Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. establishes
Joint Research Program for Practical Education with Tohoku University

• New program between Tohoku University Graduate School of Engineering and MFTBC establishing close industry-academic collaboration
• First joint research program for people development between a university and company in Japan
  
• Aim to educate students on practical applications through lectures by MFTBC employees, technical exchange workshops at MFTBC, and internships at MFTBC, etc.
  

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC; headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President and CEO Hartmut Schick), is pleased to announce the establishment of the Joint Research Program for Practical Education together with Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Engineering. This collaboration is the first time that a Japanese university has entered into a joint research program with a company with the aim of people development.

As part of MFTBC’s “joint education” concept, the company will collaborate closely with Tohoku University to help educate students on practical engineering. The collaboration will create learning opportunities where students will learn about tackling various challenges faced in the application of technologies for commercial use.

The collaboration will consist of three categories of joint activities:

1. Lectures
MFTBC leaders from various departments and functions will offer lectures at Tohoku University classes from the viewpoint of a global company that is handling “genba”-level issues in order to foster practical skills amongst the students.

Intensive lectures by MFTBC leaders to Tohoku University students will be hosted eight times around the end of 2019. Topics of the intensive lectures will be based on Fuso’s value chain. The overall theme will be “Transportation in Society”.

A permanent lecture will be implemented in the Tohoku University curriculum, where an MFTBC expert employee will lead a full-time credited class, in 2020.

2. Internship
Tohoku University students will be able to take part in internships with MFTBC to offer hands-on experience working in a company and the challenges companies face.

3. Exchange Workshop
Technical exchange workshops will be hosted where young researchers at Tohoku University and employees working in R&D as well as technical fields at MFTBC can exchange views and experiences.

On the occasion of the announcement of the collaboration, Hiroko Kanai, Senior Manager, Human Resources, MFTBC said: “It is with great happiness and pride that we enter into this collaboration with Tohoku University toward the education of university students in Japan. We aim to foster a workforce with high-level skills and specialized knowledge, well-suited to today’s fast-changing business world.” 

Through this and other initiatives within the joint education concept, MFTBC aims to support Japan’s education system. By helping to educate Japanese undergraduate and graduate students on the challenges faced by companies, MFTBC hopes to improve the practical skills of future job hunters.

Media Contact

Florian Laudan, Head of Communications, Daimler Trucks Asia
Phone: +81 44 330-7970 E-mail: florian.laudan@daimler.com

Humza Ahmad, Manager, International and Domestic PR, Corporate Communications, MFTBC
Phone: +81 44 330-7857 E-mail: humza.ahmad@daimler.com
 

MFTBC at a Glance
Based in Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. In 2018, the company sold 164,000 vehicles including light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks and buses under the FUSO brand, with 89.29% of its shares owned by Daimler AG and10.71% by various Mitsubishi group companies. MFTBC is an integral part of the Daimler Trucks division of Daimler AG.