New Year Message from Kohei Morikawa, President and CEO

January 04, 2019
Kohei Morikawa
President and CEO
Showa Denko K.K.

2019 is a year when our true value is being questioned

We expect that the Showa Denko Group will achieve all-time high operating income for two consecutive years in its 2018 year-end settlement of accounts. Our success in fully sharing the benefit of a brisk market is the result of the strenuous efforts to establish “sound present” made by the Group’s lines of business through many years. With regard to the global economy in 2019, a dark sign has begun to be seen in the prosperity which started in 2017 due partly to the trade friction between the United States and China and other geopolitical risks. 2019 is a year when our true value is being questioned. Whether we can adapt ourselves to changes in wind direction or not will determine our true value.

To make ourselves a “KOSEIHA Company

Under the new medium-term consolidated business plan “The TOP 2021” which starts this year, the Showa Denko Group will change its course sharply toward long-term business growth on the basis of cash we earned. “The TOP” represents the summit of the mountain we aim for, namely, making half or more of the Group’s businesses “KOSEIHA Businesses.” KOSEIHA Business is a business in which the Group earns operating income of billions of yen or more, records operating margin of 10% or more, and achieves stable profitability tolerant to environmental change. Different businesses have different processes to become KOSEIHA Businesses. Every business should start to “Enhance,” “Grow” or “Change” itself in line with the policy set in The TOP 2021. In addition, to realize continuous growth, creation of new businesses is essential for us. Let’s have a strong will to promote growth of the Group and “Create” new businesses.

Let’s “Act” to touch the heart and make society better