The Mitsubishi Electric Group has employees around the world in different cultures and environments. We asked them, "What’s on your mind as you work to make changes for the better?"
In this article we ask Naho Ueda, who took part in the OJT Global Trainee Program with a placement in Mexico.
Here’s what she said, in her own words, about her year-long placement and her plans for the future.

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¡Buenos días! (Hello!) I’m Naho Ueda, and I work at PIMS S.A de C.V. in Mexico.

I joined Mitsubishi Electric in 2016. My initial assignment was to the Purchasing Department at our Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Systems Works in Wakayama, which primarily develops and manufactures air conditioners and refrigeration systems for office buildings and factories. My main duties involved purchasing the components used in our products from suppliers. Then since July 2023, I’ve been working at our Mexican company PIMS on an On-the-Job Training (OJT) placement with the Global Trainee Program. PIMS is one of the Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning system manufacturing plants, mostly serving the North American market. I’m primarily involved in adopting new suppliers and cost reduction activities. In this article, I’d like to share a little about what it’s like to live and work here in Mexico.

I’ll start by talking about work.

PIMS is located in a city called Mexicali, which is the capital of the northern Mexican state of Baja California. Mexicali is right on the border with the US, and the crossing is just thirty minutes’ drive from PIMS. There is very little rainfall due to the desert climate, and the city enjoys cloudless blue skies all year round. That said, the summer heat is fierce at more than 40°C. The low humidity makes this more bearable, but protecting yourself from sunburn is a must.

One thing that surprised me about working at PIMS is how much importance is placed on special events. When someone has a birthday, their desk is decorated and everyone goes out to celebrate over lunch and birthday cake. On my birthday, my colleagues decorated my desk with balloons, which made me very happy. There’s also a custom of celebrating seasonal events as a company. For example, as Christmas approaches, the stairs are festooned with balloons, a photo spot is set up in the cafeteria, and each department decorates its offices cheerfully with Christmas lights and stockings. This made Christmas feel closer at hand than it does in a Japanese company, which was a fresh, new sensation that improved my mood daily. Observances like these deepen the bonds between colleagues, and I think it’s a wonderful part of the culture.

Of course, special events aren’t the only thing happening at the office. Employees enjoy these opportunities for fun, but they are passionately engaged with their work as well. There are also many women in the office. I haven’t compared the numbers exactly, but it feels like there are more women than there were in my work environment in Japan, and there are more women in executive positions than in Japan. Meeting so many women who make time to enjoy their private lives while still taking an active role at work was inspiring to me in terms of future career goals.

Next, I’d like to share a little about my daily lifestyle.

On weekdays, I leave my house at around 6:30 to arrive at the office when work starts at 7:00. It’s an early start, so a lot of people eat breakfast at the office. In the Purchasing Department, we enjoy a taco breakfast every Friday. We take turns preparing tacos for our colleagues. Like the rest of the food in Mexico, the tacos are delicious, and I look forward to them every week.

After working hours, I have an English or Spanish lesson. Spanish in particular is challenging for me, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to learn a new language after starting my career.
On my days off, I go to events in Mexicali with my local colleagues, or travel around Mexico if there are several holidays in a row. Spending time with local colleagues makes it clear that they all know how to enjoy life—they truly seem to be having fun in their daily lifestyles. I suspect that this is related to Mexico’s history, climate, and views on life and death, but in any case it’s an attitude I want to learn from.

Looking back on my time here, there were times when I struggled with differences in the surrounding environment or approach to work, but I have no regrets about coming to Mexico. I am leading a rich, fulfilling life here.

Working as part of the team at an overseas site also helped me see the differences from Japan, and even areas where the Japanese side could be improved, although I don’t have room to include everything here. When I started my OJT Global Trainee Program placement, one of my goals was "to become a buyer who can contribute globally with a broad field of vision, seeing things from the perspective not just of Japan but also of overseas production sites." I think I’ve gotten a little closer to how my coworkers here feel, even if I still have a way to go.

On the other hand, some things feel the same here as they did in Japan. For example, communication. There are many differences between Japanese and Mexican people, of course, but at the same time not all Mexicans are the same, making it impossible to definitively say "Mexico is like this." Naturally, it’s important to understand and respect different business practices and workstyles, and act accordingly when you work together. However, instead of announcing that "Mexico is like this," I believe it’s vital to communicate carefully with each individual, learn to understand them, and adjust your communication style and approach to meet them halfway. As far as I’m concerned, this is the same whether you work in Japan or overseas. In terms of business dealings outside the company, too, I’ve learned that, while the business environments in Japan and Mexico are different, the importance of approaching the other side with sincerity and making a sustained effort to maintain relationships is unchanged.

After returning to Japan, I hope to contribute to business development globally via flexibility of perspective combined with awareness of the things that must not change.

Working overseas has given me all sorts of food for thought that I didn’t encounter in Japan. It’s been an opportunity to broaden my horizons in both professional and personal life. I’d be delighted if this article has made you interested in working overseas or in Mitsubishi Electric. Thank you for reading to the end.

¡Muchas gracias, hasta luego! (Thank you very much! See you later!)

Written by Our Stories Editing Team