【株式会社マザーハウス】グローバル進出を見据えて。職種の枠に囚われずチャレンジできる環境下で、誰もがオールを漕ぎ、「途上国から世界に通用するブランドをつくる」[MOTHERHOUSE] In an environment where everyone can take on challenges without being restricted by job categories, everyone rows an oar to "create a world-class brand from a developing country.

United World, Inc., which provides global human resources search and matching services with the aim of creating a "world where anyone can work anywhere," conducts interviews with leading companies in various industries for the purpose of introducing them to you.

This time, we focus on Motherhouse which, since its establishment in 2006, has achieved growth based on the philosophy of "creating world-class brands from developing countries," and is widely expanding its business both domestically and globally. We asked Mr. Hongping Wang, Director, COO and Head of Corporate Division, to tell us about the company's features and appeal.

• Established in 2006 by the CEO of Eriko Yamaguchi
• With offices in six developing countries, the company has been practicing manufacturing (leather goods, fabric products, jewelry, etc.) that makes the most of local materials and techniques.
• The company's philosophy and high quality products have steadily gained support, and it currently operates 42 outlets in Japan, 5 outlets in Taiwan, and 2 outlets in Singapore.
• Domestic members number about 300. The total number of members overseas is 800.
• Active in on-the-job training at factories, study sessions, in-house internships, and open recruitment for positions.
• A corporate culture that emphasizes initiative and proactivity. All members row the ship of the company together.

MOTHERHOUSE was launched in 2006 by founder Eriko Yamaguchi with the philosophy of "creating a world-class brand from a developing country. Currently, MOTHERHOUSE has factories in six countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Myanmar) that serve as production bases, and is engaged in the production of products (bags, leather goods, jewelry, etc.) with maximum respect for materials nurtured by the rich nature and the traditional skills of craftspeople. Products produced in developing countries are sold in Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Our manufacturing process is characterized by the fact that we handle everything from material development to delivery to our customers in-house. Based on the idea that the first priority in "making good products" is to create a good working environment, we aim to create safe and secure factories that workers can feel like a "second home" through the development of working environments for factory employees (medical insurance, high salary levels, benefits, etc.).

In addition, with the Corona disaster as an impetus, two years ago we started working on a chocolate business using Indonesian cacao as a new product challenge. Furthermore, from 2022, we are starting an apparel brand "ERIKO YAMAGUCHI" named after our representative, designer Yamaguchi.

MOTHERHOUSE began when Yamaguchi, who was a senior in college at the time, dreamed of a career in development assistance at an international organization and visited Washington, D.C. as an intern for an international organization. There, Yamaguchi felt uncomfortable with the fact that poverty issues were being discussed without developing countries, and decided to go to Bangladesh, which is said to be the poorest country in Asia, because "you cannot solve poverty without knowing what is happening on the ground.

What can I do for this country?" In order to get to know the area, Yamaguchi took an exam for a graduate school in Bangladesh and was accepted. There, he experienced firsthand the daily strikes, terrorist explosions, and large-scale natural disasters. He witnessed firsthand the reality that aid and donations were not reaching those in need.

To solve poverty from its very structure, it is necessary to engage in economic activities such as business, not in the form of "aid and donations," which are based on good intentions and self-sacrifice. This was the answer Yamaguchi arrived at.

This is how the MOTHERHOUSE brand was born. We are constantly challenging ourselves to see how many people will support our products based on the unique materials and craftsmanship of the country in which they are made.

Although MOTHERHOUSE started out with a single street-level store, thanks to your support, we have gradually increased the number of stores and now have 42 stores in Japan, 5 stores in Taiwan, and 3 stores in Singapore.

Although we have been in business for 17 years (as of 2023), we are still an organization that is still changing organically, and it is important that you go out and grab opportunities for yourself.

If you work hard in a given position, someone will find you someday and pull you up, and that is not zero at all. However, people who are able to raise their hands and express their willingness to "do this" or "take on this challenge" and continue to take action to make it happen are very active.

The organization also highly values such proactivity and initiative. As proof of this, when a position becomes vacant and the next person is chosen, in the majority of cases, the decision is not made by nomination, but by internal open recruitment of all staff. Most of those who wish to move from a store to work in the office are transferred through an internal open recruitment process.

In addition, we have an extensive in-house internship system that allows our staff to challenge themselves in a variety of positions. For example, if a store staff member who is interested in promotional activities wants to get some experience in the office, he or she can gain practical work experience in an actual team for two weeks to a month. If they can actually produce output there, they may be able to stay with the company. My impression is that people who can say "I want to do this" on their own are the ones who are most successful.

Of course, there are times when you are not selected for an in-house internship. But those who can look back and see what went wrong, make improvements, and take on the challenge again are very strong. Motherhouse itself is a company that is constantly changing its shape in an organic way, so I feel that it is important not to define the boundaries of one's work by oneself.

In our training, we place great importance on how much the training is a stimulus for new action. From this perspective, we place the focus of our training on on-the-job training at factories, known as factory visits.

A factory visit is a training program in which staff members from the country of sale select a country of production on their own, visit it for four days and three nights, or five days and four nights, and experience the manufacturing site.

Even if we talk about "creating a world-class brand from a developing country," there is a lot of information that can only be obtained at the production site, such as who makes the products, how they are made, what parts are difficult, and what determines the quality.

There are many staff members who have changed so much before and after going to the field training, and in a positive way. The field training program was temporarily suspended due to the Corona disaster, but we were able to revive it this summer, albeit on a smaller scale. We plan to expand the scale of the program in the future.

At the same time, we are conducting a training program (Craftsman Journey Japan) in which artisans from developing countries come to Japan. This is an opportunity for staff from around the world to interact with each other and gain new insights and renew their passion for the products they handle on a daily basis. In addition to on-the-job training, we also offer a variety of study sessions and on-the-job training. In some cases, stores take the initiative in holding business training sessions with outside companies.

In the future, we would like to focus more on global expansion of our business.

First, we would like to establish a strong base in the Asian region, centering on Taiwan and Singapore, where we already have stores, and then, using these as a starting point, we would like to take on the challenges of the European and U.S. markets. At the same time, we recognize the importance of changing our products, management policies, and organizational structure from the current Japan-centric structure to a global standard.

Although the global situation is still challenging, we will not stop making progress in order to realize our consistent vision of "creating a world-class brand from a developing country. Global shift is our next big challenge.

There are many words that we hold dear to our company, and one of the most representative of these is "rowing a boat. This phrase compares the company Motherhouse to a large ship, and is meant to encourage everyone on board to carry oars and be a driving force to propel the ship forward.

As a ship (company) grows larger, it is easy to think that it is enough to just move with the big currents, such as the direction of the wind and the captain's instructions. However, we believe that it is not up to the top management or managers to decide where and how the ship is headed. We want each and every one of you to be involved in rowing the boat, and that is our desire at Motherhouse.

If you have the opportunity to work with us, please voice the challenges you would like to take on. Motherhouse is the kind of place that can push you to "give it a try! Motherhouse wants to be that kind of presence that pushes people to "give it a try!

If you share our philosophy of "creating a world-class brand from a developing country," we hope you will consider Motherhouse as an option.

MOTHERHOUSE has an environment in which employees can take on the challenges of their careers by raising their hands and actually taking part in the public recruitment system. During the interview, one of the employees said, "That said, there are some areas where you need to maintain your own will." In the interview, one of the employees said, "That said, there are some areas where you need to keep your own willpower. For those who share the company's philosophy and want to create their own career, Motherhouse is a very challenging and attractive environment as it continues to expand its business around the world.