KOBELCO Global Session 2019 held for national staff of overseas companies

From October 28 to October 31, Kobe Steel, Ltd. held the KOBELCO Global Session (KGS) in Japan for national staff from its overseas Group companies. Fourteen managers from 12 companies participated in this year's program. National staff consists of people who are employed locally to work at the Group companies.

The KGS program has been held since 2011 as a forum for national staff to deepen their understanding of the Kobe Steel Group's corporate philosophy and management policies. The program aims to foster awareness among national staff members and increase their motivation. Kobe Steel believes that it is important to cultivate national staff who can support the Group's businesses at overseas locations so that they can play an active role over the long term for the growth of the Group.

In this year's program, participants were given an overview of Kobe Steel where they learned about its history, management plans, compliance and other aspects through lectures and discussions to gain knowledge and skills necessary for managers at overseas bases. The program included a tour of Kakogawa Works. Participants also saw the awards ceremony for the KOBELCO Core Value Awards. This initiative helps employees understand the Core Values of KOBELCO, which defines the shared values of the Group.

A visit to KOBELCO Core Values Place, a facility to remember the lessons learned from the quality misconduct, led to further exchanges of opinions. These programs gave the national staff the opportunity to increase their sense of belonging to the Group and consider the roles they are expected to play and what actions they should take.

Following the program's completion, a party was held where the overseas managers could meet our executives. A visit to Kyoto and other activities gave both participants and our employees the chance to further interact with each other.

Looking ahead, the Kobe Steel Group aims to leverage its diverse human resources while deepening ties with its overseas Group companies through the KGS program to increase its corporate value over the medium to long term.

Kobe Steel invited employees to submit examples of initiatives in the workplace for the three categories of trust, cooperation and innovation with respect to the Core Values of KOBELCO, the corporate philosophy, and the Six Pledges of KOBELCO Men and Women, which defines a code of conduct. The top entry received the Grand Prix. Second prizes were awarded for trust, cooperation and innovation. Other entries received special prizes.