Takeo Okuma
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1910, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Tokyo Imperial University in March 1936 and joined Okuma Iron Works in July 1939. He became a Director in October 1944, Executive Vice President in August 1948 and Representative Director and Executive Vice President in November 1951, also serving as Representative Director and Executive Vice President of Asahi Seiki Manufacturing. He spent his whole career in sales and was seen as cheerful and energetic. Adopted into the Okuma family and married to Koichi Okuma's younger sister, he was listed as an individual among the top shareholders at both the end of September 1955 and the end of March 1961.
Selection
Falling orders after the oil crisis pushed the company to an ordinary loss in FY ended September 1974, and accumulated losses had built up to ¥3.62 billion by FY ended September 1977. The labor union resisted a second voluntary retirement proposal for 480 people, following 380 in January 1976, and negotiations dragged on for two months before the sides reached a compromise in February 1978 on four points including wage cuts. As the union accepted the proposal, Koichi Okuma, President for 30 years since 1948, resigned to take responsibility, and Takeo, Executive Vice President for 26 years, succeeded him. It was a contrasting handover from an engineer predecessor to a sales successor.
Initiatives
On his first day he disposed of six company cars, including a Mercedes-Benz, and moved the president's office to a room a third the size. He abolished the posts of Executive Vice President, Senior Managing Director and deputy manager, linking the president directly with 13 department heads, and made a management council including the union's three top officers the highest decision-making body. Product development shifted from engineer-led to a development council format that included sales and manufacturing, and the NC unit, which he had called a seed of losses, was redirected toward market-minded technical development and commercialized. He sold 3.5 million of the company's 4 million shares in its main bank, and the net loss of ¥0.3 billion in FY ended March 1978 turned into net income of ¥1.5 billion in FY ended March 1979.
Career
Career
Okuma Iron Works
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jul 1939 | Joined |
| Oct 1944 | Director |
| Feb 1978 | President |
| 1988 | Stepped down as President |
Okuma Howa Machinery
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jul 1980 | President |
References 3
References (Japanese primary sources)
- 日本企業要覧 1964年版
- 日経ビジネス 1980年4月21日号「大隈鉄工所 再建へ社長の砕身が『全員一丸』を喚起」
- 日経ビジネス 1985年4月29日号 編集長インタビュー「素っ裸になれば“奇跡”も起こせる」大隈武雄氏（大隈鐵工所社長）