Value creation initiatives
On-site work
Cotter joint
Overview of construction
Joints embedded in floor slabs
initiatives creation Value
Special 1 Feature
Bringing innovation to expressway renewal construction The Challenge of the Cotter Floor Slab Method for Bridges
Expressways are key infrastructure that serve as the arteries of a society.
The aging of expressways has become an issue in recent years, with renewal work planned in many locations. Through advanced technology and outstanding Worksite Excellence, Kumagai Gumi contributes to solving such social issues.
Name of | Tohoku Expressway Towada Jurisdiction |
construction work | Expressway Renewal Work |
Orderer | East Nippon Expressway Company |
Limited, Tohoku Branch | |
Construction period | January 8, 2019 to March 22, 2022 |
(39 months) | |
Details of | Floor slab replacement: 5 bridges; |
construction | Tunnel repair: 21 tunnels |
Contractor | Kumagai Gumi/SHO-BOND Corporation |
joint venture | |
* Shared construction-type joint venture | |
Kumagai Gumi: Floor slab replacement; | |
SHO-BOND Corporation: Tunnel repair | |
Installation of a massive floor slab in about 15 minutes
From the construction of Tengu-bashi Bridge (heading toward Tokyo), the fourth bridge, in June 2021, we have
Connecting the joints
Contributing to society and the environment with outstanding Technology Strength and Worksite Excellence
Addressing the social issue of aging expressways
completely introduced the Cotter floor slab method. The cotter joints, too, have evolved into a more compact and light form. Work was performed at night, due in part to
Machiya adds that there are many other merits of the Cotter Floor slab method that can be appreciated only at the worksite. The greatest of these is safety
The Tohoku Expressway plays a vital role as the main transportation artery running through eastern Japan. Large-scale renewal projects are planned to address deterioration of the expressway. The renewal work being carried out between Hachimantai in Iwate Prefecture and Hirakawa in Aomori Prefecture, a stretch under the jurisdiction of the Towada Management Office of the Tohoku Branch Office of East Nippon Expressway Company Limited, is part of such a project. Kumagai Gumi is in charge of replacement work on five bridges in this project.
"This construction work will replace floor slabs laid on the bridge girders with highly durable precast PC floor slabs. In this project, Kumagai Gumi is undertaking full- scale adoption of revolutionary new technology,"
says On-site Manager Takahiro Machiya. The proprietary new technology that he speaks of is the Cotter Floor slab method for bridges.
This method roughly doubles the speed of construction and halves required construction staff compared with conventional methods, achieving a major increase in efficiency.
Traditional floor slabs have rebar joints at both ends; at the site, concrete must be cast on these portions, a task requiring considerable labor and skill.
On the other hand, Cotter floor slabs use cotter joints developed
particularly for this connecting portion. This enables joining with a joint width of only about 2 cm, making on- site concrete casting unnecessary.
Precasting 99% of the floor slabs also improves the quality of the concrete. Its outstanding performance, including the capability for partial replacement, has won the Innovative Technique Award of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers.
coordination with other processes.
At the brightly lit work site, a huge cotter floor slab is suspended from a crane and is installed on the bridge girders under the direction of young engineers. The position and the height are adjusted to a high precision of scant millimeters. When installation is complete, the workers insert wedge pieces into the joints and fix them with bolts.
On-site Manager Machiya describes the work.
"We've become quite proficient in the work as we've made improvements on site. The time required to install one Cotter floor slab is about 15 minutes. At Tengu- bashi Bridge, we install five slabs at once, so the work will be completed in about 1 hour and 20 minutes."
management.
In conventional construction methods, concrete is cast on-site. This involves many tasks that require skill, such as creating concrete placing form and inserting reinforcing steels. This created considerable tensions over safety management. With cotter floor slabs, however, this work is no longer needed. Moreover, the elimination of councrete placing form has enabled a major reduction of waste, contributing significantly to environmental aspects.
The total length of Japan's expressways is about 9,071 km (as of March 2021), with renewal projects planned for many locations. Kumagai Gumi is also undertaking development of new cotter floor slabs for urban expressways to meet such societal needs.
32
The Kumagai Gumi Group Corporate Report 2021 33
Value creation initiatives
Diverse Human Resources
Fundamental concepts of human resources | Related information P13 Number of employees Number of female managers |
Workplaces where women can play active roles
From December 2015, we increased our hiring of
Status of reemployment after retirement
We operate employment-related systems under the
We recognize that there are concerns over a declining workforce in the construction industry, and that securing human resources will become more difficult. Under these circumstances, Kumagai Gumi is actively undertaking the preparation of environments and systems that allow diverse human resources to perform their capabilities to the maximum. We are working to promote active participation by women, the employment of persons with disabilities, and reemployment after retirement to improve our employment environment and make it a foundation that supports management.
About recruitment
Kumagai Gumi works to resolve the advancing age of employees and imbalances among generations, and engages in recruitment activities with an awareness of diversity.
Based on information including future business performance trends, we formulate recruitment plans that take into consideration employees' total number, job types, age distribution, and other factors 5 and 10 years ahead, and engage in hiring of new graduates and mid-career employees.
In fiscal 2019, we set up a job return system. We are creating an environment by which retired employees who meet certain conditions can join the company again, to make use of experience gained at other companies.
women and formulated and enacted an action plan to improve the workplace environment, in line with the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.
Status of employment of persons with disabilities As a new initiative for the employment of persons with disabilities, we offered workplace training for students from special support education schools. We included site tours in the training so the students could gain familiarity with the construction industry. Accepting trainees in multiple departments also helped change the mindsets of employees.
Achievements of the Action Plan for Promotion of Participation by Women
(Period of formulation: January 2021 to December 2022)
premise of employment until the statutory retirement age of 65, and contribute to the expansion of reemployment of retirees who wish to continue working. For Kumagai Gumi, the technical and sales capabilities of retirees constitute valuable assets that we hope to pass down to the next generation without interruption.
To energize employees and organizations alike, we are enhancing employee benefits to create comfortable work environments. As of April 2021, 353 retirees are working in the company.
Employment rate of persons with disabilities
Kumagai Gumi only
Statutory employment rate: 2.30% |
initiatives creation Value
Number of employees and average age/years of service Kumagai Gumi alone
FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | ||||
Number of employees | (persons) | 2,305 | 2,382 | 2,497 | 2,578 | 2,620 | ||
Average age | (years) | 45.2 | 45.2 | 44.9 | 44.5 | 44.4 | ||
Average years of | (years) | 20.7 | 20.5 | 19.9 | 19.5 | 19.5 | ||
service | ||||||||
As a diversity company | Related information P48 Promotion of work style reform | |||||||
Action plan | Performance at |
the end of FY2020 | |
Increase in the percentage of women | 24.4% |
among new graduate hires to 25% or more | |
Increase in the number of female | 58 |
managers by 10% from the current level | |
(54 as of April 2020) | |
70% or higher rate of acquisition of | 74.3% |
childbirth-related leave by men | |
2.50 % | (from March 1, 2021) |
2.00 | 2.22 | 2.12 | 2.09 | 2.14 |
2.00 | ||||
1.50
June | June | June | June | June |
2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Kumagai Gumi recognizes the diversity of its employees and promotes diversity by creating environments that let employees exert their capabilities to the maximum, which leads to increased corporate value and growth of the company.
Promotion structure
The Diversity Promotion Group and the Work Style Reform Promotion Office of the Human Resources and General Affairs Department were integrated in 2021 to establish the Diversity Promotion Department. This action is aimed at deepening diversity and strengthening our competitiveness.
We established a Diversity Promotion Committee, composed of General Managers of divisions and chaired
by the President, and a Work Style Reform Working Group, in which representatives of divisions examine specific systems and measures suited to Kumagai Gumi. Through these, we are promoting diversity and work style reforms horizontally across the company.
Diversity Promotion Committee
Promotion of diversity Main initiatives in fiscal 2020 and evaluation by society
2020 | October | Joined the IkuBoss Enterprise Alliance operated by the NPO Fathering Japan, aimed at creating |
environments where diverse human resources can work comfortably and fostering bosses who support | ||
team members in achieving work-life balance. | ||
Held a roundtable discussion by male employees who have taken childcare leave, to promote leave- | ||
taking | ||
November | Received Bronze rating in the PRIDE Index that evaluates companies' LGBTQ efforts, in recognition of | |
efforts including establishment of an LGBTQ consultation desk and conducting of awareness surveys. | ||
2021 | February | Obtained the third level of Eruboshi, a certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare |
related to the promotion of active participation by women. | ||
March | Selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for inclusion among the fiscal 2020 New | |
Diversity Management Selection 100, which showcases advanced efforts of companies that connect | ||
diversity promotion to management results. | ||
34 | The Kumagai Gumi Group Corporate Report 2021 35 |
Value creation initiatives
Diverse Human Resources
Development of human resources
Training engineers with a commitment to quality
Aiming to develop human resources under the idea of "Enrich the self, create the future, and support people," Kumagai Gumi undertakes a variety of initiatives. In April 2019, we formulated the Human Resources Development Plan that sets our directions in this area.
Our corporate philosophy structure and vision for human resources
Conceptual structure of Kumagai Gumi
Our company performs job rotation to let
Job rotation employees acquire wide-ranging knowledge and ways of thinking through experience in
different work duties at multiple workplaces.
Through daily work, superiors and senior employees guide and train subordinates and junior employees by consciously,
OJT systematically, methodically, and continuously providing the knowledge, skills,
We believe that the highest quality is achieved through an integration of quality assurance systems, human resources who are committed to quality, and effective processes. Kumagai Gumi continuously develops human resources based on its human resource
Employee training
We conduct two-month practical training for construction
development system, and enhances quality in every process through the steps of planning (Plan), execution (Do), confirmation/inspection (Check), and review/ improvement (Act) under our quality assurance system.
OFFJT education (Building construction staff)
In order to learn about operation methods able to
initiatives creation Value
Promote the realization of our Group VisionFormulate
an image of employees as
"Kumagai Gumi's vision for human resources"
Insight, Onsite, Farsight
Enhance our unique Worksite
Group Vision Excellence, create unique value ("Quality that Inspires Happiness"),
(Kumagai Gumi's and continue to support customers vision for itself) and society throughout
every era
Vision for human resources
(Vision expected of all employees)
and attitudes necessary for executing work duties.
We conduct planned education drills
Group and training to complement OJT, drive
training self-development, and provide expert knowledge.
We encourage the acquisition of official qualifications such as Professional
Support Engineer and 1st-Class Architect, conduct
drawing, with dormitory stays, for employees in their third to twelfth years in construction divisions. To improve our quality control capabilities, we hold construction technology training workshops for learning about quality control in frame work and equipment/ electrical workshops for learning about equipment and electrical work.
express on-site conditions matched to processes, we conduct group education on basic operations of ARCHICAD and Smart CON Planer for building construction staff at least twice a year at each branch, using real equipment.
Roles and duties
(Expectations and responsibility for results borne by each person in the workplace)
Our Company's Code of Conduct
(Base and foundation for everything)
for self- supplementary lectures and mock development examinations, and support and promote
self-development that leads to employees' skill advancement.
Training of rank structure
Manager position
Beginning manager position
Guidance position
General position
Year-specific training | Training at time of promotion | Role training | Selective training |
Newly appointed line director training | Next-generation executive development training | ||
M2 promotion training | |||
Evaluator training | |||
Newly appointed manager training | |||
Beginning manager training | |||
Newly appointed instructor training | |||
OJT trainer training | |||
3rd-year training | |||
Young employee follow-up training | |||
New employee training |
Training for partner companies
The Yuuei Kyoryoku Kai association conducts various types of training with the aim of improving capabilities related to QCDSE (Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety, and Environment).
Technology presentation
To share information on ever-evolving building construction and civil engineering technologies and make full use of these in our everyday work, we hold presentation meets to broadcast technologies we have developed and new technologies introduced at workplaces company-wide.
FY2020 attendance status of training by rank | Number of persons undergoing | ||||||
training of rank | |||||||
By target | Eligible no. | No. of | Training | Total training hours | |||
Name of training | of trainees | trainees | rate | 1,000 people | |||
Category | Total hours | Training hours | |||||
(persons) | (persons) | (%) | per person | ||||
Newly appointed line director training | Role | 20 | 18 | 90 | 558 | 31 | 800 | ||||
M2 promotion training | Time of | 48 | 45 | 94 | 720 | 16 | |||||
promotion | |||||||||||
Evaluator training | Role | 198 | 164 | 83 | 1,312 | 8 | 600 | ||||
Newly appointed manager training | Time of | 52 | 49 | 94 | 784 | 16 | |||||
promotion | |||||||||||
Beginning manager training | Time of | 36 | 34 | 94 | 544 | 16 | |||||
promotion | 400 | ||||||||||
Newly appointed instructor training | Time of | 52 | 50 | 96 | 800 | 16 | |||||
promotion | |||||||||||
OJT trainer training | Role | 130 | 130 | 100 | 1,040 | 8 | 200 | ||||
3rd-year training | Year-specific | 124 | 124 | 100 | 1,798 | 14.5 | |||||
Young employee follow-up training | Year-specific | 117 | 115 | 98 | 6,900 | 60 | 0 | ||||
New employee training | Year-specific | 118 | 118 | 100 | 22,184 | 188 | FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 |
36
The Kumagai Gumi Group Corporate Report 2021 37
Value creation initiatives
A hybrid structure with medium- to high-rise wood structures in mind
"When I heard about this project, I thought I definitely wanted to work on it. One reason was because it was the rebuilding of our traditional head office, and another was the wood structure,"
says Tetsuji Sabe, On-site Manager for the project. The most significant feature of the new main office
building is its hybrid wood |
and steel frame structure. We |
are adopting Insulated Fire- |
Resistant λ-WOOD® (Lambda |
WOOD), a wooden fireproof |
structural member developed |
by our company, for the first |
time in columns and beams. |
We are also pursuing an |
urban wood structure capable |
On-site Manager |
of cross laminated timber (CLT) earthquake-resistant walls.
"We need to use a construction method suited to wood structures, which differ from the steel frame structures that we often handle. From this point onward, it was Kumagai Gumi's first experience with this." (Sabe)
The team carried out assembly of the wood structure in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry engineers who have a wealth of experience with wood residential structures. This project, however, involved an office building. The beams have a long span, as much as eight meters. As structural members on this scale are not found in houses, it was a novel experience for the project members, who learned and cultivated knowledge on- site. Their experiences will be accumulated as Kumagai Gumi technology that will support the next generation.
initiatives creation Value
Special 2 Feature
A new challenge in the region of our founding
Aiming to Achieve Medium- and large scale wooden construction
Tetsuji Sabe | of withstanding snow loading |
in winter through the use | |
Achieving "Nearly ZEB" with consideration of office workers and the environment
Since our founding in 1898, Kumagai Gumi has maintained its Headquarters in Fukui, our place of origin. The construction of a new Headquarters building with a wood and steel frame hybrid structure is underway, and will mark the history of the new Kumagai Gumi.
Another key feature of the new head office building is that it is a Net Zero Energy Building (ZEB), a concept attracting attention as an initiative aimed at a decarbonized society. The aim of a ZEB is to reduce the balance of the building's annual primary energy consumption to zero. The head office building project achieves "Nearly ZEB." Ayana
and combined energy saving with energy creation to reduce the building's primary energy consumption to 17%." (Fuchizaki)
Overview of construction
Name of | New construction of the Kumagai Gumi |
construction | Fukui Head Office |
work | |
Location | 2-6-8 Chuo, Fukui, Fukui Prefecture |
Construction | September 2020 to July 2021 |
period | |
Structure | Steel frame + wood, 4 floors above ground |
Fire-resistant building |
ZEB implementation technology
Architecture | Sunlight shielding, daylight utilization (light |
shelf), high insulation, wood materials, etc. | |
Plumbing | Low-use water fixtures, use of rainwater |
system | |
Air | High-efficiencyair-source heat pump, |
conditioning/ | latent heat sensible heat separation |
ventilation | air conditioning, floor radiant air |
conditioning, BEMS, etc. |
Fuchizaki of the Architectural Environment & Engineering Department, who took charge of these technologies, talks about this.
"The new head office faced a lot of restrictions in aiming for ZEB, including the Sea of Japan-type climate peculiar to the Hokuriku region, and the small building site. We brought together the technologies of Kumagai Gumi
Creating bright, healthy spaces for the office workers is another important concept of the new head office. We also used Echizen Japanese
paper and cedar wood from Fukui Prefecture in the interior, to create an office that is rooted in our place of origin and that moves in step with the community.
Uses | 1F: Entrance hall, conference rooms |
2F: Exhibition room, meeting space | |
3F, 4F: Offices | |
Total floor area | 1,190.85m2 |
Electricity | High efficiency transformer, lighting control, |
storage batteries, solar power generation | |
(Light-passingdouble-sided power | |
generation type) |
Initiatives for wooden architecture projects
Olympic Village Plaza | Hyuga City Hall |
(Completed: 2020; Construction site: Tokyo) | (Completed: 2019; Construction site: Miyazaki Prefecture) |
A project at our place of origin that marks the history of Kumagai Gumi
The history of Kumagai Gumi began in 1898 when our | were moved to Tokyo in 1964, the head office remained |
founder Santaro Kumagai undertook construction of | in Fukui. As the main office has aged, we are now |
the Shikununo Power Station, the first power plant in | rebuilding it. |
Fukui Prefecture. Even after Headquarters functions |
An all-Japan project by the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, this facility was constructed using wood loaned by 63 local governments nationwide. Wood from different regions is used in various locations of the building to express the diversity and harmony that are basic concepts of the event.
Following the event, the wood will be removed and returned to the local governments for use as legacy materials in local public facilities or other works.
Olympic Village Plaza at the time of private viewing Before completion and interior work (January 2020) ©Tokyo2020
About 200,000 pieces of wood, mainly cedar and cypress, are used inside and outside the government building.
The project received the BCS Prize from the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors as well as the Forestry Agency Director- General's Award in the 2019 Timber Utilization Excellent Facility Contest.
38 | The Kumagai Gumi Group Corporate Report 2021 39 |
Value creation initiatives
Technology to Create Social Value
Technology Development System and Policy
TOPICS Development of environmentally considerate technologies
Related information P38-39Special Feature 2
Technology Development System
Kumagai Gumi's Technical Research & Development Division, Civil Engineering Management Division, and Building Management Division collaborate on the
Planning Group | |||
Technical Research & | |||
Technical Research & | |||
Development Division | Development Institute | ||
New Technology Innovation Center | |||
Insulated Fire-Resistantλ-WOOD® (Lambda-WOOD) acquires Ministry certification for 1 to 3 hours fireproof performance
creation Value
development of technologies. We set out policies related to technology development, research topics in new business domains, and other matters through the Technology Development Management Subcommittee, and carry out development of technologies that directly connect to business.
Civil Engineering | ||
Civil Engineering Technology Department | ||
Management Division | ||
Building | ||
Building Engineering Department | ||
Management Division | ||
Technology Development | ||
Management Subcommittee |
One challenge in achieving medium- to large- scale wooden construction is fire prevention and fire resistance performance. The Building Standards Act stipulates the fire resistance performance of major structural parts, varying with the number of floors of a fire-resistant building. Constructing a high-rise wood structure without constraints related to the number of
columns and beams and 1 to 2 hours in CLT floors and walls.
Insulated Fire-Resistantλ-WOOD layers a hard gypsum board and an insulating fire- resistant panel on the "fire-stopping layer" installed around the load-bearing structural member (pillar) to reduce the thickness of the member. This allows free selection of surface
initiatives
Technology development under the Medium-Term Management Plan
The Kumagai Gumi Group's Medium-Term Management Plan sets out areas of focus related to technology development as follows, to strengthen our management foundation.
Research and development that contributes to a recycling-based, decarbonized society
Technology development in response to the digital society
Technology development that contributes to the advancement of various functions in construction
We believe that basic research aimed at a decarbonized society, technology development in renewable energy or other fields aimed at a sustainable society, and future- oriented initiatives in domains such as smart cities will lead to opening up new business domains for us. We will also engage in co-creation with other companies on production systems that use robotics, AI, and other technologies to contribute to innovation and the advancement of various functions in construction.
Patent-related measures
Technological development
Kumagai Gumi has established an R&D vision and mission to achieve R&D with the period of the Medium- Term Management Plan and beyond in sight, and is formulating a technology development policy.
Research and development vision
Achievement of communities for sustainable and enriching living
Mission
Develop technologies that aid the world and bear responsibility for the future across the ages
Technological development policy
Contribution to the achievement of a decarbonized
and recycling-oriented society
Contribution to advanced construction through digitalization
During the three-year period of the plan, we will carry out research and development across the company while promoting technology development that supports our management foundation.
Related information P13 Number of patent applications
floors requires a demonstrated fire resistance of 3 hours for columns and beams and 2 hours for floors and walls.
In evaluation tests of fire resistance, heating that simulates a fire is performed for 1 to 3 hours while a constant vertical load is applied, to confirm that the load-bearing member does not carbonize between the time that the heating is stopped and the time that the fire is extinguished naturally.
Developed by Kumagai Gumi, Insulated Fire- resistant λ-WOOD was certified in March 2021 by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for use in all fire-resistant structures as a wood fire-resistant structural member with 1 to 3 hours of resistance in laminated lumber
finishing material.
Insulated Fire-Resistantλ-WOOD (pillar) is being used in the construction of our new Fukui head office.
Specifications for Insulated
Fire-Resistantλ-WOOD (pillar)
Load-bearing member
Fore-stopping layer ● Hard gypsum board
- Insulated fire-resistant panel
- Hard gypsum board
Surface finishing material
Our patent applications filed in fiscal 2020 were mainly related to materials, structures, and fire resistance in the field of wood, accounting for about 20% of our total number of applications. The number of patent applications related to caregiving assistance and movement assistance is also increasing, accounting for about 10% of our total number of applications.
In this area, to prepare for overseas expansion of the independent walking aid developed by Kumagai Gumi (refer P9), we are acquiring intellectual property rights
regarding patent rights, design rights, and trademark rights not only in Japan but also overseas.
Reflecting the increase in joint research and joint development cases with private companies, universities, and other research institutes, about 35% of the total number of applications are joint applications. We will continue strengthening collaboration with other companies and promoting the Kumagai Gumi Group's patent measures.
40 | The Kumagai Gumi Group Corporate Report 2021 41 |
This is an excerpt of the original content. To continue reading it, access the original document here.
Attachments
- Original document
- Permalink
Disclaimer
Kumagai Gumi Co. Ltd. published this content on 16 November 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 15 November 2021 15:54:02 UTC.