors, the Tsuchiura Works has a research and development center for various basic and applied research and technological development. From research and development to design, production, and testing, the Tsuchiura Works' experience and exploration of large oil-free compressor technology provided distributor representatives with a fresh perspective and ideas.In addition to visiting the two advanced production bases, the distributor representatives also visited the Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems headquarters building. They were warmly received by President and CEO of HIES, Takeuchi-san (Charlie), and Executive director in charge of the air compressor division, Tanaka-san (Henry). They engaged in in-depth discussions with distributor partners on industry development trends, changes in the Chinese market, and compressor application demands, laying the groundwork for the company's future development.After the enriching educational trip, HGAP-SZ arranged a sightseeing trip to Asakusa Temple and other attractions for the distributor representatives. While learning about advanced product technology, they also experienced Japan's traditional culture, finding joy in both learning and traveling.

Corporation culture is the soul of a group, laying the foundation and even leading to success.On September 21st, the DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) culture day event was successfully held at HGAP Suzhou. In this event, HGAP people achieved a profound and vivid understanding of these valuable ideas proposed by Hitachi.The theme of this event was the diversity between generations, and it discussed how age differences can boost the development of a corporation. As the event kicked off, GM Kawabata San and Senior HR & Admin Manager Grace Gong took the stage to share their perspectives on DE&I.Since its foundation, Hitachi has managed to achieve a perfect integration of DE&I in its corporation mission, value and vision, and has made it an important part of the Group's business strategy. Nowadays, HGAP also carries these ideas and continues to follow it in work.For a corporation, the team with diversity could be more innovative and creative to handle complex issues. The competition system with equity could bring more opportunities and fulfillment to reduce the staff turnover and enhance the corporation sustainability. And the working environment with inclusion could ensure the staff treated so respectfully and equally that they could keep enough passion and working efficiency.Afterwards representatives from pre-80s, post-80s and post-90s generations respectively expressed their viewpoints from the perspective of personal experience and corporation development, which greatly boosted the interaction of ideas. Then they were divided into several teams. All teams successfully overcame intergenerational contradictions and worked together to provide effective solutions, which showed enough possibility to create a more comfortable working environment.In the future, HGAP shall adhere to the ideas of diversity, equity and inclusion in the path of sustainable development.

After years of accumulation and development, the Chinese pharmaceutical industry has become increasingly dynamic and plays an important role in the global pharmaceutical value chain. As a leading global provider of compressed air solutions, HGAP has been deeply involved in the medical air solutions for many years, possessing rich experience and unique technological advantages.From June 19th to 21st, 2023, HGAP-SZ showcased its DS3.0 product at the 2023PMEC Shanghai Exhibition, welcoming inquiries from potential customers from China, India, and Southeast Asia.The HGAP 3.0 product is certified with Class 0, equipped with a stable, reliable, and efficient oil-free screw air end as well as a high-performance screw coating, providing powerful compressed air power for the medical and pharmaceutical gas process. In addition, its IP55 high protection level motor can withstand various harsh conditions, ensuring clean, safe, and reliable compressed air to safeguard life and health.

The 62nd (2023 Spring) China National Pharmaceutical Machinery Expo and the 2023 (Spring) China International Pharmaceutical Machinery Expo were held in Qingdao, China from May 28th to 30th. After a year and a half, the Pharmaceutical Machinery Expo has set sail once again, attracting numerous professionals to visit and exchange ideas. HGAP, with its advanced pharmaceutical compressed air solutions showcased at Booth CN-55, has become one of the most popular highlights of the Expo.HGAP presented the Sullair DS series dry oil-free rotary screw air compressor, the VT series oil-free scroll air compressor, and compressed air precision filter at the exhibition, creating a clean, safe, and reliable compressed air solution for the pharmaceutical industry. Visitors to the booth have been streaming in, and HGAP's technical experts have been introducing the advantages and related application cases of Sullair air compressors to the audience, creating a lively atmosphere of crowds and enthusiastic discussions.

The 2023 Sullair China Distributor Conference was successfully held in Hong Kong. Distinguished guests from Hitachi headquarters, executives from Sullair, and Sullair China distributors gathered to discuss the theme of "Leading a Sustainable Future" and engaged in lively discussions.At the beginning of the conference, Yasuhiro (Charlie) Takeuchi, President of HIES; Hideharu (Henry) Tanaka, Executive Director of HIES; and John Randall, President of Sullair Global and Director of HIES, each delivered speeches and formulated a comprehensive strategic plan for the company's future development.Stephanie Roberts, Director of HIES Branding Dept, highlighted that the company's renaming represents a new beginning. The company will continue to provide highly efficient compressors and industrial Internet solutions to help customers achieve better energy efficiency and operational effectiveness.Looking ahead, Hitachi Group Air Power (HGAP) will continue to develop innovative technologies, strengthen digital technology empowerment, and firmly adhere to green and low-carbon production and management concepts, providing more valuable compressed air solutions. Kawabata Natsuki, General Manager of Sullair Asia, provided strategic guidance and implementation suggestions based on the company's actual situation, opening up a new chapter of development.Following that, the representatives from Sullair China provided comprehensive insights on the company's sales performance review and outlook, operational review and continuous improvement, as well as quality, legal, financial, channel management, engineering, products, and services.