Miku Kanno
Assay Section Onahama Smelting and Refining Co., Ltd.

Onahama Smelting and Refining Co., Ltd. puts effort into both the copper smelting business and the recycling business. For example, the company, committed to resource recycling, utilizes the copper smelting process to collect valuable metals such as gold, silver, copper, and palladium from discarded circuit boards of electronic equipment and other parts. I originally wanted to contribute to a recyclingriented society through my work, which is why I was drawn to this company and decided to join.
As an analyst in the Assay Section, my role encompasses a wide range of analytical work, including the component analysis of raw materials used by our company and the analyses of manufactured and shipped products. Every day, I am made aware that my work is directly tied to the company’s quality assurance and stable operations and it is a major responsibility.
In the copper smelting business, the sulfur content of copper concentrate is used as a raw material in the manufacturing of sulfuric acid and gypsum, which are important products of our company. I am currently in charge of conducting the product and process analyses of sulfuric acid and gypsum. This role involves using various tools and equipment to summarize analysis results and accurately present them before the due date. Analysis results are crucial information, not only for quality assurance, but also for determining whether manufacturing processes are Ms. Kanno uses a wide variety of tools and equipment in her analytical work, in which accuracy is strongly required. She learns from watching her seniors work and describes the workplace as follows: “Everyone is detailed in their instructions, and there is a very good atmosphere.” operating normally.
As a secondyear employee, my current work scope is not yet extensive, but the results of my analyses have predicted trouble in the manufacturing process and led to the identification of the cause of malfunctions. My senior once said to me, “We were able to prevent the issue before it arose. Thank you,” leaving me feeling pleased and rewarded from fulfilling my work duties.

I want to contribute to the protection of the quality of Onahama Smelting and Refining. It is with this thought thatI took the Autonomous Maintenance Engineer Level 2 exam in October. Autonomous maintenance involves preventing deterioration in advance through facility inspections and maintenance, quantitatively measuring the deterioration of facilities without relying on senses, standardizing maintenance and management based on the characteristics of facilities and equipment, and more. It could be said that these activities are the essence of “protecting your own equipment yourself.” The autonomous maintenance engineer certification covers knowledge and skills that are necessary to those who work in manu- facturing.
I became interested in the exam through the recommendation of a senior at work and decided to take on the challenge after looking into the test and thinking I could maybe make use of it at work. To be honest, balancing studying with my daily work was exhausting. Whenever I was unsure of what and how to study, a senior at work gave me advice based on his practical experience.
When my efforts paid off and led to my passing the exam and additionally receiving the “High Achiever” award for outstanding performance, I was very happy. By learning the knowledge and skills of autonomous maintenance, I have become able to, with a sense of responsibility for protecting our own equipment by ourselves, keep a sharper eye on abnormalities in the equipment.

Copper is highly conductive to heat and electricity and is an essential material in all electronics. Its demand is particularly growing in recent years, and so is the demand for the electrolytic copper we produce. In this context, I see my mission in my work as the swift and accurate reporting of analysis results to continue to protect quality assurance and stable operations. While I may not be directly involved in the manufacturing of copper, I believe my work supports the trust of our company’s products, ultimately contributing to society.
As a relatively new member, there are still many pieces of equipment I haven’t used and operations I have yet to gain experience with. Thus, my current goal is to become a full-fledged analyst like my seniors by first mastering the tasks at hand firstly and polishing my analytical skills in my daily work. Then, in the future, I want to become an indispensable member of the company, supporting the stable supply of copper, which is a globally in-demand resource, and contributing to our Corporate Philosophy of “For People, Society and the Earth.”