I have been appointed as president of Sodick Co., ltd after the resignation of Mr. Kato.

When we look at the current economic environment surrounding Sodick, we can see that Sodick is in the middle of a global economic turmoil. It is also becoming more likely that this global economic turmoil becomes trapped in a long term recession. To be appointed as president of Sodick Co., ltd under such circumstances, I feel it is my supreme duty to carry out drastic management structural reform and establish a foundation for further prosperity of Sodick.

The company name of Sodick is an acronym of Japanese, “Sozou(creation)”, “Dikko(practice)”, and “Curo Kokufuku”(overcoming hardship). I strongly believe that now is the time for every member of Sodick to become united with this motto and take it to heart as a contributor to manufacturing and to overcome this difficult situation.

To make a breakthrough from this current situation, I believe it is particularly important in such a difficult time, to develop products that can improve customer’s manufacturing efficiency. On the other hand, it is essential to explore new fields of business by taking advantages of the core technologies that Sodick has developed.

Sodick has already established new businesses such as special materials as seen in ceramics and magnets, wire electrode for wire cut EDM, food machinery, and traceability systems to ensure food safety. To ensure these new businesses are profitable, we, as a company with a broad range of technologies, will aggressively try to establish a robust organization that cannot be affected by the market environment and that will maximize our business resources.

We would like to have your understanding and support for our efforts to overcome the current business challenges through total optimization so that every stakeholder of Sodick from customers to share holders and employees can enjoy the fruits of the reforms in the future.