Atsuko Tsuruyama, Mazda Motor Corporation

What is your current job?

I work in the development of cars which customers can drive safely with a peace of mind in the strength room of the department of vehicle testing. I am responsible for car body parts, and I investigate road surfaces that vehicles are driven on, set targets and propose structures that are light-weight and sturdy to build vehicles. Responding to environmental changes such as customers values and drive, targets are set according to the market. Tasks are subdivided for everyone. We all have our strengths and
weaknesses so we work as a team to support each other. Specifically, we receive a drawing every certain phase to check whether or not the required function is achieved. If not, we analyze the reason and incorporate the countermeasure to the model and this task is repeated. I feel rewarding when the structure I proposed is used and reflected to the actual car and to see it as a product. It is also rewarding to know that the target is achieved and is taken to the market with confidence.

What do you value in terms of research environment?

When I joined the company, I was the only female. But now there are 5 female members. I am satisfied with the benefits the company offers as I can balance life and work. For example, we have a super flex system without any core time, so I can set my own work time based on my lifestyle. They also offer shorter working-hour system so it is an environment that is friendly to people with children. Although I majored in chemistry in high school and biological science at the University, I was assigned to mechanical engineering department when I joined the company. There were many things I had to learn at first but thanks to my mentor who took good care of me, I was able to learn little by little and gained confidence. I was able to recreate the phenomenon with CAE on my own and I started really enjoying my job when that was adopted to the development of a vehicle model. Co-workers here get along well and we go camping and eat out together. When I was in school, I wasn’t able to focus on the studies as I was not sure how this is connected to my career. But when I joined the company and learned that my studies were useful, I sometimes opened the textbook from school and studied again. I should’ve studied not to obtain credit but while understanding the connection to the future. When you feel the spark, that’s when you can take a step forward and work to accomplish something. The more you work on something, the more you gain knowledge. I think it is important to work with the desire to want to do something.