How a World No. 3 Automotive Leader Secured a Specialized "Unicorn" Hire in 14 Days.

Bringing World No. 3 Automotive Leather Leader to China and Beyond

How Midori Auto Leather Secured "Unicorn Talent" via Daijob for its New Product Launch

Mami Tanabe from the Daijob.com Media Sales Department visited Midori Auto Leather Co., Ltd. As a global leader holding the No. 3 world market share in automotive leather, the company is a pillar of the industry, supplying every major Japanese automaker. While technical prowess is world-class, the company faced a unique challenge: finding highly specialized bilingual talent to spearhead a new synthetic leather initiative in China. We sat down with recruitment lead Shuichi Yasukawa to discuss how the company overcame the hurdles of brand recognition to secure a perfect candidate in record time.

Corporate Overview

Company Name	Midori Auto Leather Co., Ltd.
Locations	Headquarters: Yamagata Plant, Tokyo HQ (Hiroo, Shibuya-ku) Sales: Yokohama, Toyota, Hiroshima, etc. Manufacturing: China (Guangzhou, Jiangxi), Mexico, Brazil, USA, Germany, etc.
Industry	Manufacturing and Sales of Automotive Leather Interiors
Company Profile	A global leader holding the No. 3 world market share in automotive leather seats. Serving all Japanese automakers, the company pursues sustainable manufacturing by upcycling 100% of meat industry byproducts.
Positions Hired	Project Coordinator, Procurement (Mandarin required)
Services Used	Daijob.com

The Challenge
China Business Specialist

Requirement for a coordinator fluent in Mandarin (Beijing dialect) capable of high-level negotiation and deadline management with Chinese manufacturers for a new product launch.

Why They Chose Daijob
High Density of Bilingual Talent

Targeted Sourcing: The ability to proactively reach a rare pool of candidates with both Chinese language skills and business experience via the Scout function.

The Results
Perfect Match in Two Weeks

Seamless Acquisition: Encountered a "perfect" candidate who possessed both industry knowledge and linguistic expertise in the shortest possible timeframe.

World No. 3 Pride: Transforming Waste into Value through "Sustainable Leather"

Tanabe (Daijob): Midori Auto Leather holds a dominant position globally. What is the "secret sauce" behind your unique market standing?

Yasukawa: Midori Auto Leather holds the No. 3 global market share in automotive leather products, with a sales scale exceeding 50 billion yen. We maintain direct business relationships with every domestic Japanese automaker.

Our most defining characteristic is that we upcycle 100% of meat industry byproducts as raw materials. We take "hides" that would otherwise become waste and transform them into high-value "leather" capable of withstanding 20 years of use. This is only possible due to our high technical capabilities, which are trusted even for luxury vehicles like Toyota’s Lexus.

Overcoming the Branding Gap with Early "Speed of Growth"

Yasukawa: While we have a global track record, we are not a consumer-facing brand, so brand recognition was a challenge. To differentiate ourselves from larger corporations, we decided to highlight early growth opportunities—specifically, the chance for motivated young employees to gain overseas experience early in their careers.

Tanabe: For this recruitment drive, you introduced "Casual Interviews" based on our suggestion.

Yasukawa: Yes. Instead of starting with a formal screening, we created a space to speak candidly about our technology and vision. Even if brand awareness is low, our appeal comes across clearly in a direct conversation. This "Casual Interview" was a major factor in capturing the interest of top candidates.

Company Representatives:
Shuichi Yasukawa (Human Resources & General Affairs Dept. / Photo: Left)
Kazuki Moriki (Human Resources & General Affairs Dept. / Photo: Right)

Securing the "Key" to the China Launch in Just 2 Weeks

Tanabe: You were seeking a coordinator who could negotiate on equal footing with Chinese partners to expand the sales of your new synthetic leather products.

Yasukawa: Exactly. We needed a professional who could handle negotiations in Mandarin (Beijing dialect), project management, and procurement. Honestly, I was worried about finding someone for such a niche requirement, but using Daijob was a surprise.

Within just two weeks of posting, we met someone who perfectly fit the profile—expert in China business with experience in both sales and procurement. This individual joined us just yesterday and is exactly the ideal professional we were looking for.

A New Role Model for Global Recruitment in Manufacturing

By leveraging technical strength and opportunity over mere brand fame, Midori Auto Leather secured ideal talent in the shortest possible time. The difficult puzzle of "Specific Language (Chinese) + Industry Experience + Project Execution" was solved through the high-quality candidate pool of Daijob and the flexible recruitment style of Yasukawa.

Daijob.com continues to support the leap of global manufacturing companies through hands-on support that brings out the maximum appeal of each organization.