A familiar local factory becomes a special place worth sharing with family. A factory tour to learn about local industry.

On Thursday, November 5, 2026, GMB hosted a factory tour at its Nara Plant for 73 fifth-grade students from Kawanishi Elementary School in Kawanishi Town, Nara Prefecture, in response to a request from the school.

Purpose and Background of the Tour

This factory tour was conducted as part of Kawanishi Elementary School’s social studies field trip program, with the aim of deepening students’ understanding of the businesses and industries located within their school district.

For over 10 years, the Nara Plant has welcomed students from this school annually, continuously providing local children with opportunities to learn about manufacturing at a local company.

In his opening remarks, the president spoke to the students about the scope of the automotive industry, citing statistics such as country-by-country rankings of automobile production.

He also smiled as he said, “If you develop an interest in GMB, I hope you’ll come back to join our company when you grow up,” and the venue was filled with a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Tour Highlights

On the day of the event, we introduced the manufacturing processes for “water pumps” and “bearings” produced at the Nara Plant, as well as the “machining sludge recycling process” as part of our environmental initiatives.

The students deepened their understanding of manufacturing by observing the products and production processes up close and actually handling the products. They also learned that products made locally in Kawanishi Town support automobiles and machinery all over the world.

The Students’ Reactions

After the tour, the students shared comments such as, “It was amazing to see the machines automatically making parts!”

During the Q&A session, questions about the company’s history and jobs—such as “Why was the headquarters established in Kawanishi Town?” and “How old do you have to be to work at this company?”—came one after another, demonstrating the students’ keen interest.

Seeing the students peer intently at the manufacturing process and touch the products served as an opportunity for our employees to rediscover the appeal of their work and the art of manufacturing.

GMB will continue to value opportunities for local children to learn about the work and manufacturing processes of local companies, and through these interactions with the community, we will fulfill our role as a company deeply rooted in the region.