Home > Company Information > Press Release > President's New Year Message t...

Press Release

President's New Year Message to Employees (summary)

Others

January 4, 2016
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
Masayoshi Matsumoto, President & CEO

Happy New Year to you all!

At the beginning of the new year, I would like to ask you to pay special attention to the following three items.

  1. Always remember the Sumitomo Spirit when you do your duty
  2. Prepare thoroughly toward achieving your goals
  3. Conduct SEQCDD*1 activities specifically and completely
1. Always Remember the Sumitomo Spirit When You Do Your Duty

Recently, there have been a spate of scandals caused by major companies. These scandals not only annoy and worry stakeholders but also affect business results. We must keep in mind that even a minor mistake or error can threaten the entire company's existence.

When working, please always bear in mind the essence of your work: Why the task needs to be done, or why the rules must be followed. Such essence must not be lost in exchange for work efficiency.

In addition, I call on you to create and implement strategies that will discourage dishonesty among members. Although this might mean an increase in the number of management steps in some cases, this is necessary to protect customers, workplaces, and yourselves.

The most importantly, we must remember the tenets of the Sumitomo Spirit, that is "Banji-nissei (do your sincere best, not only in business but also in every aspect of your life)," "Shinyo-kakujitsu (place importance on integrity and sound management)," and "Fusu-furi (do not act rashly or carelessly in pursuit of easy gains)," so as not to make mistakes or act inappropriately. If you remain committed to your work to live up to the Sumitomo Spirit, it follows that you will ensure legal compliance.

2. Prepare Thoroughly Towards Achieving Your Goals

When you take on a new challenge, please be sure that you prepare thoroughly for the challenge with well-planned schedules, systematized steps, and strategic risk management plans. This means that you must not rush to a solution nor be influenced by your mood. Whether it is an individual task or an organizational project, appropriate management of the objectives is indispensable.

In reality, however, it would be quite unusual to see everything go as well as planned. Even when you face unexpected risks, please stay calm, gather information based on the principle of the three "actuals*2," identify the situation objectively, and make efforts to find the optimum solution in a speedy manner.

However, this is easier said than done. It is said that in a homogeneous organization, the members find it difficult to have diverse perspectives, making it less likely for creative ideas to be generated. To prepare thoroughly, examining the issue from diverse perspectives is critical. Accordingly, we need to promote diversity in our organizations.

I believe that if we can work with a wide variety of people and respect one another's different values, Sumitomo Electric Group's business opportunities will expand even further.

3. Conduct SEQCDD Activities Specifically and Completely

Safety and quality activities do not mean that you simply chant slogans or that only staff members in charge of safety and quality work hard. I call on you to break down our safety and quality policies and targets into specific actions according to the situation of your workplaces. In addition, I urge you to conceive ingenious ideas to prevent such actions from being monotonous, thereby implementing countermeasures against defects and all the other necessary measures completely, with the involvement of all other members concerned.

When looking at the global economy, we find that there is continuing concern over the effects of the economic slowdowns in China and emerging markets. Future economic prospects appear even murkier. In international politics as well, there is a pile of difficult problems such as the activities of Islamic State. There is no predicting how these problems will affect the economy. The Japanese economy seems to have emerged from a deep recession, thanks to the depreciation of the yen. However, as seen in the slowdown in capital investment and sluggish consumer spending, the reality is that the economic recovery is at a standstill.

Amidst this severe environment, we need to attain the targets set by the VISION 2017, ensure our group's sustainable growth, and become a Glorious Excellent Company. To do so, I believe that your complete fulfillment of my three requests today is indispensable. In this regard, I would like to ask for your cooperation.


*1 SEQCDD: Safety, Environment, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and Research and Development

*2 The principle of the three "actuals": Examining actual sites, actual products, and actual situations

Page Top