Chapter 8: Sincerity Brought About a Connection from a Distant Land

I moved to Tokyo and started a business in groundwater membrane treatment.
As the business unit manager, I was able to get the business on track in a short period of time.

However, behind the success, some strange things were happening.

It seems the company president suspected me.

"There's no way the man who created such a profitable business wouldn't do it himself."

Because of these suspicions, the president assigned one of his subordinates to "monitor" me.
The young employee was a diligent person. However, he couldn't bear the responsibility, and eventually became mentally exhausted and suffered a nervous breakdown.

But at the time, I had absolutely no interest in such things.

There was only one thing we were thinking about.

To build a stable life with my wife.

That was all.

The idea of taking over the business for myself never even crossed my mind.
I simply wanted to continue working for a stable company.

That's how I found a manufacturer that makes measuring instruments for semiconductor equipment.

The company, which possesses advanced technology in the field of flow meters, wanted me to join them as the head of their new business development.
The salaries were also under almost the same conditions.

However, the president had one wish.

"I want this department to raise my son."

His son had just turned thirty.

After thinking for a moment, I replied:

"In that case, please make that person the business unit manager."
I will work as an assistant.

The president looked surprised, but then he smiled and said:

"Okay, I'll leave it to you."

The young successor was a very capable person.
He possessed the strength inherited from his father, and was a person who was well-liked by others.

The new business venture was in the field of environmental equipment.
The company provides ozone treatment equipment and separation and purification systems to semiconductor manufacturers.

I had been involved in new business ventures many times before.

New businesses inevitably encounter problems at the beginning.
However, once things start to go well, another problem arises.

"If he succeeds, what will become of me?"

Such voices began to emerge within the company.

Board members resisted.
People are trying to trip each other up.

I've experienced that many times.

However, the situation was different at this company.

He was undoubtedly the kind of person who would become president in a few years.
That's why all the employees and executives were trying to help him.

I worked in the shadow of that young successor,
I was able to spend a very comfortable time there.

And at this company, my annual income exceeded 10 million yen for the first time.

---

In this job,
A symbolic event occurs that will shape the rest of their lives.

One of my areas of expertise is,
It was an ultrapure water system for a semiconductor factory.

Semiconductor factories use an enormous amount of water, tens of thousands of tons, every day.
The water used is often from groundwater sources.

And that water is purified to the absolute limit.

Ion exchange
membrane separation
Activated carbon treatment

By combining several technologies,
The water transforms into an infinitely pure state.

Furthermore, approximately 70% of the water used in semiconductor factories is recycled.

I once
A 100% closed system with zero wastewater.
I've also been involved in that.

This field contains many advanced technologies that are generally little known.

---

At one point, a problem occurred at a semiconductor factory belonging to one of Japan's leading consumer electronics manufacturers.

The semiconductor manufacturing process includes
CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing)
There is an important step involved.

This process involves polishing silicon wafers with a liquid containing ultrafine particles.

The particles are about 0.2 microns in size.
However, problems were frequently occurring on the production line.

Particles bond together,
The particles become larger than 1 micron.

Those particles scratch the wafer.

The production line was facing a major problem.

Therefore, the research institute was asked to develop countermeasures.

I became involved in this problem in collaboration with that research institute.

Many of the researchers at the institute are PhD graduates from the University of Tokyo.
World-class researchers had gathered there.

They delve deeply into a single technology.

Gathering information from all over the world,
To study in depth.

I was the opposite.

I'm not the type to delve deeply into one thing.
However, he had a broad understanding of many technologies.

that's why,

"We can solve this problem by combining this technology with this other technology."

I often made such suggestions.

One day, the chief researcher told me:

"Why is someone like you working at a company like that?"

It was a slightly strange compliment.

However, this encounter would later lead to a significant connection.

---

I
Ultra-high-speed liquid cyclone
I proposed this technology.

A cyclone is a device that separates particles using centrifugal force.
This technology is also used in Dyson vacuum cleaners and other products.

In a typical liquid cyclone
The separation accuracy is approximately 10 microns.

However, by making the device smaller and faster
We created a device that can separate particles down to 2 microns.

The research institute became interested in the technology,
They ordered a test device costing 5 million yen.

If it is adopted for the main line,
The equipment will cost around 100 million yen.

The test was successful.

But at that moment, I realized something.

There are two manufacturers of CMP slurry in the world.
And with the chemicals that the factory does not use,
The same problem rarely occurred.

I said to the principal investigator.

"Why don't we try changing the medication first?"

The results came in immediately.

The problem is gone.

In other words,
My device is no longer needed.

If we only considered the company's profits, it might have been a foolish decision.

However, I
"The truth should be conveyed."
That was the only thing I could think.

---

However, a miracle happened afterward.

The researcher,
They presented my technology at an academic conference.

I saw that paper.
He was the president of a South Korean equipment manufacturer.

The company was still a small business.
However, their main customer was the world's leading manufacturer in the semiconductor field.

And the president said,
He was originally a senior executive in the technical department of that manufacturer.

I had become independent and started my own company.

The company president contacted the researcher.

Then the researcher said:

"That's Mr. Kimura's technique."
Please contact me directly.

And then they gave me their contact information.

This event was
It was one of the happiest moments in my career.

---

I received a call from the company president in South Korea almost immediately.

I flew to South Korea.

The contract was finalized immediately.

Two devices costing 50 million yen each.

It was introduced into the main semiconductor production line.

Since then, with that president
We've been friends for over 25 years.

When I am suffering,
They even invited me to be their technical advisor at one point.

His company then
The company went public.

And now,
They are reportedly building a massive factory three times the size of their previous ones.

Furthermore, currently,
What I am working on

Natural energy air conditioning

Regarding the business,
There's talk of working together starting next year.

---

From this incident,
I learned one thing.

If you do what is right without considering profit or loss
Life takes a roundabout route before it comes back to you.

Moreover,
In an unexpected way.

Technology is important.

However, what drives life is
It's not just about technology.

Sincerity and connections create the future.

And that connection was
It continues even beyond national borders.