Sun Technical Co., a small Japanese manufacturing company in Suruga Ward, Shizuoka Prefecture, has only five employees with an average age of 76. The firm sells a product called a vacuum lift, which picks up heavy objects using suction power. It has been sold to 1,500 companies, reports Japan News. At the factory, President Sadayuki Oishi, aged 84, gives instructions to 67-year-old Yoshiyuki Sakai, who was hired in October 2014.
The company is not known for speed – it can take two months to deliver an order – but it is reputed for precision in responding to individual product requirements: something larger companies find it more difficult to handle at scale.
Measures are in place to ensure the workers are not stretched beyond their physical abilities. For instance, they measure blood pressure daily at 3pm, and go home early if they do not feel well.
