From excellent minds to excellent products.

Thank you for your time today. Mr. Iwasawa, can you tell us about your early developments at OPTEX?

After joining the company, I obtained my first patent for a technology called the “double conductive shielding.” At that time, there was a problem with passive security sensors falsely alarming when car lights hit them because the sensors were very sensitive.

My boss told me to “think about something.” It was a fantastic opportunity; there were no specific instructions, so it was pure trial and error. I tried layering the filter on the element or breaking the element to change it.

When I was about to give up, I tried adjusting the distance between the element and the filter. Suddenly, something worked. I thought of a hypothesis and came to the theory that when light is concentrated through the lens, the strong light from car headlights gathers and accumulates heat, triggering detection. By changing the filter’s position and using two pieces, I solved the issue more effectively. This became my first patent, still used in all of OPTEX’s passive sensors for security.

After that, new technologies were developed one after another. Where did your growth as a developer come from?

In my first year, I found ideas when I was allowed to pursue what I loved. I am grateful to my boss, Mr. Sugimoto, who entrusted me with the freedom to experiment. Now I think maybe it was just easier to let me work freely.

The key lesson I learned is that some ideas cannot be reached if you wait for instructions. Even without fully understanding, you can make discoveries along the way. Superiors will support you afterward, they don’t blame you. That was the environment I thrived in.

Finally, what advice do you have for young engineers inside and outside the company?

“Don’t listen to your boss!” he laughs. “If you take everything seriously, you’ll just wait for instructions. Today, coaching often encourages that approach, but real progress comes from using your own ingenuity.”

Even if you work hard, you can’t produce amazing results all the time. It’s essential to allow space to explore, experiment, and grow. The key is never to be satisfied with the status quo; innovation requires energy, freedom, and room to think creatively.