AKEBONO REPORT 2014
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sustained if we are limited to Japan-centric business concepts andstandards. In other words, Akebono needs globally capable associates.In order to attract the best and brightest associates, we arereviewing our recruiting practices as well as our training anddevelopment programs to better motivate our most value resources.For example, since establishing “Ai-Village” global training centerin December 2012, we have accepted a total of more than 10,000trainees a year. And, the Monozukuri Center, another key trainingfacility that was fully launched in 2011, provides programs aimedat nurturing associates who will go on to strengthen the functionalityof Akebono production sites worldwide. Simultaneously, thecenter plays a key role in disseminating Akebono’s unique approachto manufacturing to sites all around the world. Looking ahead, wewill strive to build a foundation for creating “One akebono” byestablishing a more diverse organization in which every associatecan effectively communicate and collaborate even though theirbackgrounds may differ.Looking Back at 85 Years of Our History and LookingForward to the Future?A Celebration for All AssociatesThe business environment is changing drastically in step with rapidglobalization. As we strive to respond and secure our position asthe brake manufacturer of choice, it is not enough to merelycommemorate our anniversary; we should look back 85 years toour roots and measure ourselves against the tenets of akebono’sCorporate Mission. While reviewing our history, we must learnfrom it and cultivate a sense of unity as we consider the future andstrive to create a business foundation for the next generation. I amconfident that Akebono would better fulfill its social responsibilitiesif each associate Groupwide could proactively think and act to helprealize akebono’s Corporate Mission.In the AKEBONO REPORT 2014, we shared with you some ofour initiatives aimed at true globalization and feature the voices ofyoung and mid-level associates who will lead the next generation.To help stakeholders’ understand and appreciate the broaderaspects of Akebono’s business activities, we also introduce variousinitiatives. We sincerely ask for your understanding and ongoingcooperation with our efforts aimed at delivering safety and peaceof mind through brake products.June 2014automaker. This initiative supports our global strategies, supplyinglocal customers as well as customers in Europe.As we strive to secure our global supply network, a number ofchallenges have begun to emerge. One such challenge involveslogistics management, which entails controlling complicated andextended distribution channels and networks. Other challengesinclude the need for the ongoing improvement of next generationfacilities as well as to further reinforce safety and quality assurancesystems in step with the greater-than-expected rise in the number ofproduct evaluation and testing requirements. In fiscal 2014, we aretackling these challenges one-by-one, overcoming each to establisha global production and supply structure. To that end, our concreteplans for the current fiscal year include the construction of our firstEuropean disc brake caliper production plant in Slovakia. Announcedin May 2014, this plant construction project is now under way withan eye to operational kickoff in August 2015. Working in concertwith our disc brake pad (friction material) production plant inFrance, this new production base will help us establish an integratedbrake supply structure serving the European market.Re-Creating Iwatsuki Manufacturing?Establishing a Strongholdfrom which to Disseminate Our Monozukuri ApproachOur second annual policy for fiscal 2014 is re-creating IwatsukiManufacturing. In line with this policy, we will reorganize this keyproduction base into a next-generation flagship stronghold servingas a platform for our initiatives aimed at creating new value. Rapidglobalization is accelerating the shift of Japanese automakers’production overseas and this is having an impact on IwatsukiManufacturing’s profitability.However, I am convinced that key to our becoming a trulysuccessful global company requires us to utilize the wealth ofknow-how and experience accumulated over the 85 years ofoperation. This annual policy has been formulated based on thisconviction. By positioning Japan as an information hub for thedissemination of manufacturing technologies, we will secure ourresponsiveness in an increasingly globalized business environment.Furthermore, we will go back to and keep heeding the basicprinciples embodied in Akebono Production System (APS), amanufacturing approach that insists on ideal processes and thusoften the reordering of existing processes from the ground up.Taking this approach, we will streamline and thus transform theway we manufacture.With the principal themes of creating “operator-friendly manufacturingprocesses” and “environment-friendly facilities andtools,” we will take the aforementioned approach, applyingcreativity and leveraging our knowledge and experience. At thesame time, we willenhance the efficiency of every aspect ofoperations by promoting the “Commonization and Standardization(C&S)” initiative. Moreover, we will incorporate enhanced productfeatures (which we call “topping”) that precisely meet the individualneeds of customers and raise our competitiveness, therebythoroughly practicing “C&S” plus “topping,” collectively referredto as “C&S+t” initiative.Recruiting and Nurturing Globally Capable Employees?Developing a Key Corporate ResourceIn order for Akebono to realize true globalization and sustainablegrowth, it is essential to tackle and overcome the critical challengeof establishing a global supply structure oriented toward theaforementioned two key fields. Diverse and globally capablehuman resources will be crucial to our success.In the time since we went through the third phase of transitionin 2010, it has become clear that our global operations cannot beHisataka NobumotoPresident and CEOAkebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.

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