Working in the nuclear power industry is a team effort where there can be no mistakes, so we value openness.
Plant Engineering Department
Plant Design Section 2 Section Chief
Akira Nakayama
Joined in 2008
Why did you decide to join Shibata Kako Sekkei?
I majored in a degree related to nuclear energy in university. I was interested in nuclear power plant design, so I applied to Shibata Kako Sekkei, which is located in my hometown Yokohama.
The interviewers were courteous during my interview, and when I was taken on a tour of the company, I felt that the employees gave off a friendly and approachable vibe,
so I decided I wanted to work for this company. I narrowed my selection down to just Shibata Kako Sekkei without moving forward with interviews with other companies, and successfully received a job offer.
Even after receiving the offer, I was provided with opportunities to interact with the company, such as work experience, so I didn't feel anxious when I joined the company.
What are your current responsibilities?
Plant Design Section 2, to which I belong, is mainly involved in design and analysis, with design and analysis making up roughly half of all our work.
Approximately 80% of our design and analysis work is performed on nuclear power, while 20% is performed on general plants.
From a positional perspective, my personal duties include coordinating with customer and determining processes, drafts, and specifications, rather than doing hands-on work.
I also issue instructions and requests to workers and check such instructions and requests.
In the nuclear power industry, more work is done on existing facilities than new ones.
To perform analysis on such facilities, I collect previous drawings, determine the scope of the piping analysis, and in some cases,
visit the site to verify that the piping is laid out in accordance with the drawings.
Since there can be no mistakes when it comes to nuclear power, there are a huge number of items to be checked and evidence for each task,
and it is difficult work as we have to prepare and check a variety of documents.
A typical daily schedule
9:00
Arrival at work, checking e-mails
10:00
Team meeting (checking progress and pending issues, etc.)
11:00
Preparing documents for customer meetings
12:00
Lunch break
13:00
Piping design work (primarily checking work)
14:00
Customer meetings (reporting on progress and pending issues, etc.)
15:00
Team meeting (developments following customer meetings)
16:00
Preparing for subsequent tasks (preparing manuals, etc.)
17:00
Piping design work (primarily checking work)
18:00
Organizing task content
19:00
Leaving work
What kind of company is Shibata Kako Sekkei?
Working for the company, I think it's a company that allows its employees a lot of freedom.
I wanted to work on general plants, I also wanted to work on nuclear power, I wanted to try working as a dispatch employee at one of our customers: I was allowed to work on everything I wanted.
If you work hard at something and manage to produce results, you will be recognized for your efforts. I think this is a company where you can challenge yourself.
It's difficult to say what the atmosphere is like in the workplace because I'm now part of those responsible for developing it, but I try to ensure that the atmosphere is open.
Working in the nuclear power industry is not something you do on your own, but a team effort,
so I hope to create a cheerful atmosphere where everyone can easily approach and talk to me, as well as those around them, not just about work, but also casual chitchat, to the extent possible.
In general, it's easy to talk to my superiors, including the president.
I can casually greet people and stand around talking with them in this company of about 300 people, and I think that's an attractive point that's fairly rare.
I also look at other companies, but it's rare that you meet with anyone more senior than a manager, and you basically never cross paths with the president.
How do you spend your time after work or on days off?
I enjoy playing the trumpet at home.
There are times when I struggle with work, but I cherish the moments when I'm indulging in my hobby because I can get away from those troubles.
I play with my child on weekends.He seem to enjoy running these days, and he run pretty long distances.
We do some trainspotting, visit parks, and have some snacks before heading home.
When I was younger, I used to go golfing and participate in events every week with my colleagues,
and we'd all go to Atami and spend a night there just to drink.
It was really easy to understand what the people I drank with were thinking, and what kind of people they were, at drinking parties.
It's difficult to invite subordinates to drinking parties because of how the times have changed, but this company has outside activities such as bouldering and badminton,
which is helpful for me because it provides opportunities for communication regardless of age.
MESSAGEA message to students
I'm allowed quite a lot of freedom to do things, but now I believe that no matter the company someone joins, it's ultimately up to them.
In Japanese, the characters for "work" are written with the characters for "people" and "act," so I have long believed that it's very important for a workplace to be a place where it's easy to take action.
I'd like you to attend the information sessions and one-day work experiences, as well as come and see the atmosphere of openness we have here.
If you feel that it'd be easy to work with us, I'd like to encourage you to apply.
Why did you decide to join Shibata Kako Sekkei?
