Initiatives on Behalf of Society

One tenet of the HDS Group management philosophy is coexistence and coprosperity with the employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, and local communities who support our efforts. To this end the Group companies strive through our corporate activities to contribute to the betterment of society and to improve the environment and quality of the local communities to which we belong.

For the Cultivation of Sensitivity

The mission of the HDS Group, as a technology and skills team providing total motion control, is to give birth to future technologies from new ideas. The people involved in research and development need to have a passion for making things and the sensitivity for coming up with creative ideas.
In 2010, Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. celebrated its 40th anniversary. Over the years since our founding, through various cultural activities we have refined the sensitivity demanded for making things.
Among these are the Harmonic Concert Series of classical music concerts, inaugurated on the occasion of our tenth anniversary, the International Symposium Series bringing together engineers on the front lines abroad for dialog aimed at discerning the latest technology trends, and the Harmonic Lecture Series of talks on timely themes by experts in fields such as education, economics, and business.
Each of these events is held in the communities of Azumino City and Matsumoto City, Nagano, the sites of HDS Group plants, out of appreciation to the people of these cities for their support.

On January 4, 2012 we received a commendation from Azumino City in appreciation for our support over the years of elementary and middle school libraries in the city, which we do by making contributions commemorating the Harmonic Lecture Series and by donating the proceeds from the Harmonic Concert Series.

Harmonic Concert Series

This classical concert series was inaugurated to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. Proceeds from the concerts are donated to Azumino City for purchase of books for the city's elementary and middle schools.

Harmonic Concert Series

Harmonic Lecture Series

Each year experts from various fields are invited to speak on timely themes such as education, economics, and business. While the lectures are offered free of charge, in honor of the occasion we donate funds for purchasing books for elementary and middle school libraries in Azumino City.

Harmonic Lecture Series

IIDA KAN Gallery

This art gallery, completed in 2002, exhibits the works of Yoshikuni Iida, an innovative sculptor representative of post-war Japan.
HDSI believes that a strong will and rich sensitivity are essential when we are pursuing not just high precision but are looking beyond it to true art. The IIDA KAN Gallery was built so that the people involved in developing our technology can go at any time for inspiration toward enhancing these traits.
IIDA KAN is one of the museums and galleries located along the Azumino Art Line in Azumino City, and is open to the public for free.

Visiting the Facility.

The gallery is open for visitors from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the days when the Hotaka Plant is in operation. It is best to telephone ahead of time to confirm that it will be open.

Contact Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. Hotaka Plant
Tel: +81-263-83-6800

TRIAD

This cluster of buildings on the site of our Hotaka Plant was designed by Maki and Associates and completed in 2002. The three buildings making up the TRIAD are the I.K KAN research wing (named after the initials of two researchers who created the company's technical foundation, Shoichi Ishikawa and Hiroshi Kameda), a prototype production and measurement environment pursuing a higher order of perfection in total motion control; the IIDA KAN gallery giving inspiration to the people involved in developing our technology as they pursue their art; and a guardhouse.

Blending into the rich natural beauty of Hotaka while enveloping the advanced technical requirements in innovative forms, the buildings were given the name TRIAD (which includes the meaning of a three-note chord in musical harmony) by noted architect Fumihiko Maki, and have been widely praised for their artistry as architectural works.

  • *Fumihiko Maki is one of Japan's leading architects, involved in the design of numerous famous buildings in Japan and abroad, among them the Daikanyama Hillside Terrace and the Makuhari Messe in Japan. His recent works include the expansion of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

"My Kind of Robot" art contest and exhibit

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. in 2010, we held an art contest for sixth-graders at the Azumino City municipal elementary school, from September 21 to November 6, on the theme, "My Kind of Robot."
On November 6 the elementary school pupils were invited to an award ceremony and viewing of the drawings, with the winners receiving certificates of commendation from our President.
The works entered in the contest are all on display in the Hotaka Plant.

Presentation of first-prize certificate

Top entry in the "My Kind of Robot"
art contest

Viewing the exhibit

Volunteer activities for the local community

Twice a year, employees from the Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. Hotaka Plant participate in a community cleanup campaign, as one of our environmental initiatives, out of appreciation to the people in the area where the plant is located.

Community cleanup

Relief support following the Great East Japan Earthquake

The HDS Group donated a total of 150 million yen for relief of victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred March 11, 2011.

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