Contributing to Society by Providing a Safe Working Environment for Individuals with Disabilities

Azbil Yamatake Friendly Co., Ltd. was founded in April 1998 within Azbil Corporation’s Fujisawa Technology Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, as a special subsidiary of Azbil Corporation (then Yamatake Honeywell Co., Ltd.), to employ people with intellectual disabilities. It has a unique origin, having been established as a result of a proposal by an employee during Azbil's Create 21 idea contest held to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the company's founding. The company’s mission is to provide work opportunities for people with intellectual and mental disabilities, as well as to help them improve their skills according to their individual characteristics and promote their independence and participation in society.

In 2009, the company established the Isehara Factory in Kanagawa Prefecture (now integrated into the Shonan Factory in the same prefecture), and in 2011, a branch office was set up within the Shonan Factory. Currently, there are 38 Azbil Yamatake Friendly employees at the Fujisawa Technology Center and Shonan Factory, who work on tasks related to the business operations of the azbil Group. These tasks are diverse. They include collecting and delivering mail, accepting parcels and manufacturing parts, bookbinding, maintaining air cleaners, collecting, sorting, and dismantling factory waste, maintaining green spaces, assisting with manufacturing on the production line, and helping to record experimental data for product development. In recent years, the azbil Group has been promoting a paperless work environment as part of its work-style reforms. Consequently, the number of tasks involving scanning paper documents and storing them electronically has increased sharply. As digitalization progresses throughout society, the nature of work is also changing.

The eight staff members responsible for supervising and managing employees are on temporary assignment from Azbil. Because the company was born from the ideas of Azbil employees, the instructors have a deep understanding of their colleagues and a strong desire for their growth, which translates directly into effective instruction. Meanwhile, employees are achieving results by producing high-quality work. These positive relationships with employees with disabilities are the driving force behind the continued expansion of the business and employment.

In April 2024, Azbil Yamatake Friendly received certification under the Certification System for Small and Medium-sized Employers with Outstanding Performance in Employing People with Disabilities (commonly known as the Monisu Certification System), which is based on Japan’s Act on Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities (Disability Employment Promotion Act). Under this system, the Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare recognizes small and medium-sized business owners who are outstanding in terms of their efforts to promote and stabilize the employment of individuals with disabilities. Certified employers are publicized as role models for employing individuals with disabilities in the local area. This is expected to encourage advances in disability employment efforts across all small and medium-sized enterprises in the region.

Employers seeking to obtain Monisu certification must apply to their local labor bureau and demonstrate that they meet all the certification criteria through interviews and document reviews. One of these documents is the Self-Assessment Sheet for Evaluation Criteria (hereinafter, the Self-Assessment Sheet), which summarizes the content and results of the initiatives implemented by the company, as well as detailed evaluation criteria related to information disclosure. Because the self-assessment must be objectively supported by third-party evaluation and clear evidence, considerable effort goes into preparing the application. Azbil Yamatake Friendly visited the Kanagawa Labor Bureau in October 2023 for an interview, and after several document verification procedures, successfully received certification.

The efforts toward obtaining certification provided the company with an opportunity to identify its strengths as well as areas requiring improvement. A specific strength is the employment situation. The azbil Group’s five domestic companies (Azbil, Azbil Yamatake Friendly, Azbil Trading, Azbil Kimmon, and Azbil TA.) that apply the statutory employment rate for individuals with disabilities^*1 have achieved a combined employment rate of 2.63% (as of June 1, 2024), exceeding the legal employment rate of 2.5%, and Azbil Yamatake Friendly is a major contributor to this achievement. The average length of employment is quite long, exceeding 15 years. Some employees have been with the company since its establishment and are now over 50 years old, which highlights our strength in maintaining a high retention rate. At the company, employees with disabilities work the same hours (7 hours and 55 minutes) as Azbil employees. As a workplace that employs individuals with disabilities, the working hours are long, so wages are high, and bonuses are also provided. These benefits motivate employees and contribute to a high retention rate. It is believed that these aspects were highly regarded when the company obtained the Monisu certification.

On the other hand, one issue that became clear was the need to strengthen mechanisms for supporting coexistence with the local community and enabling employees to continue working for the company for the long term, such as systems that encourage employee independence and personal development. As a response to this issue, the company has instituted a recreation subsidy system to support employees’ participation in the local community and foster friendship-building. We have also launched a self-development subsidy system to encourage employees to take the initiative in learning, such as by improving their health at the gym, attending computer classes, or obtaining other qualifications, thereby creating a system to support employees in maintaining healthy bodies and improving their skills. Both systems began operation in October 2024.

One of the reasons Azbil Yamatake Friendly obtained the Monisu certification was to strengthen its acceptance of external business orders. Obtaining certification and receiving an officially authorized evaluation not only contributes to creating an internal environment where individuals with disabilities can work with peace of mind, but also revitalizes the workplace and boosts motivation for work.

From an external perspective, obtaining this certification proves that the company has an excellent system for employing individuals with disabilities, and it also serves as an advantage when receiving orders from outside the azbil Group. As a result, employees are motivated to work, and the company can receive orders from outside companies. This improves its performance and creates a virtuous cycle, allowing the company to obtain the funds needed to hire new personnel.

Even before receiving the Monisu certification, Azbil Yamatake Friendly had been contracted by an affiliate of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, a ship operator, to cut off lashing belts used to secure vehicles when the warranty period expired, and to send them to fuel recycling companies. We hope that the Monisu certification will lead to increased orders from companies outside the Group.

Going forward, Azbil Yamatake Friendly will continue to focus on creating a workplace where individuals with intellectual and mental disabilities can thrive, and will actively work to expand its business while further increasing the number of employees it employs, thereby contributing to society through the further promotion of the employment of those with disabilities.