News

On 22 January 2023, Tsubaki Miki, alpine snowboarder who belongs to Cataler, participated in the FIS Snowboard World Cup event held at Bansko, Bulgaria.

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Women’s PSL (Parallel Slalom)

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(Qualification round)

■First race in the qualification round (on the blue course).

Against Melanie Hochreiter.

38.80 seconds

■Second race in the qualification round (on the red course).

Against Julie Zogg.

39.68 seconds

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Total time in the qualification: 1 minute and 18.48 seconds.

Passed the qualification in 4th place.

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According to the total time of two qualification runs, the top-16 riders can progress to the final rounds.

(Final rounds)

＊Time matters only in the qualification rounds. The finals are the knock-out rounds.

 

1/8 Finals: Top-16 match-up (on the red course).

Against Jessica Keiser.

Won by 0.39 seconds.

■Quarterfinals: Top-8 match-up (on the red course).

Against Lucia Dalmasso.

Won by 0.01 seconds.

■Semifinals: Top-4 match-up (on the blue course).

Against Daniela Ulbing.

Lost by 0.86 seconds.

■Small Final: 3rd place match (on the blue course).

Against Patrizia Kummer.

Lost by 1.40 seconds.

 

(Result)

■4th place

■Points earned: 500 points.

■Overall World Cup standings (as of 22 January)

・PSL: 6th place

・PGS: 7th place

・Parallel Overall: 5th place

 

 

OFFICIAL RESULTS (sourced from FIS)

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Winner: Julie Zogg (Switzerland/1992)

Runner-up: Daniela Ulbing (Austria/1998)

3rd place: Patrizia Kummer (Switzerland/1994)

～

4th place: Tsubaki Miki (Japan/2003)

 

24th place: Suzumi Maeda (Japan/2005)

～

DNS: Asa Toyoda (Japan/1996)

The number of the competitors: 27

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You can also see the footage of the big final match-up (Julie Zogg vs Daniela Ulbing).

Julie Zogg celebrates second straight win | Bansko | FIS Snowboard

(FIS Snowboarding YouTube)

 

Tsubaki finished 4th in PSL, her best result in this season so far.

We’d appreciate your continuous support for Tsubaki Miki.

Tsubaki Miki passes qualifying in 2nd in PSL (Parallel Slalom), but loses in finals into 5th place.

On 21 January 2023, Tsubaki Miki, alpine snowboarder who belongs to Cataler, competed in the FIS Snowboard World Cup event that took place at Bansko, Bulgaria.

 

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Women’s PSL (Parallel Slalom)

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(Qualification rounds)

■First race in the qualification round (on the blue course).

Against Ladina Jenny.

37.14 seconds

■Second race in the qualification round (on the red course).

Against Daniela Ulbing.

38.49 seconds

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Total time in the qualification: 1minute and 15.63 seconds

Passed the qualification in 2nd place.

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Based on the total time of two qualification runs, the top-16 riders can advance to the final rounds.

(Final rounds)

＊Time counts only in the qualification rounds. The finals are the knock-out rounds.

 

 

■1/8 Finals: Top-16 match-up (on the red course).

Against Cheyenne Loch.

Won by 0.19 seconds.

Quarterfinals: Top-8 match-up (on the red course).

Against Sabine Schoeffmann.

Lost by 0.30 seconds.

(Result)

■5th place

■Points scored: 450 points.

OFFICIAL RESULTS (scourced from FIS)

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Winner: Julie Zogg (Switzerland/1992)

Runner-up: Sabine Schoeffmann (Austria/1992)

3rd place: Jessica Keiser (Switzerland/1994)

～

5th place: Tsubaki Miki (Japan/2003)

～

16th place: Tomoka Takeuchi (Japan/1983)

 

26th place: Suzumi Maeda (Japan/2005)

The number of the competitors: 28

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You can also see the footage of the big final match-up (Julie Zogg vs Sabine Schoeffmann).

Zogg pips Schoefmann in tight finish | Bansko | FIS Snowboard

(FIS Snowboarding YouTube)

 

Although Tsubaki made it past the qualification in 2nd place, she lost in the finals unfortunately, finishing 5th.

We’d appreciate your continuous support for Tsubaki Miki.

On January 14, 2023, Tsubaki Miki, alpine snowboarder who belongs to Cataler, competed in the FIS Snowboard World Cup event, which took place in Scuol, Switzerland.

 

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Women’s PGS (Parallel Giant Slalom)

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(Qualification rounds)

■First run in the qualification rounds (on the blue course).

Against Carolin Langenhorst.

40.87 seconds

■Second run in the qualification rounds (on the red course).

Against Carolin Langenhorst.

44.25 seconds

 

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Total time in qualification: 1 minute and 25.12 seconds

Made it past the qualification in 3rd place.

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According to the total time of two qualification runs, the top-16 riders can progress to the final rounds.

(Final rounds)

※Time matters only in the qualification rounds. The finals are the knock-out rounds where the faster rider in a heat can simply progress to the next stage.

■1/8 Final: Top-16 match-up (on the blue course).

Against Claudia Riegler.

Won via DNF（※） of the opponent.
(※)DNF is an abbreviation for “Did Not Finish.”

Quarterfinals: Top-8 match-up (on the blue course).

Against Ladina Jenny.

Won by 0.03 seconds.

■Semifinals: Top-4 match-up (on the red course).

Against Ramona Theresia Hofmeister.

Lost by 0.57 seconds.

■Small Final: 3rd place match-up (on the blue course).

Against Julie Zogg.

Lost by 0.05 seconds.

(Result)

■4th place

■Points earned: 500 points.

■Overall World Cup standings (as of 14 January).

・PSL: 10th place

・PGS: 7th place

・Parallel Overall: 8th place

 

OFFICIAL RESULTS (sourced from FIS)

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Winner: Carolin Langenhorst (Germany/1996)

Runner-up: Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (Germany/1996)

3rd place: Julie Zogg (Switzerland/1992)

～

4th place: Tsubaki Miki (Japan/2003)

～

7th place: Tomoka Takeuchi (Japan/1983)

～

22nd place: Suzumi Maeda (Japan/2005)

The number of the competitors: 28

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Although Tsubaki was not in her best form, she achieved the result of 4th place finish, her best position for this season so far.

We heard that the snow conditions were rough here and there on the course. But Tsubaki managed to glide safely through this challenging slope on which she could have fallen, and that eventually led her to produce this good result.

We’d appreciate your continuous support for Tsubaki Miki.

On January 10, 2023, Tsubaki Miki, alpine snowboarder who belongs to Cataler, competed in the FIS Snowboard World Cup event held in Bad Gastein, Austria.

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WOMAN’s PSL
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(Qualifying round)
■First run in the qualifying round (on the blue course)
Against Annamari Dancha.
27.72 seconds
■Second run in the qualifying round (on the red course)
Against Tomoka Takeuchi.
31.99 seconds

 

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Total time in the qualifying: 59.71 seconds
Eliminated at the qualifying stage in 20th place.

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※Based on the total time of two runs in the qualifying, top-16 riders can advance to the final round.

 

(Result)
■20th place
■Points earned: 110 points
■Overall World Cup standings (as of 10 January):
・PSL: 10th place
・PGS: 6th place
・Parallel Overall: 8th place
OFFICIAL RESULTS (sourced from FIS)

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Winner: Daniela Ulbing (Austria/1998)
Runner-up: Claudia Riegler (Austria/1973)
Third Place: Ladina Jenny (Switzerland/1993)
～
17th place: Tomoka Takeuchi (Japan/1983)
～
20th place: Tsubaki Miki (Japan/2003)

The number of competitors: 34
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Tsubaki was in 5th place when all the riders finished their first qualifying runs. But unfortunately, in the second run, she struggled over the difficult slope and fell, ending up finishing 20th without being able to pass the qualification round.
We’d appreciate your continuous support for Tsubaki Miki.

Following is the transcription of the New Year’s greetings extended by President Hiroaki Sunakawa at Cataler’s Head Office on January 9, 2023.

【Reviewing the last year】

Firstly, on this occasion at the beginning of the year, I would like to look back on the year 2022 together with you, before talking about the prospects for the year 2023. And then, I would like to address the Project Plan with youーbrightly, lively, and enjoyablyーwith an aim to achieve the 2025 Vision.

At the beginning of the year 2022, we received awards from many of our customers for our quality and cost improvement. Also, with some of our overseas business entities (Cataler group companies) having received prizes from customers around the world, I think we have been able to advance forward toward Customer Delight.

In February, Tsubaki Miki (Alpine Snowboard) competed at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Many people watched her races and could receive a lot of energy and encouragement from her aggressive riding. We believe that she will do her best in this season, too.

Alpine Snowboard Tsubaki Miki | Cataler

Tsubaki Supporters site run by Cataler Corporation, a company supporting Tsubaki Miki, an alpine snowboarder and member of Japanese national team.

 

On the production side, we were affected by the reduction of OEM production due to the semiconductor shortage, but our production-related people, thankfully, responded to the situation flexibly and promptly.

And the moves toward the production start-up and the reintroduction of new equipment were accelerated in Cataler’s overseas bases. Besides that, CATALER EUROPE CZECH s.r.o. started its mass-production. I would like to express my respect to your teamwork to have made these moves possible and say thanks to you again.

We started the new fiscal year in April with our new initiatives, into which we incorporated several important implementation items, including the promotion of DX (digital transformation), the efforts toward a carbon-neutral society, TPS (Toyota Production System) activities, and Cataler-style internal control system. In particular, our TPS activitiesーunder the guidance of Toyota Mortor Corporationーkicked off simultaneously in the Production, Engineering, and Administrative Divisions. We look forward to the great business reforms that should happen a few years later, including the improvement in safety, quality, and cost, through the approaches like 5-tei (5 fixed items) and Just-In-Time.

TQM activities in overseas bases have also advanced greatly. In addition to 科特拉(無錫) 汽車環保科技有限公司 (CATALER CHINA) which received the Deming Prize in October, CATELER NORTH AMERICA and CATALER (THAILAND) CO.,LTD also improved their quality management system through TQM activities. I hope that, by challenging the Deming Prize, more and more overseas bases will strangthen their quality management system and achieve all-employees-participated, continuous improvement.

Thanks to your hard work to face a variety of difficulties, Cataler was able to see a high profit (although declined compared to the previous fiscal year) in the consolidated settlement at the end of March 2022. I would like to take this oppotunity to thank you for your efforts.

As for the company’s global policy for FY2023, we discussed it at the global meeting held in December last year, where we agreed on the 12 important implementation points, and selected the officers in charge of its promotion. Currently we are preparing an implementation plan, which comprises detailed schedules, target values, and organizations in charge of promotion, etc. We will tell you about the further details at another global company-policy meeting.

On the profit side, we are still in a severe economical situation due mainly to rising prices of energy and materials (such as precious metals). So, I would like to ask you to continue addressing all-members-participated profit improvement, which include the efforts to reduce costs and improve efficiency by reorganizing our operations. While tackling these issues, you might face various changes in market and economy. However, I expect all members in the Cataler Group to cooperate and respond to these challenges by “Shun” (瞬).

Finally, let me say a few things about health management and road safety, which I would like you to keep in mind.

We will continue to maintain and improve the company’s work environment so that all employees can work without worries even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays so-called “living-with-COVID19 lifestyle,” where one does not necessarily need to follow any particular rules about COVID-19 prevention, is gradually becoming the norm. Conversely, however, it might indicate that we are beginning to have less and less self-discipline. So, I would like to ask you to keep acting cautiously, without letting down your guard, in order to protect you and your family.

Speaking of road safety, the analysis of the traffic accidents has led me to feel that more and more drivers have been, little by little, becoming aware of the importance of the No.1 rule of “Watch where you drive.” However, it can be seen that the number of “accidents-incurred” (which is the accidents caused by another party, including being rear-ended) is higher. So, I would like you to think about how you can avoid getting involved in an traffic accident, and how you can let other cars near you recognize the presence of your car. That you don’t cause a traffic accident is, of course, an important thing, but beyond that, I expect you to drive a car with good manners, aiming to be regarded as a model driver to local residents.

In concluding my New Year’s greetings, I sincerely hope that you and your family will have a good and productive year, and that you will stay safe and healthy, and work on your own tasks brightly, positively, and enjoyably.

(※)Shun (瞬) refers to “Proactive Action.” Under the slogan “Aiming to become a ’proactive company’ that can stay ahead of the changes in environment,” this is one of the components of Cataler Group’s GLOBAL VISION 2025. With the business environment changing at a rapid pace, we are aiming for taking proactive (ahead-of-time) actions. We want to be a company that can forecast and detect the changes ourselves and aggressively undergo a dynamic turnaround if need be. For this goal, we will strive to achieve earlier problem-solving, more prompt dicision-making and operations, more smooth comunication by using IT, thereby making Cataler transform into a ‘proactive company.’

 

On 17-18 December 2022, the TSUKASA Hamanako Freestyle Championships 2022 (the fourth competition of the JWA JAPAN TOUR 2022-23 FREESTYLE) took place at Murakushi Coast (along Lake Hamana) located in Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu, in Shizuoka Prefecture. And the 16-year-old Takumi Moriya (@takumi.moriya_j171), a Pro-Class freestyle windsurfer who belongs to Cataler, participated in and splendidly won the competition.

The windsurfing freestyle championships is a tournement where the double-elimination format (※) is employed.

Takumi Moriya first appeared from the second round of the Winners’ bracket. After defeating Rita Hashimoto, Takuma Sugi, and Kango Iketeru, he was provisionally in the 1st place before competing against the sailor from the Losers’ bracket.The sailor surged from the Losers’ bracket was Takuma Sugi, who is ranked 9th in the world standings. Although defeated by Sugi in the Losers’ Final, Moriya won the terrific victory in the Grand Final to become a champion.

With the victory in this competition, which was the last event of the 2022/23 season, Takumi Moriya rose to the 1st place in the JWA overall season rankings, defending the last season’s No.1 position.

(※)Double elimination

The double-eliminaion is a type of knockout-style tournament. In this format, consolation matches (repechage) are given, and all competitors have a chance to win until they lose twice. (In a single-elimination tournament, one loss results in elimination from the tournament, while in a double-elimination tournament, two losses lead to elimination.)In the final, a competitor who has not lost competes against one who has surged through consolation matches.In a double-elimination tournament, all competitors start competing in the bracket called “Winners’.” If a competitor in the Winners’ bracket loses one time, he or she is arranged into the other bracket called “Losers’.”

Following is the result of the competition:

Winner: Takumi Moriya
Runner-up: Takuma Sugi
Third: Kango Iketeru
The winner in the Non-Planning Spacial Class was Kango Iketeru.

Cataler YouTube Channel will soon provide the exciting footage of the event, and off-the-competition footage of the sailors, among others.

Cataler will continue to support Takumi Moriya as he keeps on working hard toward his goal: “I want to make many more people become familiar with windsurfing.”

On 17 December 2022, Tsubaki Miki, alpine snowboarder who belongs to Cataler, competed in the FIS Snowboard World Cup event held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

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Women’s PGS (Parallel Giant Slalom)
————————————-

(Qualifying round)
■First race in the qualifying round (on the blue course).
Against Melanie Hochreiter.
38.89 seconds

■Second race in the qualifying round (on the red course).
Against Lucia Dalmasso.
40.18 seconds

 

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Total time: One minute and 19.07 seconds
Progressed past the qualifying round in 1st place.

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※Based on the total time of two runs in the qualifying round, top-16 riders advance to the final round.
(Final round)
※Riders compete for time only in the qualifying round. In the final round, the faster rider in one matchup simply advance to the next stage.

■1/8 Final: Top-16 matchup (on the blue course).
Against Patrizia Kummer.
Lost by 1.36 seconds

(Result)
■9th place
■Points scored: 290 points
■Overall World Cup standings (as of 18 December).
・PSL: 6th
・PGS: 5th
・Parallel Overall: 6th

OFFICIAL RESULTS (sourced from FIS)
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Winner: Gloria Kotnik (Slovenia/1989)
Runner-up: Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (Germany/1996)
Third: Megan Farrell (Canada/1992)

～
9th Tsubaki Miki (Japan/2003)
～
14th Tomoka Takeuchi (Japan/1983)
～
27th Asa Toyoda (Japan/1996)

The number of competitors: 30
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You can also check out the footage of the big final (Gloria Kotnik vs Ramona Theresia Hofmeister).

Gloria Kotnik gets her first World Cup victory | Cortina | FIS Snowboard

（FIS Snowboarding YouTube）

 

Tsubaki made it past qualifying in first, but unfortunately she ended up finishing 9th in the final round.

She couldn’t reach her initial goal of making it into top-4 within 2022. However, seeing the excellent results she produced in the qualifying rounds, we think she has enough ability to compete during the rest of the season.

We hope you will send her cheers toward the next set of events starting in January.

 

Tsubaki Miki, alpine snowboarder who belong to Cataler, competed in the FIS Snowboard World Cup event, which took place in Carezza, Italy on 15 December 2022.

 

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Women’s PGS (Parallel Giant Slalom)

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(Qualifying round)
■First run in the qualifying round (on the red course).
Against Gloria Kotnik.
37.03 seconds

■Second run in the qualifying round (on the blue course).
Against Julie Zogg.
40.03 seconds

Total time: One minute and 17.06 seconds
Made it past the qualifying round in 1st place.

※After two runs in qualifying, top-16 riders advance to the final round.
(Final round)
※Time counts only in qualifying. In the fanal round, the faster racer in a heat will simply progress to the next stage.

■1/8 Final: Last-16 matchup (on the red course).
Against Lucia Dalmasso.
Won by 0.13 seconds.

■1/4 Final: Quarter-final matchup (on the red course).
Against Michelle Dekker.
Lost by 0.13 seconds.

(Result)
■5th place
■Points earned: 450 points
■Overall World Cup standings (as of 16 December).
・PSL: 5th
・PGS: 5th
・Parallel Overall: 6th

 

OFFICIAL RESULTS (sourced from FIS)

Winner: Michelle Dekker (Netherlands/1996)
Runner-up: Aleksandra Krol (Poland/1990)
Third place: Ladina Jenny (Switzerland/1992)
～
5th Tsubaki Miki (Japan/2003)
～
8th Tomoka Takeuchi (Japan/1983)
～
25th Asa Toyoda (Japan/1996)

The number of competitors: 33

 

You can also see the footage of the big final matchup (Michelle Dekker vs Aleksandra Krol).
Dekker claims first ever World Cup win | Carezza | FIS Snowboard
(FIS Snowboarding YouTube)

 

Although Tsubaki made it past qualifying in 1st place, she ended up finishing 5th in the final round.
Let’s hope that she will be able to leave even better results in the next event on 17 December!

On November 23, 2022, CATALER SOUTH AFRICA (PTY.) LTD (commonly called CSA) received a letter of thanks from TOYOTA SOUTH AFRICA (PTY.) LTD (commonly called TSAM).

When the TSAM’s facility was seriously damaged by a great flood, which occurred in April 2022, many CSA members went to TSAM to help recover their equipment. The letter of thanks was given to CSA because their great contribution towards TSAM’s earlier production restart was recognized.

CSA will continue to give assistance to TSAM as it hopes it can be of some help to the best of its ability.

On November 14, 2022, the “FY2022 Deming Prize” awards ceremony was held at Keidanren Kaikan in Otemachi, Tokyo. The Deming Prize is an award to be given to a private organization or an individual that has contributed to the advancement of TQM (Total Quality Management)(※).

Cataler China (科特拉［無錫］汽車環保科技有限公司) becomes the second company within the CATALER Group to receive a Deming Prize, following our (CAC’s) receiving the Deming Prize in 2015 as well as our winning the Deming Grand Prize in 2018.

Even after the awarding of this prize, the company will continuously make efforts to promote TQM. We look forward to your continuing support.