Top Message
To Our Shareholders
Upon Assuming the Role of Representative Director
We will continue to build on the strengths cultivated by our predecessors and drive transformation of our corporate culture for further growth
My name is Koji Kawashima, and I assumed the position of President & CEO, Representative Director, in June 2024. I was approached about induction to the President by then-President Takeshi Aoki (now Chairperson of the Board) in December 2023. At the beginning of 2023, we had just committed to large-scale investments in the Electronics Operation, with two new plants, Ono Plant and Gama Plant, under construction simultaneously. As head of the Electronics Operation at the time, I was keenly aware of the critical importance of successfully setting up these two plants. While feeling the weight of responsibility and uncertainty around leading not only the new plant setups but the entire IBIDEN Group as President & CEO, I resolved to cast aside any doubts and fully commit myself to the challenge.
I joined IBIDEN right after graduating and have been with the company for over 30 years, with much of that time spent in the Electronics Operation. One of my most memorable experiences was when we secured a contract with the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer for the first mass production of IC package substrates. While taking charge of technical sales in the U.S., I opened an office in Arizona, where the manufacturer's development team was based, and supported the product set-up. We faced numerous challenges, but the entire team worked together to tackle them one by one, and I can still recall the sense of accomplishment when we successfully launched the product after overcoming so many hurdles. At the time, IC package substrates were primarily ceramic, but they faced technical challenges like electrical performance and miniaturization. This contract became the catalyst for the shift from ceramic to plastic, and I was fortunate to witness the whole IC package industry grow dynamically as a result.
Since our founding, IBIDEN has evolved and grown by transforming our core business in various ways. We believe that our fundamental strength lies in our development capabilities to realize the demands of our world-leading clients and the trust relationship with our customers we have built with them over many years through our proven track record. Rather than resting on our laurels, we aim to inherit the culture established by our previous presidents and predecessors while also cultivating a new culture. During the product development process, we will share future roadmaps with our customers and not only work toward realizing these plans but also ensure continued value. And further, under the motto "One Generation Ahead," we will establish a development system capable of anticipating and responding to state-of-the-art technologies, and promote proposal-based development.
In expanding our existing technologies and product lines, we aim to break away from conventional wisdom in order to swiftly adapt to market changes and become a proactive company that can take initiative in proposing solutions, rather than a reactive one. We will continue to enhance our development capabilities in a proactive way, foster open communication so that issues are immediately reported, and build a company culture where all employees feel free to openly express their views. By further refining these, we make an effort to strengthen our competitiveness in a rapidly changing society.
Reflecting on the First Year of the Medium-Term Management Plan
This past year, we implemented measures such as adjusting the timeline for launching new plant in order to adapt to the changing business environment
In terms of the overall environment surrounding our businesses in FY2023, the global economy was generally on a recovery trend. However, uncertainty and instability persisted due to factors such as the impact of global monetary tightening, the economic slowdown in China, continued geopolitical risks, and rising prices here in Japan.
In the semiconductor and electronic components market, while inventory adjustments associated with the sharp drop in demand in the PC market since the second half of FY2022 have largely been completed, the recovery has been slower than expected, and uncertainty persists. In the server market, while new growth areas, particularly those related to generative AI, have performed well, continued investment restraint by major users and ongoing inventory adjustments in the traditional data center-oriented server market have created a challenging environment for the Electronics Operation as a whole.
The market for exhaust system components in the automotive industry recovered from the effects of the global semiconductor shortage and the supply chain disruption following the COVID-19 outbreak. Still, the growth in global automobile production was slow compared with initial forecasts due to the economic slowdown in China. Amid these circumstances, we revised our plans for the Electronics Operation, aiming to launch Ono Plant in FY2025 and Gama Plant in FY2026, anticipating medium-to long-term demand growth driven by generative AI and the diversity of customers and applications. This adjustment is part of our efforts to maintain and expand our strong market share in response to the shifts and growth in the semiconductor market. There is no change in our view that we will need to increase production capacity for high-performance IC package substrates in the medium term.
In the Ceramics Operation, alongside positive developments such as the recovery of the global automotive market, we are shifting orders toward products for large commercial vehicles and optimizing our production system. Additionally, profitability is improving, partly due to effects to set appropriate prices in agreement with customers to address rising energy and procurement costs. As for graphite products (FGM), demand for products for both Si semiconductors and SiC power semiconductors has remained strong, resulting in increases in both sales and profits for the business as a whole compared to the previous year.
Both the Electronics and Ceramics Operations made progress in adapting to changes in the market environment, but in FY2023, consolidated results showed decreases in revenue and profit compared to the previous fiscal year. Sales were ¥370.5 billion, operating profit was ¥47.5 billion, ordinary profit was ¥51.1 billion, and profit attributable to owners of the parent was ¥31.4 billion.
Key Initiatives in the Medium-Term Management Plan
Parallel set-up of Ono and Gama Plants, and progress toward realizing the One Factory concept
While the results for FY2023 were challenging, our vision for the future remains unchanged. Throughout our long history, we have cultivated the "power to overcome many adversities with all our employees and to make IBIDEN continue to exist" and the "wisdom and vitality that have achieved dramatic growth in recent years." By keeping the "IBIDEN WAY" in our heart (page 5), which systematizes these values so they can be passed down across generations and nationalities, we remain committed to uniting our collective strength to overcome difficulties and continue striving for sustainable business growth. In our current medium-term management plan, we are targeting net sales of ¥650 billion and operating income of ¥115 billion in FY2027.
The top priority in achieving this goal is the parallel launch of Ono and Gama Plants. Going forward, we will move straight into the launch of Gama Plant following the opening of Ono Plant. We plan to preferentially concentrate our management resources to ensure that our largest-ever investment in anticipation of the increasing demand for IC package substrates will surely lead to the result. I believe that accomplishing this major investment as a valuable opportunity will not only contribute to the Company's development but also to our employees' growth and confidence.
In response to the increasingly challenging business environment and to strengthen our operational foundation, we started the new "One Factory" initiative in FY2024. The concept One Factory aims to unify our operations, management, and mechanisms among production bases in Japan and overseas and build the system to enable stable quality and production by regarding all sites as just like a single factory through leveraging digital technology to consolidate, share, and utilize information from each base. We aim to achieve integrated operations where all sites are connected in real time, allowing for the simultaneous rollout of improvements, methodologies, and new technologies. Under this concept, Ono plant, scheduled to begin operations in FY2025, has been designated as the model site, and we will continue enhancing our production technologies and systems that fully leverage digital technology.
While pushing forward with key initiatives like the parallel launch of Ono and Gama Plants and the One Factory concept, we are also strengthening our collaboration with customers. As semiconductor technology continues to advance, the importance of packaging technology in the back-end process is growing, and more sophisticated technology is being demanded for the IC package substrates we supply. We are sharing future technology roadmaps with our key customers and advancing development in line with them. At the same time, we are participating in a joint development alliance for 3D packaging, led by major semiconductor foundries and the concept of photoelectric fusion integration technology, a next-generation technology. By pursuing such joint development initiatives, we will continue to create new products and technologies on all fronts based on future technological trends, further solidifying our position as a leading provider of IC package substrates while expanding our market share and increasing revenue.
As for the automotive exhaust systems market in the Ceramics Operation, we are currently seeing a rebound following the rapid shift toward electrification in the passenger vehicle market, particularly in developed countries. However, in the long term, the electrification of internal combustion engines remains an irreversible trend. Our strategy for internal combustion engine products is to steadily capture demand for trucks, construction machinery, and other industrial vehicles in emerging markets, where medium-term growth is expected. Aside from automotive, for specialty carbon products, we anticipate growing demand for Si semiconductors and SiC power semiconductors in the high-speed communications and industrial equipment fields. We will establish a production system to meet these demands and work toward expanding the business.
Additionally, to ensure the sustainable, long-term growth of our Ceramics Operation in light of the progression of automotive electrification, we are pursuing research and development in the NEV (New Energy Vehicle) field. We are also applying the manufacturing technology for high-temperature insulation material we have cultivated over the years to strengthen to expand the sales of batteries safety components for EV. Our new NEV products have already been adopted by several major automakers, and to further expand sales, we are conducting research and development of new products from various angles in terms of battery safety. We aim to achieve net sales of 10 billion yen in the NEV field by FY2027.
In addition, to contribute to the development of a sustainable society and foster further business growth, we are pursuing a collaboration with Gifu University, part of the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, with whom we have signed a comprehensive partnership agreement on industry-academia collaboration to create new technologies aimed at solving societal issues. Utilizing the core technologies developed through our business activities and Gifu University's educational and research resources, we are conducting research in fields such as Green Transformation (GX), biomaterials, and resource recycling. Our mission values both individuals and the global environment, and we will continue to contribute to a sustainable society by developing carbon-free technologies and other innovations that will contribute to the global environment through our business activities.
Human Resources Development and Manufacturing: the pillars supporting IBIDEN's foundation
We will cultivate self-reliant human resources while preserving the culture IBIDEN has built over the years
In aiming for medium- to long-term growth, it is essential to practice human capital management that supports to enhance our competitiveness. Employees grow, become the source of business competitiveness, and are the key drivers in creating greater value. With recognizing this firmly in mind, we are committed to pursuing human resources development. In our medium-term management plan, we have made reforming the corporate culture one of the key pillars. We will focus on nurturing self-reliant, purpose-driven human resources who are quick to grasp changes in the market environment. To develop such individuals, we believe that open communication at all levels of the organization, from top to bottom, is crucial, and we are currently working on several ideas to facilitate this. As part of IBIDEN's corporate culture, we have long fostered an environment where employees can openly share their opinions. However, with today's rapidly changing external environment, we feel it's necessary to further enhance openness to enable more agile working. We believe that diversity also means employees at all levels, from new hires to managers, feeling safe in expressing their opinions. With that in mind, we will engage in dialogue with employees and propose initiatives to create a culture where they can freely share their thoughts. One of the key challenges in human resources development is nurturing master-level human resources and passing down specialized skills. As mentioned earlier, we are pursuing initiatives like the One Factory concept that leverage digital technologies. However, the knowledges and experiences of our veteran skilled technicians, who have supported the Company for many years, remain a hugely valued asset for us. In the new plants, we are considering how to involve these veteran technicians, who are familiar with existing equipment issues, in development teams so that their knowledges and experiences can be incorporated into the design of manufacturing processes and the construction of production lines. By utilizing digital technologies and passing on on-site knowledges and experiences to the younger generation, we will cultivate efficient and highly advanced manufacturing capabilities.
The launch of new factories, such as Ono and Gama plants, is one of our most critical projects, and we will invest our resources-human resources, materials, and capital-to the fullest extent. Among these, human resources are the fundamental element. While the successful launch of these new plants is undoubtedly important, I believe that the growth of the employees involved in the launch through its success is just as critical. We aim to create an environment where employees can actively thrive and feel truly glad to have joined this Company through such successful experiences by fostering a cycle where the Company's growth is personally felt and individual growth contributes to the Company.
Driving further growth on the foundation of a strong governance structure
Through agile decision-making and execution, we will respond swiftly to changes in the business environment and address both risks and opportunities effectively
Our mainstay businesses, the Electronics and Ceramics Operations, are facing a rapidly changing business environment where delays in decision-making can lead to a loss of competitiveness. To address this, we have been strengthening our governance structure to enable us to nimbly adapt to environmental changes and speed up decision-making and execution. Examples of this include our transition to a company with an Audit and Supervisory Committee in 2017 and the reduction in the number of executive officers through the discontinuation of the Executive Officer System in 2020. Even with the large-scale investments in the Electronics Operation, we have enacted swift decision-making, such as moving forward with the early launch of Ono plant in view of changes in the business environment, while discussing the necessary risk taking for business growth. Going forward, we will continue to speed up decision-making and execution while aiming to build an improved governance structure that enables the Board of Directors to fully exercise its supervisory function for the Company's sustainable growth.
In this message, I have focused on how we are adapting to changes and strengthening our competitiveness. Charles Darwin is said to have advocated the following theory: "it is not the strongest who survive, nor the most intelligent, but those most adaptable to change." This concept closely aligns with IBIDEN's history. We began with hydroelectric power generation business, turning society's expectations and needs into shapes with technology and creating new businesses one after another by adapting to the changing times. In this way, we have continued our business for over 110 years. As we look toward a new era, we are keenly aware that survival depends on our ability to adapt to environmental changes and will continue our business activity while incorporating fresh winds into the good culture established by our predecessors. We ask for unwavering support from our stakeholders for the Company going forward.
President & CEO
Koji Kawashima
For "commercialize