Tomoyasuseisakusyo has a casual atmosphere, where employees are lively and talk a lot. All staff, including the president, call one another by their nicknames. The president is called “Boss,” while Matsuo is called “Will.” In the manufacturing site, “Popeye,” who boasts his biceps, rolls a cylinder with no effort.

　The stool produced for the Expo under the leadership of Tomoyasuseisakusyo must not be mediocre. “To provide one-of-a-kind products,” artists who showcase their artworks at solo exhibitions brought drawings of innovative four-leg stools. They will certainly be distinctive at the Expo.

　The workers of a small factory embodied these drawings. They collected materials for products, such as polycarbonate offcuts, aluminum chips, round metal scrap, and wire mesh, from enterprises. Based on design-focused drawings, veteran craftsmen produced practical products by making the most of their wisdom and skills. A prototype is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, and a load bearing test will be conducted at a furniture factory, to ensure safety. A table with many exposed curtain rails is expected to be more innovative, and they are steadily elaborating a plan.

　In the experience-based event, they plan to hold a small factory tour under the theme of “mastery.” Its purpose is to allow visitors to experience welding, the operation of a pressing machine, etc. in a small factory, which cannot be experienced in any other places, feel the front line of “manufacturing,” and enjoy the experiences. There is a huge pressing machine that weighs 1,600 tons and is used for producing the dies for automobile parts. A machine making the earth rumble is ordinary in a factory, but from the viewpoint of outside people, it is extraordinary and cool. Unsung craftsmen will become heroes and flourish.

Matsuo said, “It’s rare to see the work of veteran craftsmen and the operation of huge machines. From end products, we cannot see the value of their components for which small factories used their technologies, and it is not conveyed to consumers. Revealing such value leads to value creation. I hope to disseminate it as much as I can.” While shouldering the aspirations of 91 participating companies that operate small factories, he will face the challenging project. Feeling strongly that “no town can accomplish it except this town,” Matsuo steeled himself.