Toshiba has people working in many different fields, all of them guided by Toshiba Group’s philosophy and values. The “We are Toshiba: Employee Stories” series focuses on the thoughts and feelings, and the challenges faced by employees as they put the Group’s philosophy into practice and nurture the Toshiba brand. In this issue, we speak to Yuta Kurose of Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation. A sales engineer who works on the protection relays that prevent major blackouts in power distribution plants and substations, Kurose is a bridge connecting power companies to Toshiba’s design and development departments. What systems are in place to deliver energy safely and securely? And from an engineer’s perspective, what is the appeal in being involved with sales and project promotion?

Supporting the protection relays that prevent blackouts and contribute to a stable power supply

You may have noticed that while typhoons, floods, and other disasters seem to strike with ever greater frequency these days, blackouts have become a relatively rare occurrence. According to the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, the number of blackouts experienced by the average household per year has plummeted from 4.85 in 1966 to about 0.1 in the 2010s. The stability of the power supply depends in large part on the quality of the energy infrastructure, such as power distribution networks and substations. With strong infrastructure, plant operation is stable, and the distribution grid is safe and reliable. Households and businesses get stable electricity supply as the cumulative result of countless measures and determined efforts to improve quality.

Today’s power systems are also built to minimize damage from disasters and events like lightning strikes, and to prevent large scale outages. A lot of that is due to protection relays. Kurose has worked as a sales engineer for protection relays ever since he joined Toshiba and is involved in proposing and promoting joint development projects with the sales team and customers.

“The power network is all about delivery. A lightning strike on a power line or substation that’s part of the delivery system can cause major problems not only because electricity is not delivered—but the impact can grow beyond that as more electricity than expected flows into surrounding facilities.

A protection relay system instantly detects the point where an anomaly occurs and issues a command to disconnect it to protect other parts of the network. This is done to prevent or limit the impact of lightning strikes and to avert major blackouts. We tend to think it is normal that the power stays on even after a lightning strike, but it is only thanks to these protection relays that people can feel this way.”

Kurose majored in electrical engineering in college. In graduate school he immersed himself in research into optimizing logistics and other networks. Toshiba is active in all areas of the energy industry, and Kurose was impressed by the breadth of the Group’s business and drawn to the possibilities offered by designing energy systems. He decided to join Toshiba on completing his studies.

“Toshiba developed its first protection relay in 1907. We have continued to make advances, including the world’s first practical application of a digital protection relay in 1980. As a result, we now have the top share of protection relays in Japan. You will find our technology installed in substations throughout the country. We have earned the trust of our customers, and have a long history of supporting energy infrastructure.”

The protection relays of the early 1900s were plunger types that used electromagnets. The latest generation—the D4 relay—uses digital technology. Any anomalous event is detected in approximately 0.01 seconds, and the section where it happened is quickly disconnected, further improving protection performance.

“The advance of digitization in protection relays has made sophisticated calculations and communications possible. We can now instantly exchange information with substations, making it easier to detect locations where events occur, even under conditions that make it difficult to grasp where anomalies are taking place. Further functional improvements now underway include increasing the CPU processing power of equipment to minimize outage times. Toshiba has over a century of experience in protection relays, and as a sales engineer involved in the business today, I am proud to be part of a tradition of improving their functionality.”

Entering the sales arena as an engineer—the task of a sales engineer

The job of a sales engineer is to make sales, offer technical proposals, and promote projects, all from the perspective of an engineer. Engineers like Kurose are assigned to business departments, and their role is to connect client requirements with the development and manufacturing departments, to help development and delivery to make smooth progress.

“Although I was fascinated with energy-related work, I came to see that I would be better suited to a job where I could communicate with people rather than sitting behind a desk all day drawing up plans and designs. While they have a technical background, sales engineers primarily work with people. They function as bridges, and I thought it was a role that would suit me. It is essential to have the technical expertise so you can listen to a customer, understand what they are asking for, and liaise with the relevant development and manufacturing departments. To become a sales engineer, you need to have engineering skills. I decided that this is what I wanted to do, and I’ve been building my career in the way that I envisioned ever since.”

Kurose is now in his eighth year as a sales engineer. He mainly works on adjusting the specifications of equipment ordered by power companies, but at times he is also involved in promoting joint research with clients. He passes the customer’s desired specifications on to the development and manufacturing departments and moves the project along toward delivery. While staying abreast of the broader trends in both the industry and society, he holds discussions with power companies to trial products equipped with cutting edge technologies. What is required in his work is a negotiator’s capabilities of communication.

“What motivates me as a sales engineer is to bridge the gap between the client and the development or manufacturing departments to deliver the optimal product. The development and manufacturing departments are the experts who take the specifications and shape them into something real. Sometimes the customer’s requirements are outside the scope of what the development or manufacturing department can do. As a sales engineer, I stand between the two sides, consider what compromises we can make, and guide them to that common ground. In order to accomplish this, it is important to have a firm grasp of the scope of work and technical capabilities of each department. Only then will we be able to meet the demands of our customers.”

In one case, Kurose was faced with a challenging deadline from the customer. When considering the progress of the project, the deadline was a sensible one. However, when considering how busy the team on-site was, it was not as easy as simply handing over the deadline. This was where he had to demonstrate his skills as a coordinator.

“If you’re just going to pass along a deadline to the on-site team, anyone can do that. You don’t need a sales engineer to complete that task. I considered what I would think if all I got was this date and nothing more—I do my best to consider the perspectives of the people on the team. I decided to focus on clearly explaining to the development and manufacturing departments why the client required this deadline, and to make sure they understood before going any further. After gathering information on the status of each department, I reviewed how the overall project could proceed. I suggested dividing the delivery into several installments, starting with the higher-priority items. In this way, we were able to find a compromise that worked best for both the client and the on-site team.

Contributing to the next generation of energy supply from increasingly digitized substations

Toshiba delivers protection relays to power companies across Japan, and through joint research with clients, it implements devices suited to current needs. As he thinks about the stable supply of power, Kurose says there are moments when he feels how much he has grown as a sales engineer.

“Initially, I responded to customer’s inquiries and considered specifications on an individual basis, case-by-case basis. However, I now communicate more closely with power companies and take a bird’s eye view in my thinking on protection relay systems. I have started to think about next generation of power networks and what a more secure and reliable power supply will look like.”

What Kurose was referring to is the next-generation digital substation. Toshiba is now working with Japanese power companies to introduce substation monitoring and control systems that conform to the IEC 61850 international standard.

“IEC 61850 is defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission. Protection relays and substations have spread across the country under Japanese standards, but other countries are introducing systems that conform to IEC 61850. In addition to information required for substation monitoring and control, detailed information on each facility can be transmitted, further enhancing the sophistication of the power system. I also participated in a joint project to develop an IEC 61850 compliant system with our customer. The system we delivered to Chubu Electric Power Grid is the first in Japan to apply IEC 61850.”

Kurose has been coordinating with the departments in charge of overseas operations, gathering knowledge and expertise as he pushes the project along. The reason for applying IEC 61850 to the digital substation concept IEC 61850 is not merely to comply with international standards. Networking the equipment eliminates the need for the massive number of control cables that have been used to connect machinery within substations. Construction times are shortened, and costs are lower when updating equipment. The vision of a sustainable, environmentally friendly substation with fewer cables comes to mind.

With protection relays that support the power supply from behind the scenes and next-generation sustainable digital substations, the work that Kurose is leading is about to take stable power supply to new heights. What can a sales engineer do within the confines of his work to bring about a new future? Kurose shared his thoughts and vision tied to “Our Values” of the Toshiba Group.

“The work of a sales engineer is to communicate with the customer and connect them to the development and design departments so that both sides can cooperate and “Create together.” I believe that is something highly meaningful and satisfying for a sales engineer. In addition, as a Toshiba employee who has been involved in the energy business, I have contributed to the stable supply of the electric power indispensable for our daily lives. Considering the issues our society faces, it is necessary to think about how to create environmentally friendly and clean power networks. Combining a stable energy infrastructure with a sustainable system is a new way to “Always consider the impact.” I will do my part for a brighter future.”