Message from the President October.2016

Product development in Japan’s manufacturing industry is about to undergo a major policy shift.
What is strongly required is not logic on the side of the seller that is simply aiming for higher quality, higher image quality and more advanced functions, but the development of products from a buyer’s perspective in terms of what is important to consumers when they purchase products.

I ‘m not talking about this due to the simple fact that the desired function, design and usability of products differ from one country to another, from one region to another and depending on personal preference.
Rather, I am talking about this because the added value aspect of products seeking convenience, enjoyment and pleasure is now in strong demand; in other words, products are shifting from being hardware-oriented to being software-oriented (in addition to hardware), or from being goods-centered to being value-centered.

For example, next-generation vehicles will be able to offer added value such as a better environment with superior safety and comfort because they will be more eco-friendly, enable automated driving and enhance services linked to smartphones as a result of multiple connections with things. Home electronics will also be robotized and smarter and achieve improved quality of life because we will be able to control and manage them in conjunction with our smartphones even when we are not at home, and change their color according to our mood.
I think that the Internet of things (IoT), which has recently been covered by TV programs and newspapers almost every day, is a prime example of this value creation.
I imagine that the world created by the IoT in the future will provide us with the added value of being significantly more convenient, enjoyable and fun than ever before.

For this reason, all Meitec engineers need to become an important asset that is able to provide customers in the manufacturing industry in Japan, which is about to undergo significant changes, with the best output using advanced skills by rapidly grasping changing customer needs.
Meitec itself needs to become a company that is able to make best proposals for customers in each manufacturing sector, always looking beyond the market changes in the midst of the major global transformation.

In the fall edition of the in-house magazine SYORYU, which will be delivered to you in October 2016, we have included an interview about the technologies that Meitec engineers are now concerned about, and have compiled them in a special feature. I would like you to use it as a reference, because it gathers the opinions of engineers who are most sensitive to the changes in product development.

Since the world will undergo significant changes in the years ahead, we will need to grasp appropriate solutions from a large amount of information. I would ask each of you to enhance your skills, make selections and take actions with confidence based on your own view, with the aim of becoming an engineer on whom we can continue to rely.