Stakeholder Engagement

Each year, we invite our shareholders to tour our demo center located within Shiga Works, Hini Arata Kan. In fiscal 2023, tours were attended by 83 people over the course of two days, enabling them to further deepen their understanding of our company.

The Daifuku Group recognizes that the status of domestic foreign workers in the supply chain, including contractors, is a human rights issue that must be prioritized. Since 2022, we have been working to identify, analyze, and evaluate any negative impacts on human rights through on-site interviews with foreign national workers employed by our business partners. In fiscal 2023, we expanded the scope of these efforts to include not only domestic sites, but also employees at our global subsidiaries and foreign nationals employed by their business partners. As part of these efforts, we conduced on-site interviews at Group companies in Thailand and Taiwan as well as with their business partners.

Human Rights

In fiscal 2023, we renewed our emergency food reserves as part of our BCP (Business Continuity Plan), and with that donated a total of 754 cases of nutritionally balanced food to the Hino Town Council of Social Welfare, Second Harvest Japan, and two other organizations. The recipients of these donations provide food to facilities, organizations, and families (individuals) in need.

Beginning in fiscal 2019, Shiga Works launched the Regional Revitalization Team Project to promote interaction between employees and the local community. In fiscal 2023, donation boxes made by employees were installed in each cafeteria, donations were made to a social welfare organization in Hino Town, Shiga Prefecture, and sales and tasting events by local vendors were held in conjunction with walking events during lunch breaks at Shiga Works.

Shakunage-gunraku, also known as Rhododendron Gorge, is a nationally designated Natural Monument located near Shiga Works. Since 2005, Daifuku has participated cleanup events organized by the Hino Tourism Association in April before peak season. In addition, we have been participating in the Omi Eco-Foster System promoted by Shiga Prefecture since 2001, cleaning up national roads around Shiga Works. In fiscal 2023, events were held 12 times with a total of 101 participants.
The Tokyo Head Office also participates in annual volunteer raking of fallen leaves at the Kyu Shiba Rikyu Gardens, which is located nearby the office building, together with other neighboring corporations as part of our annual community contribution activities.

Each year, employees from Shiga Works take part in a community activity together with local residents, companies, and environmental conservation groups to clip reeds surrounding Lake Biwa. It is essential to trim the overgrown reeds every winter to protect the reed beds, which play an important role in preserving the ecosystem and water health of Lake Biwa. The reed clippings are then used as raw materials for paper products.

In fiscal 2023, we gave a visiting lecture at an elementary school in Shiga Prefecture, where one of our facilities is located. This lecture was part of a project launched in 2023 by Shiga Prefecture and in cooperation with corporations and other organizations to create opportunities for diverse experiences for children. As a model project, we introduced local children to our biodiversity conservation activities, including the dragonflies that inhabit the Shiga Works premises.

We have been accepting educational field trips at Hini Arata Kan, our demo center within Shiga Works, since fiscal 2014. We have designed a tour program for students in the 5th grade of elementary school or above that follows the content of government curriculum guidelines. In this program, the students deepen their understanding of factory production and information society through the world of material handling. In addition to viewing the demo systems, the students can also enjoy learning through a variety of activities, such as watching videos made specifically for elementary school students, comparing the speeds of the demo systems, and more. In fiscal 2024, around 450 students from six elementary schools participated in these field trips.

Since fiscal 2015, we have been holding etiquette training led by Hini Arata Kan staff members. As advance preparation for the workplace experience training implemented at public junior high schools in Shiga Prefecture (Junior High School Student Challenge Week), students receive training with demonstrations in business etiquette such as how to greet politely and answer the phone. In fiscal 2024, 1,119 students from eight junior high schools (34 classes) participated in these training sessions. This training is also offered for local university students, teaching staff, and administrative staff.