15 minutes with Toshio Nakamoto, President for Murata Electronics Europe
Having taken over the role of President for Murata Electronics Europe in 2020, Toshio Nakamoto has had an interesting year, marked by the industry struggling to accommodate the challenges of Covid-19. Here we find out more about his approach to them, his vision for the company, and interests outside the 9 to 5.
From Tokyo to Germany and beyond
Toshio Nakamoto joined Murata over 24 years ago and has since travelled worldwide, taking up roles in Japan, Germany, the states of Georgia and California in the US, and the Netherlands, where he is currently living. While the business world is so globalized that there are no significant differences, Toshio notes that customers are very different in each country.
“One of the biggest highlights – as well as the challenges – was my time on the US West Coast, opening the new office in California. The team there worked with big companies, and it was very hectic. Customers would raise a question in a meeting and expect us to provide a solution by the next day. Fortunately, the time difference worked in our favour. When we returned to our desks at 5 pm, our colleagues in Japan were starting their day, so they could progress the issue overnight, enabling us to get the answer to our customer by the morning.”
Embracing the culture of openness
With nearly a quarter of a century of experience with Murata, Toshio is well-placed to say what makes it a great company to work for.
“Our core competence is our unique technologies, but it is also important how our company values people. We have a very frank and open culture; we listen to different opinions and encourage people to challenge each other and the management. This challenging spirit keeps us humble and pushes us to innovate and go the extra mile without fear of failure. If we are afraid to fail, then we set ourselves limitations.”
Company of choice
The vision for Murata was set by Toshio together with his predecessor. Murata strives to be the company of choice for modules and solutions and a real innovator in electronics.
“We want to contribute to the advancement of society, and that is our company mission. We want to address this through a combination of customer satisfaction (CS) and employee satisfaction (ES). We are a customer-centric company; that’s our biggest value. However, we are also people-centric. Our employees are our greatest resource, and if they are not happy, something is wrong.”
Driving innovation with 5G
Over the next few years, Murata’s primary focus will remain on two foundational markets: communications and mobility.
“Communications is already a core market for us, driven by 5G technology. It will change the world with high speed and low latency. Advanced mobility – for example, when it comes to autonomous vehicles and electrification – will be a new reality. We are excited that our products will contribute to this once-in-a-century change. Outside these core areas, we are also contributing to healthcare, energy, IoT,and smartXX: the rising number of smart things, including smart cities and smart factories.”
Working in the “new normal”
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way business is carried out, both with customers and employees.
“Maintaining customer relationships with people we already know is not difficult, but establishing new relationships is a big challenge. Utilising IT and digital marketing technologies will play a key role here. From a management perspective, the real question is how do we best change our working style and behaviour to continue to achieve high productivity despite these circumstances? I believe trusting people is essential. We are in an unprecedented situation, and the risk of issues relating to working from home, such as burnout, is real. That’s why we need to trust and support our people and celebrate success stories to boost confidence on both sides.”
Sundays on the green
Toshio is a keen golfer, and the non-contact nature of the sport has meant that he has been able to keep it up during the pandemic.
“I’m a golf enthusiast and love being outside walking on the green. Hearing the birds singing and breathing the fresh air is really relaxing and gets rid of any stress. I’ve been to St Andrews to watch the Open Championship, and I hope to play there one day. I’ve also taken up cooking. When the pandemic began, I had to learn to cook for myself, and I have started to enjoy it. My recipes are improving, and I’m getting better at knowing how to make things to suit my tastes, so I no longer have to rely on sticking to the recipe when seasoning my dishes.”
If you’re interested to know more about what kind of company Murata strives to be, read our Murata philosophy and company value report
Link to interview with President Toshio Nakamoto in CIE magazine, page 20 and 21
