 |
President and COO
Kazuma Sekiya |
|
Business Environment and Financial Results
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, the world economy followed a generally bullish trend, albeit with some regional variation. China and other emerging economies provided the main impetus. In the semiconductor industry, there was a temporary inventory correction by manufacturers in the third quarter, but global demand for popular new products, such as smartphones, sustained strong performance through the year as a whole. By marketing our products aggressively in this environment, DISCO was able to set a new record for net sales.
In the precision processing equipment category, we recorded a healthy trend in shipments of dicing saws for use in IC manufacturing and package singulation. There was also a substantial year-on-year increase in the number of laser saws shipped to LED manufacturers. This resulted from the rapid expansion of the LED lighting sector alongside the existing
market for backlighting applications. We also recorded a substantial increase in shipments of grinders, especially highend
systems, as a result of advances in wafer thinning technologies. Sales of consumables, such as precision blades and wheels, were affected by exchange-rate movements, but shipment volumes expanded in proportion to volume growth
in semiconductor production and reached a new record.
Further Improvement in Our Capacity to Meet Customer Needs
We are taking advantage of this positive trend in semiconductor demand to target further expansion of DISCO’s markets by enhancing our overall potential as a group. This includes improving our product supply capacity, the service support capabilities of our sites worldwide and our internal organizational structure. In particular, we plan continuing, aggressive capital expenditure in Asia, where production facilities are increasingly being relocated as a result of structural changes in the semiconductor and electronic parts industries. Our aim is to raise customer satisfaction levels by improving the capacity of our regional operations. We will also step up the pace of R&D activities, expand our product lineup and enhance our application R&D so that we can keep pace with advances in wafer thinning technologies, the emergence of new applications for laser technology, and the anticipated shift to 450 mm wafers.
DISCO Vision 2020
In 1997, the entire DISCO organization began to work toward the achievement of management goals set down in DISCO Vision 2010. Having reached the target year, we reviewed our progress toward each of the indicators comprising the Vision. The analysis showed that we had reached the required standard for 16, or 66.7%, of the 24 items. These results were reflected in our targets for the next 10 years, which are contained in DISCO Vision 2020.
The new Vision is based on two perspectives: the elements that make up DISCO, and our relationships with our stakeholders.
This approach has created a clearer and more multifaceted representation of our vision for the future of DISCO.
Our efforts will focus on DISCO’s evolution as an enterprise having exceptional vitality to ensure survival in any environment. We aim to enhance the quality of business activities by giving employees opportunities to realize their full potential as individuals. We look forward to the continuing support of our shareholders as we advance toward this new vision.
I would like to conclude this message by expressing our deepest sympathy to everyone affected by the Great East Japan
Earthquake, and by offering our heartfelt prayers for the speediest possible recovery.
| August 2011 |
 |
| Kazuma Sekiya, President and COO |
|
