Below, let's relive the legendary story pulled out of a zipper.
1September, 908 19, Tadao Yoshida was born in a bird dealer's family in Yujin, more than 0/00 kilometers west of Tokyo. My father, Keitaro, is a steady and upright bird dealer. He lived in the deep forest for many years, catching, raising and selling birds. His family is poor, but happy.
When he was in elementary school, Tadao Yoshida began to go up the mountain alone to help his father catch birds. He became a small professional bird catcher. During the years of catching and taming birds, Tadao also absorbed nutrients that affected his life. He learned from birds the character of loving freedom, aspiring to fly high, striving for self-improvement and perseverance. This laid a solid ideological foundation for him to work hard in the future and become the "zipper king".
Due to family difficulties, Zhongxiong dropped out of high school before graduation. 15 was an apprentice in a ceramic shop. After the Great Kanto Earthquake, he went to work in the rain shoe store opened by his brother for a long time. He runs business outside during the day and goes to night school at night, leading a full life.
At the age of 20, he resolutely left his hometown, took 70 yen from his brother and went to Tokyo alone to work as a coolie in a China ceramic shop opened by his fellow villagers. Soon, he was promoted to the director of the pottery department, responsible for the sales of ceramics.
Tadao Yoshida has made great contributions in expanding his business, which was appreciated by his boss and sent him to Shanghai to purchase ceramics. Great Shanghai in the 1930s was a mixture of good and evil people. Heroes emerge in troubled times, and it is this turbulent "ten-mile foreign exchange" that has bred countless business tycoons. Tadao Yoshida travels between Shanghai and Tokyo. Although he didn't come to China for a long time, and his small businesses such as buying and selling porcelain, food and marine fish were not very prosperous, his experience in Shanghai made him mature, and the "business classic" he learned in his mind was the secret of getting rich without changing money. It can be said that without the experience of Shanghai, there would be no Tadao Yoshida today.
As Japan launched a war of aggression, the domestic economy was in trouble and the yen depreciated sharply. Tadao Yoshida was forced to return to Japan from Shanghai to help his boss save the ceramic shop on the verge of bankruptcy. However, in the wave of the yen plunging and tax increase, his efforts are only a drop in the bucket. Although the ceramic shop has been changed into a grocery store, it still can't escape the fate of bankruptcy.
The boss had no choice but to give up the shop. Among the goods left in the store, there are a large number of zippers entrusted by others. These zippers have been rusted and damaged for a long time because of their rough production and poor quality. At the age of 26, Tadao Yoshida seized this opportunity. He believes that zippers are people's daily necessities, with great market potential and great development prospects. So he went to the creditor and lent him the zipper stock in the store to sell, and later he had to raise money to pay off his debts.
In this way, Zhongxiong began to set foot in the zipper industry. 1934, 1 June, 2006, he founded the three s company specializing in the production and sales of zippers. He is his own boss and has only two employees. His capital is 350 yen saved by scrimping and saving, but his debt is 2070 yen.
At this time, the zipper has just spread to Japan, which is still a new thing for most Japanese.
The idea of zipper was first put forward by an American mechanic named Judson. 189 1 year, he invented the zipper because he wore boots every day and thought it was too much trouble to tie his shoelaces. In 1905, Judson designed a new zipper which is easy to be mechanized. A new zipper with modern style was invented in 19 13 by Swedish electrical engineer Sen Debacker who immigrated to the United States. It was not until 1923 that guthrie Company of the United States began to use zippers on jackets, and zippers developed rapidly in business and were welcomed by people.
After World War I, zippers spread to Japan, and the Japanese called them buckles. Japanese manufacturers who are good at imitation have also begun to research and develop production, but because Japan's basic industries are relatively backward, the effect of "slow implementation of the East" is not very good. The mode of production is very primitive, and it is completely assembled by hand. One tooth fits the other, and the handle and cloth belt are rough and useless, and often break down. It is common for customers to return goods and store inventory to accumulate.
In order to find out the shortcomings of Japanese zippers, Tadao Yoshida learned about the manufacturing process of zippers by ordering from Osaka zipper factory. After I came back, I devoted myself to studying how to improve. He developed some repair gadgets, repaired the returned zippers one by one, recorded his experiences and illustrated them with charts. Employees call him "zipper doctor" because few people return the zippers he repaired and sold. Tadashi's confidence increased greatly, and finally he found the trick to increase the output of zippers.
The third floor of Sans Company became Tadao Yoshida's zipper factory. The piles of returned zippers were repaired by Tadashiong and his two employees, and all of them were sold by three S brand zippers. Because the three S brand zipper is durable, even can withstand the impact of a hammer, and it is smooth and easy to pull, making a crisp and gentle sound like tearing cloth along the grain, so its sales are getting smoother and smoother. Many dealers in Tokyo mainly buy three S goods, which are dubbed as "golden hammer zipper".
Yoshida Tadao's zipper sales have increased by three times every year, and the third S company has also started to produce some zipper parts. The number of employees in the company has increased from 3 to 26, and the sales network is also increasing day by day. 1936, Tadao paid off all his debts. With tears in his eyes, he got back the iou, relieved of the heavy burden of the past few years, and relaxed all over.
1938, the third s company was expanded several times, and the number of employees increased to more than 100, so the original shops were not enough. Tadao bought 85 ping and built a new factory. The third S company was also renamed Yoshida Industrial Company.
Japan has a wartime economic system. The first order related to Japanese industrial and commercial circles is to ban the use of "copper", which is a necessary raw material for China to manufacture guns. Because copper has become a wartime pipe, the zipper industry with steel as the main raw material has been greatly impacted and will be forced to close down and switch industries. Tadao, who is good at thinking, is not intimidated by difficulties. He used his quick wits and decided to use aluminum as a substitute. This made him the first originator in the world to use aluminum instead of copper zipper.
At first, pure aluminum zipper was not popular because of its soft texture. After repeated research and experiments, Tadao finally successfully trial-produced an aluminum alloy zipper with high hardness and light weight, which wrote a brand-new page for the history of zipper development in the world.
In addition to domestic sales, he also actively expanded export channels, with 40,000 dozen zippers entering the American market every month. This is undoubtedly a challenge for the United States, the hometown of zipper invention. Therefore, Tayou Zipper Company, the largest zipper company in the United States, put pressure on the US government to restrict the import of Japanese zipper products. Tadao Yoshida shifted the focus of foreign trade to Mexico and South American countries. In Mexico alone, Yoshida's foreign sales reached 50,000 yen, and sales in other countries were also considerable.
Compared with other zipper manufacturers, Yoshida's products have the best quality and the lowest price, so they are very popular with users. In just two or three years, Yoshida occupied the zipper market in Lu Haijun. 100% of the Japanese navy demand and 33% of the army demand are provided by Yoshida.
However, just when Yoshida tasted the sweetness of his career success, the Pacific War broke out and the company's export market was lost. Soon, a bigger blow followed.
1945, 10 In March, Yoshida's zipper factory in Tokyo was destroyed in an air raid, and his years of hard work was reduced to ashes. But he did not give in, but worked hard and made great efforts to make a comeback after the war. Yoshida Industrial Co., Ltd. started a new stove in Yoshida Tadao's hometown and set up a zipper factory in Yujin. The domestic sales network has also been established, and the total number of employees has expanded to more than 1000.
In postwar Japan, the economy was depressed, commodities were scarce, and goods could not be sold. At that time, Yoshida's equipment was relatively simple, and only human machinery could be used to make zippers. Although the quality is poor, it is in short supply in the market. 1947, another chance to put Tadao Yoshida's career on the right track.
One day, an American zipper importer visited the Yujin factory. The American businessman picked up a zipper and asked, "How much is this zipper?" "90 cents." Yoshida made a tentative proposal.
"Ha ha ..." The American burst out laughing. "Really? 90 cents is too high, even if it is cheaper, no one wants it in the United States. " With that, he took out a zipper from his wallet and showed it to Tadao Yoshida. Yoshida Tadao looked at it carefully and was surprised. These American zippers are of good quality, and their own products are really dwarfed.
The American businessman smiled and pointed to Tadao's clenched American zipper and said, "I can sell you these seventy cents, and I can make money." With that, the American businessman shrugged his shoulders, grunted a sneer and left. All that's left is a stunned loyal man and a table of inferior zippers.
The ridicule of Americans made Tadao Yoshida see the huge gap between the United States and Japan. Although this is not good news, Tadashi saw a turning point in his career. American zippers are not expensive, because there are many excellent zipper manufacturing machines in America. On the other hand, Japan is still in the stage of manual workshops, and of course it will only be inferior in quality and high in price. He vowed to catch up with America. This indomitable personality opened a new chapter in his career.
So he set up Yoshida trading company to prepare for the introduction of American machines. 1950 he bought four high-speed automatic zippers from America. It is indeed a very delicate mechanical equipment, with fast running speed and excellent performance. All the employees in the factory were fascinated by it, and the screaming drowned out the sound of the machine running.
"I want to build 65,438+000 such machines," Tadao Yoshida made a further decision on the spot. "I want to ask the first-class Hitachi Precision Machinery Factory in Japan to build 100 better machines according to my improved drawings."
As soon as he got started, he immediately invited Kizaburo, chairman of Hitachi Seiki, to discuss and decided to develop it within three years and deliver it in batches.
At the same time, Tadao Yoshida added surface grinding machines and chain machines, followed the trend, developed new products from Tong Dan, and continued to develop aluminum alloy zippers.
Aluminum alloy zipper was developed during the war, but now he has started the work from scratch because of the skyrocketing copper price.
In order to find out how to develop aluminum alloy, he boarded Pan Am and went abroad for inspection. In the United States, he watched the conveyor belt assembly line of Ford Motor Factory producing a car in six seconds, and inspected many precision machinery factories and alloy factories in Europe and America. He recorded his daily inspection experience in a notebook or photographed it with a camera. No matter how tired he was that night, he would write an article and send it back to Japan. He tirelessly studied aluminum alloy, automatic production line, precision machinery and international trade, and finally returned home with a full load.
After returning home, Tadao Yoshida immediately put his newly learned "lightning tactics" into action. He handed all the aluminum alloy inspection results and personal suggestions to Hitachi, and Hitachi cooperated very harmoniously. Under his urging day and night, Qi Xin, a metallurgical expert, finally developed an aluminum alloy suitable for zippers. 1956, he set up the 56s factory, specializing in the production of aluminum alloy raw materials and zipper parts. An invisible aluminum alloy zipper was developed. Although the invisible zipper has already sold well in the United States, Tadao Yoshida's aluminum alloy invisible zipper has a great potential to catch up with it.
Many manufacturers in the United States, Central and South America and Europe began to purchase a large number of aluminum alloy raw materials from Yoshida Industrial Company. The company is getting bigger and bigger, and Tadao decided to set up a new factory in Heibu City.
100 new high-speed chain machines, as well as many new models determined to improve, have been put into operation in the new factory in Heibu. Among them, Model 33 zipper machine has a production capacity of 12 minutes at 4000 revolutions per minute, which is equivalent to the workload of the old model for 8 hours a day. The temperature, cleanliness and employee welfare of the new factory are quite good, and the advanced experience that Zhong learned in Europe and America is tried here. In a good working environment, the enthusiasm of employees is greatly improved and the output is soaring.
At this time, Tadashi loudly put forward his slogan: "Yoshida zipper circles the earth once a year." He used this as the company's trademark, hoping that the company's zipper length could circle the earth every year.
In order to complete the one-stop business plan, he set up a textile factory in addition to the Dan steel plant and aluminum alloy plant. He pursues perfection, and the specifications of all factories are first-class. He firmly believes that first-class factories can produce first-class products.
1958, 50-year-old Tadao Yoshida finally got his wish. This year's zipper production has realized the ambition of the trademark to encircle the zipper length of the earth every year.
Tadashio succeeded. He became the object of study, and people asked him, "What is the secret of success?" He always smiles and says, "I only care about people and money." All for one and one for all. Without considering the interests of others, there will be no prosperity of its own. I don't spend all the money I earn, but reinvest it in machinery and equipment. In a word, it is the cycle of goodness. "
He believed in the philosophy of "the cycle of goodness" all his life. He believes that only in the case of mutual benefit can it blossom and bear fruit forever. He only accounts for 16% of the company's dividends, his family accounts for 24%, and the rest is shared by the company's employees, which other bosses can't do. He asked the employees of the company to deposit 10% of salary and allowance into the company to improve equipment and increase profits; The employee can get a bonus of more than 8 months every year, but he asked for 2/3 of the employee's bonus to buy the company's stock, so the company increased its capital, and the employee's salary and bonus were higher, so he could get a dividend of 20%. This has formed a "virtuous circle" between the company and employees.
Tadao Yoshida's Song of Ideal with Zipper seems to have never used a rest. He continued to pursue his dream. In Japan, he has 7 factories, nearly 20,000 employees, and operates 50,000 various machines, with an average daily production of140,000 zippers. Since 1960s, he has expanded the zipper industry to all parts of the world. In just 22 years, he has set up 42 factories and 137 sales points in 39 countries and regions. 1983, he has three branches in Italy. At present, Yoshida has more than 65,438+00000 employees overseas, and its sales range reaches 65,438+025 countries and regions, making it the number one zipper market in the world.
It is rare that Tadao Yoshida is not satisfied with his hegemony in the world zipper industry. He also spends at least 654.38 billion yen on research and development every year, and has developed more than 400 kinds of zippers. From the use point of view, it is not only used for clothes, shoes and hats, bags, boxes and bags, but also used for waterproof zippers on diving suits, zippers connecting fishing nets and bird nets, and zippers with cold resistance and corrosion resistance. In the exhibition hall where Yoshida products are displayed all the year round, you can't think of anything that doesn't need zippers. Up to now, Yoshida has obtained 1.5 million zipper patents in Japan and 1.4 zipper patents abroad due to innovation and improvement.
In addition, Yoshida's products have developed from the initial zipper to today's zipper, and also produce aluminum doors and windows building materials, resin, nylon, vinyl chloride, cotton yarn, chemical fiber, zipper machines and other machinery. In South America, it also has its own copper and aluminum mine, which has become a "zipper kingdom" integrating raw materials and product sales all over the world, and Tadao Yoshida naturally sits on the throne of "world zipper king".