Mr. Masashi Hamada, Standard Steel, LLC, USA
"Steely determination: Answering society’s call for sophisticated steelmaking technology"
Mr. Masashi Hamada completed the master’s course in Materials and Manufacturing Science at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Engineering in 2010, after which he entered Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (now reorganized as Nippon Steel Corporation) in 2010 and was transferred to Standard Steel, LLC in the United States in 2022.
A productive path to the present
During the 12 years after graduation, Mr. Hamada was engaged in manufacturing technology for steelmaking processes at a steelworks. Here, pig iron made from iron ore, coal, and limestone is transformed into strong, tough, and flexible steel according to quality requirements for each customer through four processes of steelmaking: blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace, secondary refining and continuous casting.
After joining the company, he has worked to solve quality and efficiency issues on the production lines, but as he gained experience, he started to become more involved in starting up equipment and reviewing specifications of newly introduced manufacturing equipment. In May 2022, he was assigned to Standard Steel, LLC in Pennsylvania, USA, where he has been working ever since.
Mr. Hamada expressed the motivation for his choice of disciplines and expectations for his career: “I entered the School of Engineering because I wanted to eventually work for a company that engages in monozukuri (manufacturing). I especially wanted to work for a company that makes products on a large scale, products that are widely used in people's lives and support not only Japan, but also the international community as a whole.
“In addition, I also wanted to work for a company that operates overseas because I felt that working overseas once in my life would be a good experience.
Taking pride in his work at a socially responsible company
His responsibilities at work are both challenging and uniquely rewarding. Standard Steel LLC manufactures railroad wheels and axles that are used primarily on freight trains in North America. While in Japan, the importance of rail transportation is once again attracting more attention from the perspective of SDGs. In the US, freight trains can have a total length of more than 1 km with 100 cars, and cargo containers are stacked in two layers, top and bottom. Furthermore, freight trains run across US soil on an incomparably large scale to that of Japan, forming an indispensable type of material transportation that directly impacts for people's daily lives in the country.
In addition, if a derailment accident occurs, it can have serious impacts on the residents living in the surrounding areas, so the products being supplied are thoroughly inspected and must not have any defects. The work is as tough as it is rewarding; maintaining the required product quality while improving production efficiency to increase the company's profits, although this can be challenging, but the results and benefits of these efforts are always reflected in figures regarding productivity indicators and profits.
Mr. Hamada mentions, “Although I still cannot speak English fluently, I give technical guidance based on my experiences in Japan to my co-workers using gestures and drawings, and I feel confident that the results of my efforts are starting to show.”
Working in the steel industry, he appreciates his study at the university as it provided him with the fundamental skills and necessary foundation for steelmaking. “I think my experiences in experimental and research projects at the university have been useful in my current role as an engineer, namely learning and researching knowledge related to issues, setting my own goals, taking on specific challenges, and reviewing the results. I also think that I acquired the endurance and necessary skills for productive teamwork through my athletic club activities, all of which have helped me to work in an organization.”
An unsung hero, yet a hero all the same
I am not the kind of person who yearns for the limelight, but I would like to be someone who plays an important role behind the scenes. I hope to go through my life in such a way that I can look back years later and say, "The work was tough and challenging, but it was a positive experience and I enjoyed myself.”
Appreciating diversity and individuality will broaden your horizons for the future
Living in the US has made Mr. Hamada aware that people in Japan care too much about what others think. “That’s not to say that I think people should be more selfish, but rather, I hope that people will appreciate diversity, accept each other, and live happily every day with confidence in their individuality,” he expresses with a renewed respect for diversity and individuality.
Mr. Hamada also had a message for OU students: “In addition to your studies, I hope that you will find something you can be passionate about that you can boast about to others, all while taking full advantage of your limited student life. If you have the chance, try to interact with international students in Japan or study abroad to broaden your horizons.”
Text: Saori Obayashi/Edit: Christopher Bubb