Kenji Uenishi

Kenji Uenishi

In 1975, Dr. Uenishi moved to the United States. He earned a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Engineering based on scholarships from American universities and NASA. After that, he spent some post-doc study at NASA Langley Research Center and eventually became an engineer at General Electric's Aircraft Engine Division in the United States. Aircraft engines, which can directly affect human lives if malfunctioning, requires a constant focus on safety in daily development, design, and manufacturing. This culture is not short-term but based on a long-term corporate vision & commitment.

Elevators and escalators also have the potential to impact human lives if malfunctioning instantly. Fujitec is an excellent global company that Japan is proud of, specializing in developing, designing, and manufacturing elevators and escalators for 75 years. It is a fantastic group of engineers who have grown together with the founding family and employees under a long-term stable management philosophy and strategy. He believes this corporate/management philosophy is the foundation of Fujitec's corporate governance.

He has 26 years of experience at GE. For the last seven years, he served as the President of the Asia-Pacific region (covering 12 countries) for GE Energy Headquarters, managing an annual revenue of 550 billion yen business. During this time, he realized sustainable growth through global business planning, diversified talent development, global compliance practices, and the establishment of BCP across regions. 

His past experiences can support Fujitec in becoming an even more global growth company. For example, to increase sales, it is crucial to actively hire local talents with a deeper understanding of the region as leaders at each overseas location and promote the localization of regional business. Efficient global SCM (procurement, manufacturing, logistics) is also essential for Fujitec's future leap, and he would like to contribute to it. Approximately 70% of Fujitec's employees are based outside Japan, and about 65% of the company's revenue comes from overseas sales.

In addition, as an executive in charge of supply chain management (SCM) at LIXIL, a listed company with 2 trillion yen in sales, he demonstrated in building a global SCM system (1 trillion yen in SCM) connecting America, Europe, Japan, and Asia. Focusing on global SCM would expect sustainable profit growth.

We nominate Dr. Uenishi as a candidate for Outside Director. We expect him to provide helpful advice to Fujitec's management based on his experience with international and large-scale operating companies and his knowledge gained through successful experience with global supply chains.

Mr. Kenji Uenishi moved to the United States at the age of 21. After completing his undergraduate and graduate studies in the U.S., he worked at NASA on aerodynamic computer simulation research. He then joined General Electric's Aero Engines Division as a Technical Generalist in Research and Development where he worked for 26 years. As the GE Aviation (Aviation Engines Department)’s General Manager of the Japan Branch, he oversaw sales activities for Japanese commercial airlines, aircraft-related heavy industries, and the Ministry of Defense, and was responsible for increasing GE's aircraft engine market share among Japanese commercial airlines (primarily Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways) from 50% to 85% over a six-year period. He also contributed to increasing the profile of GE engines in the Ministry of Defense. He is also one of the founders of a joint venture between Honda and GE (GE Honda Aero Engines LLC).

Subsequently, as President of GE Energy’s Asia Pacific Region, he united a team of 3,000 people of different ethnicities, languages, and cultures to oversee the energy business in 14 countries in the Asia Pacific region, increasing sales from ¥300 billion to ¥550 billion and achieving a consistent 15% operating margin. He also nurtured a number of local leaders in Asia and successfully transformed the company from a U.S. focused global model to a regionally focused leadership model, which was recognized as a Best Practice of the company.

Mr. Uenishi has since served as a director and representative director for major Japanese housing equipment, auto parts, and precision equipment manufacturers, and in 2019 founded the Japanese office of Swiss startup PriceHubble.

We nominate Mr. Uenishi as a candidate for outside director as we expect him to provide useful advice to Fujitec's management based on his experience with international and large-scale operating companies and his knowledge gained through successful experience with global supply chains.

Mr. Uenishi is a U.S. citizen and holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the George Washington University’s Graduate School.