[Ebara Corporation] The next growth vision for "EBARA," which has supported the world's infrastru...

We must first improve profitability, otherwise we cannot continuously do what we want to do. Then, for businesses that must be grown, we will properly grow them. And for areas where we can leverage our strengths, we will search for new businesses, try them, and then nurture them. In summary, I have said we will do these three things.

There was a senior who was being scolded at EBARA. I was looking at the company, wondering what kind of company it was. At that time, there was an article about treating emissions from power plants with electron beams before they were released. Things like that were written, and I thought this seems quite interesting. Also, there was something about water treatment. I thought maybe I should apply here, and that's how I ended up joining. Looking back, that was the trigger. From then on, my childhood experiences really come into play when making decisions. For me, I think 'environment' was probably the keyword.

Japanese semiconductor manufacturers are our customers, and we had supplied to them. Overseas manufacturers also wanted them very much. The momentum increased, and we built a factory in the US. But if we build a factory and can't sell, it's no good, so they said, 'You're going to go with the sales team to visit customers and sell properly.' I was sent. There were Japanese equipment manufacturers selling into the US, but for EBARA to directly sell to US customers was something we really started at that time.

You're going there as a representative of the company. I could only invest myself. The words that person said to the customer become the company's words. So if you can't say yes or no clearly, don't give a vague answer. Say 'I don't know, let me check,' and take time. Because the customer will start acting based on what you said. If that's wrong, the customer will act on wrong information, which could be disastrous. So never do that. If you don't understand what the other person is saying, no matter how embarrassing, ask again, rephrase, draw on the whiteboard to make sure you understand 100%. Don't answer yes or no until you are completely sure. That really became my standard, my foundation.

The customer would say 'bring it immediately,' but it didn't work at first. I thought I understood and would bring it, but things would go wrong. When that happens, the customer gets really angry. The angrier they are, the more I understand how important the product is to them. After solving the problem and delivering what the customer wanted, it felt like it would really sell. I think that experience helped me persevere through various difficulties. Customers really develop employees. Encountering customers' serious faces, angry faces, and happy faces is what makes people grow. People change and find joy in responding. I truly think that's how employees are developed, and I want to provide as many such opportunities as possible.

There was an evaluation process that included thinking about how I would approach things, and I was told to do it. Through that process, I learned that our wind and hydraulic machinery business had low profitability and faced challenges. I realized I had to improve profitability and transform the company. Also, I felt we must continue to be a business entity that contributes to society for another 100 years. So when I was selected, I thought I would give it my all.

When I think about the next 100 years, what can EBARA contribute? When I look 10 years ahead, what kind of EBARA will exist? What will society be like, and how can EBARA contribute to get there? I tried to think about that, and then backcast from that. For the first three years of 2020, until 2022, what do we need to do? That was the first time we did that. Looking at UN population projections, the current population of over 7 billion will increase by about 2 billion by 2040, and by 2100 it will increase by 4 billion to 11 billion. The increase will only be in Asia and Africa. In Asia, from 4 billion to 5 billion, and in Africa, from the current 1 billion to 4 billion. What will happen? Probably what Japan experienced during its high-growth period will occur. Conversely, what EBARA can do in those places is based on how we contributed in Japan during that period. More than 30 years have passed, technology has advanced, and we thought about contributing in ways that prevent problems from occurring there.

The three management strategies are: First, we must improve profitability so that we can continuously do what we want to do. Second, we will properly grow businesses that have growth potential and must be grown; both of these are existing businesses. Third, in line with the E-Vision 2030 we announced, for areas where we can leverage our strengths, we will search for new businesses, try them, and then nurture them. These are the three things we will do.

Our founding spirit is 'Passion and Sincerity.' But it's not about doing things as decided; it's about being creative, diligent, and seeing things through to the end. That spirit is imbued in us and continues to this day. To do new things, we need to develop and gather people, which costs money. So to do what we want, we need to improve profitability. I've been saying that since I became president. There are departments that must do routine tasks. But even in daily operations, there should be something to improve, whether in processes or customer responses. Different departments have different areas. So we should all work with enthusiasm to improve continuously.

EBARA has about 4,000 to 5,000 employees. Among them, we received 20 proposals, and after final screening, some ideas remained. They submitted video presentations of about an hour. What they had in common was a passion and a desire to make things better. The most surprising was someone saying they want to go to space, like 'EBARA can launch rockets into space.' To do that, we need to secure profitability. Now we have begun to secure that a little, so we can start new things. In line with the long-term vision, we will do things where EBARA's strengths can contribute. That's why we started 'I-Start 2020,' and I hope to continue such initiatives. Yes.

I am Masao Asami of EBARA CORPORATION. Thank you for listening to my message until the end. EBARA was founded in 1912 as a university venture, starting by making pumps. Since then, we have contributed to Japan's modernization, post-war reconstruction, high economic growth, and the advancement of the information society, providing products and services demanded by each era. Going forward, through activities that promote a sustainable society and evolving affluent lifestyles, reduce CO2, and lower environmental impact, we hope to contribute to society for the next 100 years through our business. I ask for your continued support and guidance. Thank you.