To know more about the construction equipment industry
To know more about the construction equipment industry
Promotions to Future Generations
Participation in the Children, Dreams, Future Festival
CASE 02SCM’s Lego® Block Classes & Working Machine Tour
CASE 03Giving dreams to children
CASE 04Nurturing next generations
The "Children, Dreams, Future Festival" is held in Saitama Prefecture every March hosted by Sainoko Network, a specified non-profit corporation. Since 2003, Aichi Corporation has been holding test drive events with its aerial work platforms for local children.
Many children look forward to this test drive event every year, and the event has become so popular that people often have to wait in a long queue. For children, the test drive experience of working vehicles, which they have few opportunities to come into contact with in their daily lives, contributes to increasing their interest and awareness of working in the future.
Aichi Corporation will continue to contribute to the bright future and growth of children through test drive events.
SCM regularly holds Lego ® Block Classes for the purpose of "nurturing young people". Inviting Jumpei Mitsui, one of only 23 LEGO® Certified Professional builders in the world, as a lecturer, SCM provides children with the opportunity to learn the joy of "manufacturing" and develop their creativity. Imagining the completed form, children from all over the world are engrossed in assembling Lego pieces one by one with broad smiles.
At its Chiba Plant, SCM also conducts an extracurricular class called "Working Machine Tour" for local elementary schools. The school children observe the production line where hydraulic excavators are made, and take a test ride on the actual machine which is usually off-limits for them. They feel the size of the machine, and learn about the importance of quality and safety functions, as well as the characteristics of environmentally friendly machines. At the Plant, there is a "Sumitomo Construction Machinery Newspaper" proudly pinned on a wall, which was created by some students after returning to school, with messages about their experience.
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Odaiba, Tokyo) hosted the “Special Exhibition “Under Construction" - Is It Safe to Enter!? Heavy Machinery in Use!” between February 8 to May 19, 2019. In cooperation with the Museum, HSC Cranes exhibited the operator's cabin, winch, hammerhead, hook, and other components of its 350-ton lifting crawler crane SCX3500-3.
Approximately 140,000 people visited during the 90 days of the exhibition, enjoying the view of construction sites that they are usually unable to see up close. The test ride in the operator’s cabin was also a success, and there was a line of people waiting for their turn.
In this special exhibition, the wisdom of mankind hidden in heavy machinery and its impact on society were explored scientifically through powerful exhibits and videos. In addition to crawler cranes, a total of 10 models such as hydraulic excavators, bulldozers and wheel loaders were exhibited, making it an event where you could feel close to heavy machinery.
Caterpillar established the "Caterpillar STEM Award" in 2018 to nurture and support local female engineers who will revitalize the world. The Company invites submissions of theses from the viewpoint of future-oriented ideas or projects for the sustainable development of Japan and the world, and after a rigorous screening process, awards incentive pay to winners. In addition to the General Category, which mainly accepts applications from young researchers who are active on the front lines of companies and universities, the Student Category was newly established in 2019 to nurture future generations. Many high school and university students, who may someday become Japan's leaders and/or who are continuing their research in specialized fields, have submitted many inspirational ideas.
Caterpillar also cooperates with the “Science and Technology Challenge”, an activity run by the Cabinet Office to get people interested in the field of science and technology, and “Try Yaru (Try and Do) Week”, a work experience program for second-year junior high school students in Hyogo Prefecture. These are examples of STEM activities for students (from elementary to high school) that Caterpillar has been continually engaged in since 2014. In these programs, Caterpillar has provided opportunities for hands-on experiences, such as factory tours, VR (virtual reality) experiences, test rides in the operator’s cabin of hydraulic excavators, craftwork and 3D model creation of an excavator, 3D printer experiences, disassembly and assembly of a small engine, and assembly of an electronic kit that requires soldering.
With the cooperation of the local National Institute of Technology, Akashi College, Caterpillar has also run booths for rocket crafts and other experiences at summer festivals.
Caterpillar is drawing up new plans for 2020 to provide children with programming experience, through which they learn about the evolution of hydraulic excavators and nurture an aspiration to become an engineer.
