Yuki Takeda
After acquiring experience in accounting, administration and other areas, Yuki Takeda was assigned to the Iron & Steel Making Raw Materials Dept., where she mostly oversees the manganese trade conducted by Assmang Limited, a South African mining company. She was posted to the Johannesburg office in June 2011.
Export of iron and manganese ores to Far East Asia, export of automobiles to neighboring African countries, export of wood chips to Japan, import of electric generation and substation facilities for the Electricity Supply Commission of South Africa, import of household insect repellents, etc.
Basic regional information (“Data” 2010)
| South Africa | Population: 49.99 million people | Capital: Pretoria | GDP: 363.7 billion dollars |
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* Source: Website of the World Bank “Data” http://data.worldbank.org/ （2011.10.24）
I have worked at the Johannesburg office since June 2011. When I first came to South Africa, I was surprised at how early people here start their day. For example, the local gyms offer aerobics and other classes from 5:00 in the morning, and those are the most crowded classes of the day. At our office, too, some people arrive before 7:00 and by half past we sometimes almost have a full house. Following their lead, I wake up earlier than I used to and spend the morning hours usefully gathering information from newspapers and other sources. On the weekends, I often get brunch at the market or some café. As I am getting up earlier, the days seem to be longer, so I feel like I have gained something.
The Johannesburg office is located in the Sandton district
A café in Johannesburg
The tightly knit staff members of the Johannesburg office (with me on the far right)
There are about 40 people working in the Johannesburg office. I belong to the Metals & Minerals Division. I am mainly engaged in the export of manganese ore to Japan and Far East Asia and ferrochrome to Japan. These materials are produced by Assmang Limited, a mining company in which Sumitomo Corporation has an indirect stake. Assmang’s manganese ore is well known throughout the world as a high-grade ore and we aim to expand our sales of it. It is very challenging to make proposals that would benefit not only Sumitomo Corporation but also Assmang and our customers. In order to achieve this, I put a lot of effort into ensuring close communication with my colleagues around the world as well as with Assmang and—most importantly—into understanding our customers’ needs.
The business relationship between Assmang and Sumitomo Corporation dates back to 1962. The other day when I visited Assmang’s manganese mine, I noticed in the office a photo of some of Sumitomo Corporation’s former senior managers. It really brought home to me the long-term nature of the relationship with Assmang and the responsibility of maintaining and expanding the business deals established through the efforts and achievements of so many senior managers over such a long period of time. As a representative of Sumitomo Corporation in the resource-rich country of South Africa, I will do my best every day to ensure the continuation of successful projects that can be taken up by the next generation.
People gathering at a send-off event for the Springboks before they left for the World Cup (Nelson Mandela Square)
Right now, people in South Africa are excited about the Rugby World Cup, which is held every four years. When I have watched rugby games here, I have noticed lots of people, including Africans, Europeans, Asians, etc. all cheering for the national team, regardless of their race. On casual Fridays, many people go to work in the green uniform of the Springboks (the nickname for the South African rugby team). When I first saw people cheering for their national team, filled with pride at being South African, the image of South Africa that I had before coming to this country changed considerably.
Nov. 01, 2011
