Asahi Glass | Activities at AGC Group

Activities at AGC Group

AGC Group Activity 1
AGC Group Activity 2

Utilization of Diverse Human Resources

The AGC Group is a global corporate group comprising approximately 50,000 employees, who work in about 30 countries and regions. For continuous growth as a world-class global enterprise, we are increasing our organizational strength by utilizing diverse human resources based on the value of diversity. For example, exchanges of employees are made through the Research Center and Legal Affairs Office of Asahi Glass. Moreover, Asahi Glass is promoting the employment of non-Japanese students and also Japanese who have studied outside Japan. In the future, we will conduct employment activities across the Group based on a global personnel plan and enhance these activities both from a Group and a global perspective.

Topic
Discovering New R&D Methods by Combining the Good Points of Japanese and Belgian Styles

Satoru Tomeno (right)
European R&D Center
AGC Glass Company
(With Rostislav Losot who is his associate)

In October 2010, I was sent from the Asahi Glass Research Center in Japan to the European R&D Center in Belgium where I am engaged in research into highly transparent glass for solar devices as an exchange researcher. What I have found different between the two countries is that in Belgium, people think it more efficient to work individually while in Japan we think it more efficient to work in groups. In Belgium, I am able to spend more time on my own tasks and in improving my own ability because there are few meetings. However, this means I don't know much about the work others are doing, even the person sitting next to me; it feels rather lonely, in fact. In Japan I was aware of my role as a member of a team through weekly and monthly report meetings, but I often felt it was waste of time to attend so many meetings. Before returning to Japan, I would like to seek out new R&D methods by combining the good points of the Japanese and Belgian work styles and introduce them to my workplace in Japan.

Topic
Winning a Best Practice Workplace on Labor Relations and Labor Welfare Award Continuously (Thailand)

Award ceremony: Factory Manager of AGC Automotive (Thailand) (center), the employee representative (left), and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (right)

Award ceremony: Factory Manager of AGC Automotive (Thailand) (center), the employee representative (left), and Prime Minister (right)

AGC Automotive (Thailand), which manufactures and sells glass for automobiles, has won a Best Practice Workplace on Labor Relations and Labor Welfare Award from the Thai Government every year since 2004. The government annually chooses the award winners by sending officials of labor standards bureaus to interview both their managers and employees. At the award ceremony held on September 18, 2009, the Factory Manager and the employee representative of the company received a commemorative plaque from Thai Prime Minister. The company also won the award in 2010. In Chonburi, there are only two companies that have received the award for seven consecutive years, including the company. It is indeed a great honor to become such a consistent winner.

Respect for Human Rights

Based on the "Respect for People" principles set forth in its Charter of Corporate Behavior, the AGC Group is committed to respecting human rights, not engaging in discrimination, forced labor and child labor, and never tolerating infringements of human rights. Also in 2010, we began conducting measures to check compliance with the principles across the Group.
If a problem takes place regarding human rights or labor relations, the human resources department and related departments cooperate to find a solution. Moreover, we have introduced the Help Line through which employees can ask for advice and report any problems. Those in charge of compliance make sincere responses toward the solution of the reported problems.

Topic
Building favorable working environments by acquiring SA8000 Certification (Italy)

Salerno's ethical-compliance committee

AGC Flat Glass Italy obtained the certification of international standard SA8000 at the manufacturing site in Salerno in 2006 and updated it in July 2009. This international standard is designed to encourage the establishment of management systems to eliminate child labor, forced labor, low-wage labor, disciplinary practices, long working hours, and employment discrimination; to ensure health and safety, and freedom of association and right to collective bargaining for workers; and to build favorable working environments.

AGC Group Award System

The AGC GROUP CEO AWARDS 2010 page of AGC Group Web, where excellent activities are introduced

In order to foster a better corporate climate in which employees are encouraged to respect one another and appreciate their mutual achievements and efforts, the AGC Group has an award system targeting all employees. We dispatch information about the awarded excellent activities across the Group through the intranet (AGC Group Web). In fiscal 2010, we incorporated the concept of CS into the criteria to select activities to be commended in the field of "Innovation & Operational Excellence" under the award system because the concept of CS is an important issue that should be noted in our business operations.

Commendations Awarded across the AGC Group and Numbers Thereof (FY2010)

Type	Number
*“Look Beyond”* Award	5
Excellent Quality Improvement Plant Award	6
Excellent Cost Reduction Plant Award	6
New Business/New Market Development Award	12
Excellent Business Support Award	13
Technical Innovation & Performance Award	20
KAIZEN Award	9
Enhancement and Transfer Technologies & Skills Award	7
Excellent Safety Plant Award	32
Environmental Contribution Award	5
Diversity Award	3
Integrity Award	4
Total	122

ES Improvement Activities Based on the ES Survey

Based on the 7 Key Principles for People, which comprises the AGC Group's direction in human resources management, we have been conducting AGC Group employee satisfaction (ES) improvement activities, which are essential to motivate employees to improve the quality of their work accomplishments. We therefore promote the incorporation of ES ideas and measures in the management mechanism of daily operations for all employees.
Specifically, in order to identify issues to improve ES and as a part of activities to communicate with employees, we began conducting an ES survey in 2005. Subsequently in 2007 we conducted the second ES survey targeting more employees and checked the effects of the ES improvement activities we had been conducting since after the first ES survey.

Significance of ES Improvement Activities

ES improvement activities are essential to motivate employees to improve the quality of their work accomplishments. We therefore promote the incorporation of ES ideas and measures in the management mechanism of daily operations for all employees.

The third ES survey

We conducted a third ES survey in November 2010 in 18 languages targeting about 40,000 employees. We will continue our activities to improve ES for each job level through small follow-up meetings and other means. (We will introduce ES improvement Measures in this page)

AGC Group Internal Communication

The AGC Group provides various kinds of internal communication tools for group members.
We have been publishing our group's in-house magazine since January 2006. We are AGC! communicates present situations among the Group so that all employees can share the Group's values and measures. The magazine is published every two months in both English and Japanese. It visually introduces the AGC Group's employees working in various locations in the world and the Group's various products to help employees deepen their understanding.
In December 2007, we launched a web site named "AGC World" on the intranet to introduce messages from top management and to provide information about events held by the AGC Group, such as briefing sessions on the financial results and press conferences on new products, in a timely manner.

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