Under the management philosophy: “We are committed to becoming an indispensable element in the lives of people all over the world,” the Sanyo Group advances its business activities. With this management philosophy being the source of our CSR activities, the Sanyo Group is aiming to become a corporate group that is loved and trusted by people around the world by providing excellent products and conscientious services as well as developing original technologies.
To win a customer’s trust, it is essential for a company to provide products and services, including elements like safety and reliability, at a level of quality that satisfies the customer. “Providing high-quality products and services” is an important theme for the Sanyo Group, which we must continuously keep in focus and advance in the future.
Further, it is important that the products and services Sanyo provides are highly regarded from the perspective of being sensitive to the environment. Today, we are facing various “global environmental problems,” in particular “global warming,” which may threaten the sustainability of the human race. With increasing environmental awareness in society, addressing environmental issues is a vital challenge for a company to continue in business. Considering this as a top priority challenge for corporate management, the Sanyo Group, as it aims to become a “leading company for energy and environment,” is advancing development of various environmentally-conscious products by strengthening, fostering, and expanding environment-serving businesses.
Amid the ongoing global economic downturn, Sanyo is operating in an extremely harsh business environment. To find a way out of this economic crisis, various nations have passed large-scale economic measures with an eye to environmental issues, such as the Green New Deal in the U.S.A., European Economic Recovery Plan, and Package to Address Economic Crisis in Japan. Common keywords found in these measures are Diffusion of next-generation vehicles; Utilization of renewable energy sources; and Construction of an energy-saving society.
The Sanyo Group’s technologies for “Energy Generation,” “Energy Storage,” and “Energy Conservation” enable us to create various environment-related products which are directly related to the economic-stimulus packages and environmental measures of these nations, such as photovoltaic systems, HEV rechargeable batteries, and various energy-saving equipment, including commercial equipment. In this regard, we are confident we can make a significant contribution to realization of a low-carbon society. The Sanyo Group will continue to vigorously advance development of these “Energy Generation/Storage/Conservation” technologies.
Further, through promoting the diffusion of photovoltaic systems, rechargeable batteries, and various energy-saving products, Sanyo will contribute to the control of household and industrial CO2 emissions. Our aim is to produce a CO2 emissions control effect through use of our environment-conscious products that is at first equal to, and, ultimately, significantly surpasses the CO2 output from our business activities, so as to make a substantial contribution to the realization of a “carbon minus*” society. Expecting that the changing business environment will bring about great opportunities, we will steadily advance to make a great leap forward in the future. In this way, we will realize further business growth and a stronger management structure.
Toward the fulfillment of the Mid-term Management Policy – Becoming a “leading company for energy and environment,” the Sanyo Group launched the new Mid-term Management Plan with the Mid-term Management Goals: “Challenge 1000” in fiscal 2008. However, the financial crisis stemming from the subprime loan problems in the U.S. reverberated throughout the real economy, resulting in a once-in-a-century kind of global recession. This has led to reductions in corporate capital investment and a sharp decline in consumer spending, creating extremely harsh conditions for Sanyo during the first year of the plan.
Under such deteriorating economic circumstances, we have partially revised our Mid-term Management Plan and specified Intensive Strengthening of Management Structure and Reconstruction of Growth Strategy as priority policies for fiscal 2009. Through all directors and employees working together in accordance with these policies to overcome the harsh business environment, we firmly believe that we will unfailingly achieve the Mid-term Management Goals, “Challenge 1000,” in fiscal 2011.
In December 2008, Sanyo and Panasonic Corporation entered into a capital and business alliance agreement. As well as continuing our own efforts to improve business performance, we will work to yield maximum synergy effects with Panasonic in various areas to ensure stable generation of revenue.
The Sanyo Group’s social responsibility goes beyond providing high quality products and services and expanding environmentally-conscious products. We think it important to make social contributions by enhancing the satisfaction of customers, distributors/retailers, business partners, and all other stakeholders throughout the product life cycle from use to discarding to final disposal so as to forge a Win-Win relationship with them. To this end, it is vital that the quality of products and after-sales-service is improved, supply-chain management is strengthened, and a work culture is created so that a higher level of satisfaction is enjoyed by the employees who support these.
In today’s economic environment, which is undergoing a radical transformation worldwide, businesses are required to swiftly respond to changes in society. By keeping firmly in mind that our business activities are only possible through association with various people and organizations, Sanyo will continuously strive to be an enterprise capable of achieving lasting growth, as well as living up to the expectations of the stakeholders. Our ultimate aim is to “Become an indispensable element in the lives of people all over the world.”
I look forward to your continued support in the future.
Seiichiro Sano
Executive Director & President
* “Carbon minus” is a term defined by Sanyo.
