Miwa Tekken, a JFE Shoji Steel & Materials Group company based in Aomori Prefecture, donated 15 of its original bicycle stands to a local junior high school.
　The junior high school is where Taro Sugaoka, the brother of Miwa Tekken Vice President Sugaoka, works. Hibiki Hatakeyama, who has been with the company for five years, developed the stands, which can park three bicycles each, through a process of trial and error. The stand, which can park three bicycles per unit, was completed by Hibiki Hatakeyama, who has been with the company for five years, through a trial-and-error process. Students at the junior high school said, "In the past, the handlebars and reflector were broken when a bicycle fell over, but now I can park my bicycle with peace of mind.
　Vice President Sugaoka commented, "We live in an age when we can buy anything we want, but I hope that the fact that young people from a local company came up with the idea and built this from scratch will help the junior high school students become interested in the local manufacturing industry and steel industry. The company is contributing to the local community by making use of its own technology.