FSX, Inc.

Company overview

Oshibori are indispensable in Japanese restaurants. As a damp cloth used to wipe hands, etc., it is said to have originated in the Edo period when innkeepers prepared them for travelers. FSX, which handles the planning, development, manufacturing, sales, and rental of these products, has embarked on numerous innovative initiatives and led the industry.
The company has a diverse lineup of products including cloth hand towels, colorful and scented hand towels for single use. In addition, we have jointly developed an antiviral and antibacterial patent with a university venture and are using it in our own manufacturing. Recently, orders from non-food and beverage companies have been increasing, such as major corporations that want to encourage hospitality and employee refreshment when serving customers, and high-end hotels that want to improve service to their guests.
The company has also developed and introduced in-house an application that automates workflow using IT and counts the number of hand towels using AI technology. Mr. Akiba, the Executive Director of the company, says "We have received many inquiries from our competitors, and we hope that this will lead to an improvement in operations for the entire oshibori industry."
The company plans to expand overseas in earnest in response to the worldwide increase in the number of Japanese restaurants and attention to hand hygiene. Akiba is enthusiastic, saying, "I would like to convey the appeal of oshibori as a uniquely Japanese 'Omotenashi (hospitality)' tool to the rest of the world." Playing an important role in its overseas operations is Ms. Ngoc, a native of Vietnam. "All the employees have warmly accepted me, and I am able to work in a relaxed atmosphere while taking on various challenges. I have less stress at work and my family and friends envy me," she says.

Work-life balance initiatives

FSX, which has realized many new ideas in the hand towel industry, holds events to enhance time outside of work based on the thinking that "experiences beyond the framework of work are what lead to the generation of various ideas."
One of these is the FSX rice field. Employees borrow rice fields from local farmers, and work on rice preparation, planting, and harvesting by themselves to contribute to the local community and learn more about food and agriculture. As initiatives to maintain the health of employees, the company also organizes sports lessons for employees and holds a "Steps Challenge" in which employees compete with each other in terms of the number of steps they take each day. Furthermore, "the FSX cafeteria" sells healthy foods and snacks, and "FES" is a one-on-one dinner meeting where employees can talk about their private lives. According to Akiba, through these events, "communication among employees has increased.” Ngoc said with a smile, "As we worked together on the same thing, we became friends with employees we never had a chance to talk to in the course of our work.”
The company is also active in improving the working environment for women. "In the past, the oshibori industry had a strong image of physical work, and a large percentage of employees were men, but we wanted to create a workplace where both men and women could work, so we reduced overtime hours and devised a maternity and childcare leave system," says Akiba. Thanks to the creation of an environment that facilitates a good balance between family and work, many female employees have been able to take long-term active roles in various departments, and women now account for about half of all department managers.

Human resource development initiatives

At FSX, the skills and experience required of employees have changed as they work on new projects, so the company has fundamentally revised its human resource development methods. “In the past, we were not able to train people through complete on-the-job training, focusing on individual career development. Now, based on the values (code of conduct) that we have developed as a team, we are devising a system that allows each employee to develop a career according to their skills and aspirations, so that they can be active in the company over the long term," says Akiba.
One such initiative is 1-on-1 career development support. This system allows employees to have 1-on-1 discussions with their supervisors and provides an opportunity to encourage them to take on the challenges of positions and job types that suit each employee. In fact, Ngoc said, "I was able to discover new strengths through 1-on-1 discussions. I used to be concerned about my trait of being outspoken about what I thought, but my supervisor told me that it was a strength and that I should put it to good use in my work, which made me feel better," she says with a smile. She says that having her honest opinions being heard has increased her motivation and clarified her career. Now she is working hard every day toward her goal of becoming a branch manager of the Vietnam office.
To encourage career change and advancement, the company also subsidizes the cost of external training and certification. "Even if someone has no experience, if they has the motivation and aptitude, we want to enable him to take on the challenge of a new career. That's why the company does everything it can to support employees in acquiring the skills they need," says Akiba.

Message from our top executive

Executive Director Masaru Akiba

We will continue to promote the charm and potential of oshibori as a part of Japanese hospitality culture to the world. To do so, we need your help with your foreign perspectives. We have a solid system in place for growth even with no experience, so if you want to take on new challenges in Japan, your home country, or various other countries, we would love to work with you!

Message from foreign talent

Sales/Nguyen Thi Thanh Ngoc(Vietnam)

I had the impression that Japanese people are cold, but if you open yourself up and communicate proactively without being shy, they will treat you very warmly. In fact, I have gained many friends both at work and in my personal life, and we enjoy dining, shopping, and karaoke together on the weekends. Be confident in your strengths and take the plunge!