Ph. Dialogue「博士人材セミナー」は、Ph. Discover連携企業からゲストを迎え「博士課程修了者が企業でどのように活躍しているのか」「企業は博士人材に何を求めているのか」について話していただき、後半はゲストと学生が対話を通して交流する企画です。12回目は山下浩幸さん（ダイキン工業株式会社）をお迎えしました。

空調機と冷媒を作る世界屈指の空調機メーカー

I'm Yamashita, the head of the Recruitment Group at the Human Resources Division of Daikin Industries, Ltd. I joined Daikin Industries in 1985 after completing a master's course in Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University. Since our company is an air conditioner company, we have been engaged in research on heat exchangers for air conditioners, and have also conducted joint research with Hokkaido University. From 1999, I was stationed at the University of Maryland in the United States for two years as an exchange researcher. Participated in multiple universities and air conditioning consortiums such as MIT and the University of Maryland, and after returning to Japan, worked for a group company specializing in research.

Daikin Industries is named after Osaka Kinzoku Kogyo, which has been the name of the company since its founding. Headquartered in Osaka, we are a global company with 285 of our 315 group companies located overseas.

Our business consists of air conditioning, which accounts for 90% of our business, and chemicals related to fluorine used in air conditioning. When the company was founded in 1924, it began with the manufacture of radiator tubes for cooling aircraft engines, and later developed Japan's first freon-type refrigerator "Mifujirator," package air conditioners, room air conditioners, multi air conditioners for buildings, etc., and air conditioning technology and energy saving. Since March 2011, we have taken pride in being the global No. 1 in the air conditioning business by developing our technology.

I would like to introduce the uniqueness of our company, including my thoughts.

• I have never heard of an air conditioner manufacturer other than Daikin in the world that makes not only air conditioners but also refrigerants.
• Since environmental issues themselves are directly linked to their own management issues, they are very interested in the environment.
• We have increased our sales through management that puts people at the core. All employees are innovators.
• It has also taken a unique course in terms of intellectual property strategy, such as providing inverter technology to Chinese air conditioner manufacturers and opening its refrigerant patents.
• In 2015, he established the Technology and Innovation Center (TIC) in Settsu City, advocating open innovation, so that the research institute would not turn into an “ivory tower” isolated from society.
• 「研究者」という呼称を「技術者」に変えて意識改革をはかる。　など

We will talk about these in a little more detail.

空気価値の創造を目指す「FUSION25」

Our company's performance is almost on the rise. Although there was a temporary drop due to the Lehman Brothers shock and the recent corona crisis, we will achieve a V-shaped recovery in FY2021, surpassing pre-coronavirus performance. The strategic management plan “FUSION25”, which targets 2025, has the following nine themes.

Among these, we are placing particular emphasis on the following three areas: 1) the challenge of carbon neutrality, 2) promotion of solution businesses that connect with customers, and 3) creation of air value.

「空気価値の創造」とは、コロナ以前から取り組んできた花粉症やSARSなどの対策を含め、空調データとバイタルデータを蓄積・分析し、心身の健康にまつわる空気・空間の価値を創造する試みです。それには高い知識や研究技術を持つ各大学との共同研究が必須になり、東京大学や京都大学、大阪大学、鳥取大学などの産学連携が進んでいます。

TICを軸に世界5極で商品開発を展開

The Technology and Innovation Center (TIC), established in Settsu City, Osaka in 2015, is the control tower for product development for us. Nearly 800 engineers have gathered.

With this TIC as our base in Japan, we aim to rapidly implement product development and technology development tailored to each region in the world's five regions of China, Asia, India, North America, and Europe. In particular, North America is the largest market for air-conditioning technology, and we are focusing on it as a region to strengthen.

In addition to the air conditioning business, we are also expanding sales of existing products and developing new products, focusing on the four key markets of semiconductors, automobiles, information communication, and information terminals. In addition, since the fluorine used in air conditioning is expensive, it can sometimes become a barrier in terms of cost.

独創から協創イノベーションへ

Not limited to our company, when it comes to the research and development department of a company, product development that connects research, development, and manufacturing is required. At our company, where each and every employee is an innovator, in order to eliminate "development rework", it is important to develop from technological development to commercialization.

There are many stage gates before commercialization. Each time the stage changes, we will be evaluated, and we will narrow down the theme to a good "straightforward" theme that can be expanded horizontally in consideration of the environment, in accordance with laws and regulations and our management strategy.

In order to enable such technological development, it is essential to develop human resources for "co-creative innovation" rather than "originality" that relies solely on the power of individuals. From "I-type human resources" who specialize in one field to "T-type human resources" who have a wide perspective of one specialty and lateral view, and "Π-type human resources" of T-type human resources who have two specialized fields is about to shift to

In December 2017, we started an in-house course, Daikin Information Technology University, and are focusing on developing DX human resources. AI and data analysis technology will be required in all departments of the Group in the future, and strengthening and training the human resources who will promote them is an urgent issue. In general, I would like to promote innovation with the power of diverse employees.

ダイキンの博士人材採用

Here is a summary of the human resources we are looking for (image below).

At present, we are selecting doctoral course graduates together with bachelor's and master's students. Currently, there are about 80 employees with doctoral degrees. Mechanical/Physical, Electrical/Electronic/Information, Chemical, and Bio-related human resources are active. Considering the current situation of our company, where the air conditioning business accounts for 90%, there are few mechanical and electronic doctoral human resources, and we would like to increase them in the future. At the same time, we hope that by actively hiring people from different fields, we will lead to innovation, and that everyone will grow into a research professional and contribute to our business.

コミュニケーションタイム

Make it a habit to think about the future

Q: Earlier, you mentioned that research and development with a view to commercialization is required.
Yamashita: Thank you for your very good question. In corporate research, the goal of productization and commercialization is clear, but in university truth-seeking research, it is difficult to determine what the goal should be. As expected, I feel that I need to think about it consciously by myself. Which of the current social and environmental issues are you most interested in, and what fields can be applied next when you can commercialize it? If you always think about "the future" while conducting research, you will be able to see what you are aiming for.

Doctoral human resources who can get to the essence in a short time

Q: How do you evaluate being a Ph.D. when you are considered equally for a bachelor's degree and a master's degree?
Yamashita: Currently, our company's doctoral personnel are active in TIC and each development department, but what we expect from doctoral personnel is that they will bring about innovation, including problem setting and leadership. Even within the same hiring quota, we present a role different from that of undergraduate graduates to doctoral talent, and strive to put the right person in the right place.

Q: Will having a doctorate be an advantage in global expansion?
Yamashita: As you say, a Ph.D. is an international license. This is my experience, but when I was stationed in the United States, I once felt that when I handed over my business card as a master's student, the researchers there did not accept me as a discussion partner. In addition, I have the impression that it is easier to get to the essence of a problem in a short time and reach a consensus among doctoral students. I hope that all of you will be proud of yourself as a Ph.D.

Diversity that supports “co-creation”

Q: Please tell us a little more about the background to the need for diverse human resources.
Yamashita: Earlier, I mentioned that one of the key strategies in the strategic management plan "FUSION25" is to "promote the solution business that connects with customers." As we move forward with this solution business, we will inevitably run into a wall that we cannot solve with our own technologies and ideas. At such times, for example, by bringing together expertise in intellectual property, knowledge in business administration, and knowledge in a variety of fields to carry out “co-creation,” we can move forward over walls that cannot be overcome by one person alone. I would like to further strengthen the power of such diversity in the future.

Q: Are you actively recruiting international students?
Yamashita: This corresponds exactly to the diversity I just talked about. About 10,000 of the 85,000 people in our Group, including those overseas, are Japanese. Looking at Japan, I feel that Japanese people's international sense is still developing, so I have great expectations for the success of international students with different languages, cultures, and business senses.

 

Launch: March 3, 2022
Organizer: Ph. Discover
Co-organizer: Hokkaido UniversityFaculty of Science/Hokkaido University Center for Mathematics and Data Science (Data-related Human Resource Development Program) / Hokkaido University Doctoral Program for Materials Science Leading Program