Don't listen to what the head office says-What Kirin Fuse left behind-October 8 16:37

Takayuki Fuse, president of Kirin Brewery, who died suddenly in September.

In the beer industry, where there is a fierce competition for market share, Kirin, whose business performance was sluggish, returned to the top for the first time in 11 years, and he was the driving force behind the "prestigious revival."

"Don't listen to what the head office says. I take responsibility."

What did the man who changed the organizational culture of the prestigious company and continued to listen to the voices of the field left behind?

(Misato Yasui, Reporter, Ministry of Economic Affairs)

Sudden obituary on the day of the company ...

It was a sudden obituary.

On September 1, Kirin Brewery President Takayuki Fuse collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation, a type of arrhythmia, and died at a hospital in Tokyo where he was transported.

I was 61 years old.

Mr. Fuse went to work from the morning on the day of his death, and at an in-house discussion meeting, he was enthusiastic about the future image of the company he was aiming for with Corona.

I, who is in charge of the beer industry, just interviewed in July.

"Everyone has to put up with it now ..." Just before the fourth state of emergency was declared, I couldn't believe it because he kindly responded to the interview while chatting.

The employee who knew the obituary and responded to the interview with the company was in tears.

It is said that many employees in the company shed tears on that day.

The voice of Mr. Fuse's death spread to business partners and rival companies.

Lawson, a major convenience store.

A large poster with the words "Thank you Fuse-san" was put up at 11 stores in Nakano-ku near Kirin's head office.

It was realized by an in-house voice saying, "I want to express my gratitude somehow."

Kenichi Shiozawa, president of Asahi Breweries, which has been fighting for the lead for many years.

I missed the sudden death of the top rival company.

President Shiozawa:

"I felt that I could resonate at the roots, which is similar to what I think. I was thinking about how we would go beyond the competitive relationship and expand the demand for beer, partly because of the corona. I am very sorry that I died when I should go. "

Regained the top share with "V-shaped recovery"

Mr. Fuse joined Kirin Brewery in 1982.

Starting with the Kobe branch, he has consistently walked through the sales fields, mainly in Tokyo, and was the person who valued the site above all else.

In 2010, he became the president of Koiwai Dairy Products Co., Ltd., a group company, and recovered his business performance. In 2015, he became the president of Kirin Brewery.

Kirin is said to be the pioneer of the Japanese beer industry and has maintained the top position in the industry for a long time after the war.

However, when he took office as president, his business performance was sluggish due to competition with rivals and "beer away", and the previous year's financial results were in a difficult situation where sales and profits were the only one among the four major beer companies.

However, after that, Mr. Fuse made a “V-shaped recovery” in his business performance, and last year, Kirin returned to the top share for the first time in 11 years.

How did you get out of the slump when you look back on "the losing battle that doesn't go well no matter what you do"?

Recognize a loss as a loss

During his lifetime, there is a presentation material in which Mr. Fuse talked about his own view of management.

He recalled that he had a great influence on his view of management when he was the president of the Osaka branch, who served for two years from March 2008.

Kirin at that time was reversed in market share by rival "Asahi Breweries" and was content with the second place in the industry for a long time.

Especially Osaka is a region with strong rivals such as Asahi.

Mr. Fuse, who became the branch president, immediately met with each employee.

Then, employees complained that "there are too many brands to operate" and "the strategy of the head office is inconsistent".

I struggled to get motivated, but the morale of the company was declining.

In fact, I couldn't achieve the desired results in my first year in office.

Mr. Fuse said he bowed in front of all employees at the year-end meeting.

"The result did not come out, the leader's my responsibility. Sorry"

is not recognized as a negative defeat.

Reforms began by dispelling this corporate culture that had permeated prestigious companies.

"Don't listen to what the head office says"

The following year, Mr. Fuse set out a bold sales strategy.

At that time, the main brand "Ichiban Shibori" was just renewed 20 years after its sale.

The company has set up a strategy to concentrate its sales activities on this product and try to rebuild it by "breaking through one point."

"You don't have to listen to what the head office says. I'm responsible."

The campaign for other products dropped from the head office will be postponed, and the taste of the main brand using only the wort that has flowed out first will be sold at retail stores. The salesman was devoted to telling the restaurant.

One day, Mr. Fuse happily told a young employee, "Go around 120 houses a day and sell them."

Then, the young man went around 123 houses that exceeded the target.

The veterans began to be inspired by the appearance of young people desperately working around the business.

It is said that the number of restaurants that handle major brands in Osaka Prefecture has doubled to more than 1,000.

And this year, Kirin overtook Asahi for the first time in nine years to become the top share.

"In an organization, employees have the same vector, and if they exert their maximum power, it will be a tremendous amount of power."

Mr. Fuse learned that "the field is the leading role" in Osaka.

After that, even when he was the president of Koiwai Dairy Products, he focused his efforts on selling yogurt made by fermenting only raw milk and succeeded in rebuilding his business performance while he was in the red due to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Regaining the top position with "the scene is the leading role"

In January 2015, Mr. Fuse was appointed president of Kirin Brewery because of his skill.

However, when he returned to Kirin after working as president of Koiwai Dairy Products, his business performance had deteriorated again.

Mr. Fuse's first assignment, a senior at the Kobe branch, and former president of Kirin Holdings, Yoshinori Isozaki.

Looking back on the situation at that time.

President Isozaki

"In the Kobe era, I was in a relationship to call" Fuse-chan "and" Iso-san. "He came from a sales line, but the president must not only sell a lot but also make a profit. At that time, he was still a rival. It was when I was worshiping afterwards, but I told him, "Let's revive Kirin Beer again anyway," and touched the baton. "

Mr. Fuse, who became the president, emphasized that "the site is the leading role".

First, we visited all 11 sales offices and 9 beer factories nationwide and held a knee-packing dialogue meeting with employees.

And while talking about his vision, he continued to listen to the opinions of the field.

The key word is "a company that thinks about customers the most".

Thorough product development that emphasizes consumer needs has accelerated reforms.

The man who changed the beer

A series of reforms has created an unprecedented beer.

While renewing its main brand, Ichiban Shibori, it started selling "local beer" with different tastes and aromas in each of the 47 prefectures, based on the voices of the region.

The strategy was to increase the number of fans with community-based products that customers wanted, even at a high cost.

In 2018, we launched a new product of "third beer" that is neither beer nor low-malt beer.

The "red color" package, which was rarely used until now, also attracted a lot of attention and became a big hit.

In addition, Corona Sake sells canned "craft beer" and new products that allow you to enjoy the taste of draft beer at home.

We focused on thoroughly grasping the needs of our customers and created innovative products that responded to changes in the business environment.

And last year, it achieved the top position in the sales share of beer-based beverages for the first time in 11 years.

President Shiozawa of a rival company evaluated Mr. Fuse's management skills as follows.

President Asahi Breweries Shiozawa

"As beer sales are declining year by year, I think he was the person who embodied the idea of ​​refining products rather than excessive competition. One of them is craft beer. I was building shops and breweries. Although the strategy is different from ours, I was wondering if this activity would revitalize the beer industry. Making is an idea that we don't have, and I felt that it was one way to add value to our products. "

What I wanted to convey with Corona

What did Mr. Fuse want to convey when the restaurant was suffering from corona?

The material for Mr. Fuse's presentation has the following description.

"In an emergency, the company's way of thinking and essence can be seen through."

"Kirin is not a company that only needs to be himself."

Mr. Fuse said that he had instructed employees to think about "helping customers with their problems" when selling to restaurants that are suffering from short-time sales or suspension of alcoholic beverages.

Employees at the site said, "Why don't you introduce the method of applying for a national subsidy to the store?"

September 1st, when he died.

At the in-house opinion exchange meeting that day, Mr. Fuse was still calling for "that word."

"It's been a year and a half since the spread of the infection, but I feel that the new Corona is sending a message to humankind and society to reconsider the essence. What kind of company is it for? Please think about whether you will continue to be, and stick to "the company that thinks about the customer the most" and "the site is the leading role". "

And I sent such a message to the employees.

"Because I joined this company in just one life, I was able to meet everyone who can enjoy each other together

."

September 6th.

A funeral was held.

It is said that only President Isozaki and his secretary attended from Kirin because of the corona disaster.

At the time of the casket, "that beer" was placed beside it.

President Isozaki

"Ichiban Shibori was placed next to me, and my family poured it into a glass and hung it on the body. When my family turned the glass to me and sprinkled beer, I thought" Fuse-chan " I said, "I was taken care of while remembering various things, with the feeling of thank you very much."

Familiar and loved

I was a little surprised at this interview.

Despite being the top of a large company with more than 3,000 employees, Mr. Fuse was "loved and loved" by each and every employee in the field.

What is the reason?

One employee told me this story.

"Mr. Fuse tells exactly the same story to employees and the media. The top does not shake in difficult times and good times. So I think everyone trusted Fuse."

Humbly accept the mistakes, set a policy that does not shake, and continue to listen to the voices of the field.

How many such leaders are there in Japan?

This month, the state of emergency was completely lifted, allowing restaurants to serve alcohol.

However, depending on the infection situation, restrictions may be tightened again, and it is unclear whether consumer behavior will return to what it was before Corona.

Mr. Fuse who died in the middle of his career.

We hope that each and every one of the "leading actors" in the field will inherit that will and regain the vitality of the industry.

Reporter of the Ministry of Economic Affairs

Misatoshi Yasui Joined the

station in

2014

After working at the Sendai station and Nagasaki station, he was in charge of the distribution industry, etc.