Support for Customers’ Disaster Recovery
Hoshizaki’s Japanese distributors dispatch service staff from distributors all over the country to provide recovery support to customers affected by major natural disasters, such as typhoons and earthquakes.
After a disaster takes place, staff from all over Japan quickly gather at the distributors in the affected areas, repair Hoshizaki products and help with volunteer activities such as cleaning up stores.
When torrential rains hit western Japan from June to July 2018, staff from 10 Japanese distributors nationwide gathered to help, assisting affected customers with repairs and store restoration.
In addition, in the wake of Typhoon Faxai, which hit Chiba Prefecture in September 2019, we assisted customers in their recovery efforts with support from staff not only from Hoshizaki Kanto, which is in charge of product sales and maintenance services in Chiba Prefecture, but also from other Group companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
In addition to manpower support for recovery, we also provide support for reconstruction by loaning products, and providing relief materials and donations.
When the February 2021 the coast of Fukushima earthquake occurred, we refrained from dispatching staff from non-local areas due to the impact of the spread of COVID-19, but we did make efforts to support customer recovery by sending staff from distributors in areas with minimal damage and whose territories included the affected areas.
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Hoshizaki Green Foundation
Hoshizaki Green Foundation was founded in 1990*, based on the strong affinity of Hoshizaki’s founder, Shigetoshi Sakamoto, for nature in his hometown. The Foundation has the mission of contributing to the preservation of the natural environment by conserving and propagating wildlife, and creating harmony between people and nature.
The foundation raises awareness of the importance of nature conservation through research, studies, and environmental maintenance aimed at conserving and propagating wildlife, as well as publishing information on its activities. It does this through initiatives including development of Lake Shinji Green Park on the banks of Lake Shinji, and Furusato Shakunouchi Park in Unnan City, and the operation of the Shimane Prefectural Lake Shinji Nature Museum.
Hoshizaki supports the foundation’s activities and leverages the knowledge and expertise gained through participation in activities to advance the development of natural environments on its factory grounds and in its local communities.
* Core funding provided by Hoshizaki shares bequeathed by the late founder, Shigetoshi Sakamoto, and through Sakamoto Donation Foundation stock contributed by the current Chairman & CEO (and current Foundation chair), Seishi Sakamoto and his wife.
The Hoshizaki Charity Club
The Hoshizaki Charity Club is a voluntary organization for Hoshizaki Group employees and executives in Japan, and collects amounts under 100 yen from the salaries and bonuses of members and donates them as funding to support organizations engaged in social contribution activities.
As of December 2023, about 70% of Hoshizaki Group employee in Japan are members.
Employees of each Group company serve as steering committee members on a rotating basis, selecting donation recipients, offering support for persons with disabilities, children’s education, and natural disaster recovery.
The club’s support activities provide opportunities to increase interest in voluntary social contribution activities.
Support for Community Development
Through its volunteer activities and donations of support funds and Hoshizaki products, Hoshizaki is actively involved in a wide range of support for new businesses and activities that promote regional development and revitalization.
Its main initiatives are as follows.
Educational Support for Children and Students, etc.
We provide donations and other support for educational projects that lead to the growth of children and students in the municipalities where our factories are located.
We have also donated our ice machines to help prevent heat stroke in the summer.
Supporting the Independence of Persons with Disabilities
We contribute to the creation of the necessary environment for the employment of people with disabilities through donations of Hoshizaki products and initiatives such as allowing a mobile bakery and a food truck organized by non-profit organizations that support the independence of people with disabilities in the community to sell their wares on Hoshizaki premises.
Cleaning and Beautification Activities
Every year, we participate in a cleanup of the lakeshore (of Sakura Orochi Lake) near our factory (in Unnan City).
We contribute to the beautification of the lake environment by also providing the factory’s light trucks and lawn mowers for use.
Communication and Friendship between Employees and the Community
Hoshizaki provides factory tours for elementary, junior high and high schools and other organizations.
We hope to make contributions to education by showing manufacturing processes and employees working on them and thereby making local people feel the “importance of working” and “the fun of manufacturing.”
In FY2023, we provided factory tours to three schools.
In addition to the above, we hold “Hoshizaki Family Day” to invite our employees and their families to the factory.
We are deepening their understanding of Hoshizaki’s businesses through factory tours and by preparing programs such as explanations of environmental conservation activities by the Hoshizaki Green Foundation.
Support for the Special Olympics
Special Olympics (SO) is an international sports organization that provides a variety of sports training to people with intellectual disabilities, as well as competitions where they can show the results of their training.
We support SO through charitable donations, and as a result, awareness is rising in Aichi Prefecture and Shimane Prefecture.
