An article about Susumu was published in the Chunichi Shimbun morning edition on December 22, 2024.
We are pleased to report that the following article was featured on the front page of the Chunichi Shimbun’s December 22nd morning edition.
The Chunichi Shimbun reporter was intrigued by the fact that Susumu’s RG series products have been integral components in Tesla vehicles since the early stages. The article highlights the reasons behind their adoption and the visionary foresight of Elon Musk
December 22, 2024 05:00
Obama’s parts in the heart of Tesla A company executiv e who negotiated a business 16 years ago was surprise d by Musk’s foresight
“We need your parts.” Sixteen years ago, in a s mall office in western California, a businessman in jeans begged. It was Elon Musk (53), who lat er introduced electric vehicles (EVs) to the world and is now known as “Feng Yunji”. An executive of Susumu Industry Co., Ltd. (Kyoto City), whic h was selected to supply electronic components manufactured in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, on the occasion of the business negotiations, tes tified that “his foresight and commitment to tec hnology are extraordinary.” (Ryuji Suzuki, Washi ngton) Musk
“We need your parts.” Sixteen years ago, in a s mall office in western California, a businessman in jeans begged. It was Elon Musk (53), who lat er introduced electric vehicles (EVs) to the world and is now known as “Feng Yunji”. An executive of Susumu Industry Co., Ltd. (Kyoto City), whic h was selected to supply electronic components manufactured in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, on the occasion of the business negotiations, tes tified that “his foresight and commitment to tec hnology are extraordinary.” (Ryuji Suzuki, Washi ngton) Musk
, who leads EV giant Tesla, space company SpaceX, and social networking site (SNS) X (fo rmerly Twitter), has amassed a huge fortune and supported the election campaign of Presi dent-elect Donald Trump. He has been appointed as the head of administrative reform in t he new government and is increasing his presence in the political field.
“Startups that I don’t know much about”. In 2008, Shinji Kanemaki, a 54-year-old executi ve officer of Shin Kogyo and the head of a U.S. sales subsidiary, visited Tesla, which was a n unknown entity. I was skeptical about the request to see a resistor that controls the volt age, so I brought a sample. At that time, Tesla had about 15 employees. There were no E V sales results yet.
If you line up the batteries of your laptop, the EV will run. Musk presented a business mod el of selling battery packs and motors to automakers, and emphasized that “we want to b e a company like Denso,” citing the name of the Toyota Motor Group.
However, the industry did not treat him as “an idea that is less than an amateur.” Mr. Musk led Mr. Kanemaki to the back of the office and said, “We have no choice, so we are buildin g our own EV, and we have to complete it as soon as possible.” The release of the early m odel was imminent.
Sensing Musk’s strong will, Kanemaki, who pro mised to deliver the product, recalls, “I respecte d Japan’s technological capabilities as ‘Japan’s te chnological capabilities are amazing.'” Founded 60 years ago and employing about 750 people, Shin Kogyo has devoted itself to the evolution of resistors. The one-millimeter-square chip is pac ked with technology that can withstand the high voltage of EVs and the degradation of their arch -rivals. Kanemaki reveals, “They have the ability to analyze performance, they are demanding, a nd they are also buying from other Japan comp
Shinko’s resistors, which are embedded in the heart of Tesla’s EVs, such as motors and ba tteries, have received the highest performance certification from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). SpaceX’s rockets, which aim to land on the moon and migrate to Mars, are also equipped with chips manufactured at the Obama plant in Fukui P refecture.
On the other hand, there are strong concerns that Musk, who leads a group of companies whose performance depends on regulation, will be appointed to a key government positio n. Mr. Kanemaki, who has seen the process of becoming Mr. Musk of the same generation, pointed out, “He knows that business proceeds faster from the top down (of the governm ent).” On top of that, he said, “I want you to devote your time to making the world happie r through technological innovation based on alien-like ideas, not political entanglements.”
Criticism of the appointment of the top head of the Ministry of Ef ficiency, fear of conflict of interest
It is about one month until the inauguration of the Trump administration on January 20 ne xt year. Elon Musk’s appointment as the head of the Ministry of Government Efficiency, a n ew organization responsible for improving administrative efficiency and reducing spending, has been criticized as a conflict of interest.
Tesla’s EVs have a history of getting off the ground with preferential treatment under the Obama administration of the Democratic Party, which advocated environmental policies. M usk is likely to lead the deregulation of autonomous driving, space, artificial intelligence (A I), and healthcare related to his business.
According to the New York Times, Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX have acquired a total of $ 15.4 billion (about 2.43 trillion yen) in government contracts over the past 10 years. Don Moyni han, a professor at the University of Michigan, questioned that “the proximity to Trump is f inancially motivated to influence federal policy, and the conflict of interest will be on an un precedented scale.” (Washington, Ryuji Suzuki)
