Contributing to manufacturing processes and product development through numerical analysis.

Visualizing things that cannot be seen and contributing to increasing development speed.

After working in a factory for roughly six years from 2010, I became involved in the development of tobacco leaf processing methods. From August 2019, I have been involved in numerical analysis work, where I analyze and simulate data in fields related to manufacturing process improvement and product development, mainly focusing on RRP*.

The best point about numerical analysis is that it can reproduce phenomena that are difficult to investigate or visualize in real life. With heated tobacco products as an example, their ingredients travel through a stick and into the mouth of a user when they are heated. We can’t observe the flow of air and propagation of heat with our own eyes. But we can analyze them and reproduce them on a computer. We can also apply colors to airflow, heat and other such elements that cannot actually be seen to put them into visual form.

It is also possible to simulate things not suitable to experimentation due to lack of time, cost or equipment. Various types of materials can be verified through numerical analysis before ordering them. Visualizing things that cannot be seen can allow new discoveries to be made, and is technology that can contribute to increasing development speed and reducing costs.

*Reduced-Risk Products: Products with the potential to reduce the health risks associated with smoking

The potential of numerical analysis is infinite.
I want to receive analysis requests from around the world.

I have had a liking for mathematics from long ago and have majored in mathematics. However, when doing numerical analysis I often feel strongly that I have insufficient knowledge in other fields such as physics, chemistry, and electricity. When there is anything I do not know, I investigate for myself or ask members around me and resolve my questions one at a time. I also have opportunities to ask for advice from senior employees or learn from training activities.

Currently, there are five members in my team who are responsible for numerical analysis work. We each have separate specialties which include mathematics, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering, so we complement each other to solve challenges as a team. We are also able to interact with many other divisions and departments as a characteristic of our work, so we have built relationships across different departments.

I believe that numerical analysis has infinite potential to be applied so it can contribute to achieving results. I want to raise its familiarity within the JT Group even more and to reach a point where we receive requests for analysis from divisions and departments from around the world.

Work with “something extra” can lead to product development started from numerical analysis.

The R&D Group is a division with a high degree of work freedom, which creates something from nothing. It has the appeal of being able to do anything depending on one’s creative ideas. Numerical analysis in particular is a technology that can be applied in many different fields without being concerned over matters such as cost. Although there are still many fields which I do not have sufficient skill to work on, I have time to think about them thoroughly and colleagues I can consult with.

There are two points I am careful of when working in the R&D Group. The first is not to be constrained by existing concepts. If we insist “This is how it has been until now,” we may not be able to do anything new, so we must always remember to have the viewpoint of asking “Why do we need it?” The second point is to actively engage in small talk. Many times, information obtained through small talk can lead to hints for work, so I make it a point to meet and talk with many different people.

I have made the decision that when I deliver the results of numerical simulations that have been requested of me, I do not only give those results alone, but also add “something extra” that I consider beneficial after thinking about the intent of the request. I think it would be great if that “something extra” could lead to product development which is started from numerical analysis.