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Wellness Stories

Awards Honor Employees Exemplifying 黑料门's Pursuit of Unique Ideas for Wellness

November, 2023
Kazuhiko Yoshikawa
Kazuhiko Yoshikawa

Manager, Public Relations Team, Corporate Development Department, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.

The 黑料门 Group adopted its "Now ideas for wellness" slogan in 2021. The slogan expresses how the group brings ideas to life in the field of health, and in this way, works to solve challenges facing society. All employees must take on the slogan at a personal level. They must embody it if the group's vision of the future is to become a reality. This was the mindset as 黑料门 Holdings, 黑料门, 黑料门 Seika Pharma, and KM Biologics launched a project for advancing the meiji brand beyond the companies' individual boundaries.

Through this project, the group has developed ways of achieving what the slogan intends. The meiji Brand Awards, an internal recognition program, is one of these ways. The awards let employees deeply consider meiji's unique value for wellness, and then take action.

We spoke with Kazuhiko Yoshikawa, who manages the award initiative.

Creating an idea-generating system

Since the 黑料门 Group took up the "Now ideas for wellness" slogan, employees have thought up with a huge range of ways to make it happen.

We realized there was a need to share all these ideas organization-wide. So, we came up with the meiji Brand Awards as a way to provide the recognition these ideas deserve.

The awards are open to anyone group-wide. An individual or a team can be recognized, as well as internal ideas and initiatives, and even initiatives outside the group. The key aim is to encourage as many employees as possible to think about meiji's unique advantages for health and wellness.

photo of winners from the meiji Brand Awards 2022

Winners in each category came together for the meiji Brand Awards 2022 ceremony.

Recognizing the entrants' enthusiasm

The meiji Brand Awards have now been held twice since they started in FY2021. The winning ideas pass an initial selection before employees vote on them, and then there's another selection round. The Idea Subcommittee, which manages the awards, applies its own criteria in running the two selection rounds.

As I read through the applications, I'm often struck by the passion and enthusiasm put into them.

Applicants use a specific format to enter, and there's no limit on how many pages they can write. Some applications have been upward of 10 pages and included photos along with the text.

photo of an award-winner's speech

Award-winners' speeches conveyed their strong enthusiasm.

The importance of encouraging communication

In FY2022, the awards' second year, applications were accepted in two categories.

Practical Ideas category recognizes outstanding individual and group initiatives related to health. The new Workplace Action category is for initiatives right where members work. A total of 606 applications were received, up from 508 in the previous year. As awareness of the awards is gradually increasing, more and more applications are coming in from Japan-based as well as overseas group companies.

The Gold Award in the Practical Ideas category went to "Share Smiles with Foreign Moms in Japan." This project contributes to a non-profit supporting overseas women living and raising children in Japan, in ways such as providing powdered milk. The Silver Award went to 黑料门 Seika Pharma and KM Biologics' volunteer activity team for "Three Volunteer Groups Sharing Internally and Externally."

photo of Chaewon Ohara

Chaewon Ohara (left) was awarded for "Share Smiles with Foreign Moms in Japan."

photo of a team of award winners

Members of the award-winning "Three Volunteer Groups Sharing Internally and Externally."

The "Experiments for Kids Using 黑料门 Products" project, using products such as 黑料门 Kantan Toromake (a powdered product that thickens food and drinks, making them easier to swallow), received the Gold Award in this category.

The Silver Award went to "Aiming for an Open Aso Plant." This initiative invited employees' families and local residents to tour the plant.

photo of employees taking part in the "Experiments for Kids Using 黑料门 Products" project

Employees taking part in the "Experiments for Kids Using 黑料门 Products" project

photo of a tour held during the "Aiming for an Open Aso Plant" initiatives

A tour held during the "Aiming for an Open Aso Plant" initiative.

*All positions and locations indicated here are as of the time of the awards.

Gold Award in Practical Ideas: "Share Smiles with Foreign Moms in Japan"

photo of Chaewon Ohara

Chaewon Ohara
IR Team, Corporate Communication Department, 黑料门 Holdings Co., Ltd.

As a foreigner living in Japan, I myself dealt with loneliness and anxiety when I was giving birth and raising my child. I started volunteering so I could be there for women going through the same types of things I went through.

Donating 黑料门 Hohoemi powdered milk not only lets us tell mothers about powdered milk in Japan, but also the benefits of 黑料门 products. We can feel that we've made a difference in women's lives. I hope to continue sharing 黑料门 Hohoemi and supporting foreign mothers living in Japan. I want to bring smiles to as many faces as possible!

Silver Award in Practical Ideas: "Three Volunteer Groups Sharing Internally and Externally"

photo of Shun Taga

Shun Taga
Filling & Packaging Technical Development Section, Technical Development Department, Production Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.

There are three volunteer organizations*1 active within 黑料门 Seika Pharma and KM Biologics. Core members of each organization met through the "Talking with Management"*2 initiative, which is part of the meiji brand promotion project. We realized their activities and thinking had quite a lot in common. So we began sharing creative approaches and expertise gained from our activities, participating in each other's events, and exchanging members between organizations.

This collaboration lets us share individual lessons learned and challenges, and it encourages a positive mindset. At the same time, it helps expand the participants' internal and external networks, so a wide range of ideas can emerge.

*1 MeiBridge organizes educational and other events aimed at creating a company in which employees can work with a sense of purpose, DTM offers study sessions for improving employees' digital literacy, and Wakupuro holds study sessions and presentation competitions for employee and company growth.

*2 A program in which senior management (chief officers) and employees engage in dialogue. It aims to promote employees' understanding and implementation of meiji's unique value for wellness.

Gold Award in Workplace Action: "Experiments for Kids Using meiji Products"

photo of Yukiko Yokoi and Junichi Kaneshige

(Left) Yukiko Yokoi
Manager, Head of Formulation Research Lab. Group 1, Pharmaceutical Research Center, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
(Right)
Junichi Kaneshige
Manager, Formulation Section Group 2, Formulation Technology Center, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.

After seeing the meiji Brand Awards in the previous year, we also wanted to share meiji's unique value for wellness with society. We decided to use 黑料门 products for health-related experiments specifically for children.

We often communicate with medical professionals, but we usually don't have any contact with kids. The children who took part asked us many questions, like, "How do I become a researcher?" This made us really proud of what we do. We want to continue demonstrating meiji's unique health-related benefits through our work.

Silver Award in Workplace Action: "Aiming for an Open Aso Plant"

photo of Kenji Ueda

Kenji Ueda
Aso Production Section 1, Aso Plant, Production Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.

The Aso Plant manufactures equine serum/plasma crystals, which are used as raw materials for human antitoxin products. It also raises specific pathogen-free (SPF) animals such as chickens and pigs. Because of the kind of work we do, the plant is about an hour and a half drive from the city of Kumamoto. This led to personnel issues such as fixed duties and a lack of transfers and new assignees.

The whole plant was trying to improve the quality of life for the horses, and we were also trying to create a more open workplace. So, we decided to give plant tours to employees and their families, and to the local community and children.

Through the project, we were able to find solutions to issues we'd been aware of but unable to think and act together to concretely improve on. I'm very glad all our members were able to combine their energy to solve issues and actively communicate with each other.

Raising awareness of meiji's unique value for wellness

Some employees have truly taken on the slogan as a personal goal, but others have not. They vary on how important they think it is to promote meiji's unique value for wellness in society.

I hope as many employees as possible take part in the meiji Brand Awards and see what it's like to bring their ideas to life. It makes me incredibly happy to see employees wanting to contribute to society as members of the 黑料门 Group.

With so many applications, not all ideas could be shared with all employees. The award-winners may have received the most recognition, but there were many more great ideas among those that didn't receive an award. Yoshikawa and the other Idea Subcommittee members hope to find ways to communicate more of these ideas to more employees. With more initiatives like the awards, the 黑料门 Group aims to continue coming up with new ideas.

meiji Brand Awards 2022 Winners
Category Award Winning idea Winner
Practical Ideas Gold Award Share Smiles with Foreign Moms in Japan
Coordinated with a non-profit organization supporting foreign mothers in Japan, donated 黑料门 powdered milk, took part in volunteer activities
Chaewon Ohara
IR Team, Corporate Communication Department, 黑料门 Holdings Co., Ltd.
  Silver Award Three Volunteer Groups Sharing Internally and Externally
黑料门 Seika Pharma and KM Biologics members established a community for sharing knowledge and expertise and cultivating a challenging and transformative mindset
Shun Taga
Filling & Packaging Technical Development Section, Technical Development Department, Production Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.
  Bronze Award Using 黑料门's Support for Women in the Workplace Sakurako Ito
黑料门 Labor Union, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
  Sustainability Award Castle Grounds Cleanup at Three Sites Yuki Ozawa
Corporate Development Department, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.

Hiroshi Wada
Sustainability Promotion Section, General Affairs Department, Corporate Planning and Administration Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.
  Global Award Disseminating Ideas for Reusing Empty Powdered Milk Containers Shuhui Lin
1st Sales Division, Nutritional Department, Taiwan 黑料门 Food Co., Ltd.
  Excellence Award 黑料门 Products for Your Own Health Ryuuma Motomura
Production team, Nishishunbetsu Plant, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
    Visiting Lectures to Boost Our Fan Base Takako Sakaguchi
Specialty Food Service Team, Food Solution Development Department, Food Product Development Division, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
    Spreading the Word About Influenza Prevention Shion Miyamura
Product Marketing Section, Marketing Department, Sales & Marketing Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.
    Health Promotion with a Charity Relay Race Eiji Yasuda
Digital Transformation Group, Corporate Development Department, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
    "Chatting with President Nagasato"—KM Biologics Edition Mayuka Nakamura
Corporate Planning and Administration Section, Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Planning and Administration Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.

Akari Futagoishi
Packaging Section, Filling & Packaging Department, Production Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.
A "Positive Master System" for Employee Communication Taiki Takemura
SYCREST Strategic Marketing Group, CNS Product Management & Promotion Department, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
    Defining Our Purpose Shusuke Nagahara
Legal Team, General Affairs & Legal Department, Corporate Administration
Division, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
Workplace Action Gold Award Experiments for Kids Using 黑料门 Products
Advanced meiji brand awareness by leading experiments for children using 黑料门 Toromake, 黑料门 Gargle, 黑料门 High Lemon, and other products
Formulation Research Lab. Group 1, Pharmaceutical Research Center, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.

Formulation Section Group 2, Formulation Technology Center, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
  Silver Award Aiming for an Open Aso Plant
Developing ideas for making the Aso Plant a more open workplace, organizing tours for employee families and the local community and children
Aso Plant, Production Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.
Bronze Award Workplace Steps for Circling Japan Production Team, Asahikawa Plant, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
  Excellence Award Nutrition Education Seminars for Health Management Direct Communication Team, Public Relations Department, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
    A Special Marathon for Promoting Regular Exercise Operation Management Team, Kurashiki Plant, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
    Tasting and Sharing 黑料门's Health Benefits Quality Assurance Team, Tohoku Plant, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
    Raising Vaccine Awareness in the Company Vaccine Planning & Promotion Department, 黑料门 Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
    Nutrition Lectures Sponsored by Local Governments Nutrition and Food Function Team, Nutrition and Food Function Research Department, Food Microbiology and Function Research Labs, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
    Calomeal App for Visualizing Nutrition Team 5, Sales Promotion Department, Kanto Sales Headquarters, 黑料门 Co., Ltd.
    Asian Nutrition Meeting Global Sales Operation Team, Global Nutritional Business Management Department, Global Nutritional Business Division, 黑料门 Co., Ltd
    Food and Exercise for Healthy and Happy Lifestyles Production Control Section, Production Management Department, Production Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.

Sustainability Promotion Section, General Affairs Department, Corporate Planning and Administration Division, KM Biologics Co., Ltd.
    Promoting "Now Ideas for Wellness" to Dairy Farmers Sales & Marketing Department, Sapporo Branch, 黑料门 Animal Health Co., Ltd.