To meet the requirements for a 230 kilometer per hour speed, Mr. Okamoto focused his efforts on increasing the rigidity of the inside of the mirror. “The faster the car goes, the more the mirror surface shakes. For the mirror to not lose visibility, which plays an incredibly important role, we conducted repeated theoretical analyses as well as reliability tests with the actual products.” He selected improvement points on mass production car models to improve quality and held in-depth meetings with customers. He states that base materials were reviewed through trial and error, and that he was able to reduce the product’s weight. “We never forgot our desires to create a satisfying product for customers. I am proud that we were involved with a car model that had an important position within Mazda.”

The Technology Section conducted reviews of equipment to mass produce high quality products. Mr. Mizobe reduced unnecessary equipment by integrating functions. “To solve these issues, we adjusted various factors such as screw fastening machine structures and parameters. During the first introduction stage, many problems occurred, and we fastened the screws and checked many times in order to derive the appropriate levels.” These efforts led to both machine takt time improvements and cost and energy reduction for equipment. They were big points for improving production efficiency. “We should continue adopting equipment that reduces the burden for our workers. Since we make automobile parts, particularly parts related to drivers’ field of vision, we want to deliver products that end-users can use comfortably.”

With this project, the ties between relevant divisions have become stronger than ever. “We want to proceed by joining forces with relevant divisions to further improve efficiency,” Mizobe said. Okamoto responded that “If mistakes occur during the development stage, they interfere with later processes. So we continue to brace ourselves and put all our energy into ensuring that doesn’t happen and aim to make designs that do not have quality gaps depending on the employee working on them.” There was a big reaction to Mazda’s new model CX-60 right after it went on sale, and it was positively received by the market. “It’s a popular SUV model, so a lot of users will drive it. In recent years there have been many high performance side-view mirrors, and there will be many customers that demand added value in the future. So we will try our hardest to think of ways to meet customer needs.” In these words, you can feel the passion of a professional who is already working towards creating the next product.