New Year’s Message for 2016 from President Mitsuyoshi Shibata (summary for the employees)
- Let’s Deliver on Our Targets with Conviction! -

January 4, 2016

Happy New Year! I am sure you all have enjoyed the New Year wherever you are in the world.

Global developments making the difference

Looking back on last year, the year began with the resumption of consecutively integrated production at Nikko Works, which had been affected by snow damage. We also decided to establish a fiber optics production base in Morocco, which was the first venture into Africa by Furukawa Electric Group. Overall, our results have been improving and I want to express my sincere thanks for your hard work around the world.

Furukawa Electric Group has promoted global developments with a focus on the infrastructure and automotive fields. Last year, the seeds we planted began to bear fruit and I feel that this will make a huge difference. In order to accelerate our growth this year, we will be working hard on overseas activities, and particularly in sales and marketing of our customers. I want you all to have the courage and confidence to promote your business globally. Our overseas sales ratio is approaching the 50% target set out in the Medium-Term Management Plan, and I am becoming more and more confident that we are heading in the right direction.

Promoting “reform for working, selling and producing”

Acquiring the speed needed to handle global customers will act as a driving force behind our efforts to streamline our work, or in other words “work style reformation”. In order to become a truly global company, it is essential that we promote “reform for working, selling, and producing”. This will provide firm foundations for the growth of Furukawa Electric Group and increase our harvest in terms of business performance, which in turn will help us to build a bright and enjoyable future.

Focusing on “delivering”

In 2016, the Olympic Games will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I am sure that many gripping dramas will unfold, in a way that captivates people throughout the world. The world’s attention will then turn to Tokyo in 2020.
Furukawa Electric Group is currently drafting a new five-year medium-term management plan that sets out our vision for 2020. The path to achieving this vision will be far from smooth. What we need to do now is to make firm decisions about what measures need to be taken in order to achieve our targets, and deliver on those measures with conviction. I want to continue increasing our presence as a “company that makes the world a brighter place”.

I hope that this year is a wonderful year for you and your family, on which you can look back with a sense of achievement, enjoyment and happiness.

About Furukawa Electric Group

Furukawa Electric (TSE; 5801, ISIN; JP3827200001) Group started business in 1884, when its copper-smelting facility and wire manufacturing factory was established. Since then Furukawa Electric has become pioneers in the latest technologies by addressing diverse technological issues. Furukawa Electric has released products in a number of areas, including telecommunications, electronics, automobiles, and construction, with the three types of materials it works with at their core, namely, optics, plastics, and metals. Many of these products have attained the top global market share, and all of its products have contributed to society in numerous business areas. Furukawa Electric reported consolidated revenues of JPY 867.8 billion (approximately USD 8.2B) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.