Message from the President June.2019

The automobile industry has entered a “once in a 100 years” period of major change with the simultaneous onslaught of technological innovation of the connected, the autonomous, the shared, and the electric, jointly referred to as CASE.

Key in this period of major change will not include only existing players but also “game changers” who embody new values and enter markets by transcending national borders and industries. Examples include ride share services that make a big value shift from “owning” automobiles to “using” them, and makers of consumer electronics that replace internal-combustion engines with electric motors to try to sweep over the automobile industry right away. There are also semiconductor makers who aim to create development platforms for all self-driving cars irrespective of maker by providing AI boards for self-driving.

These game changers have the potential to innovate existing rules of competition and upset the current order, and I think the root of their power is in the “user perspective.” In the end, the reason why they can change the game and immediately win the hearts of users should be that they provide users with products and services that are overwhelmingly “satisfying” and “convenient.”

I believe that everyone has the potential to come up with things that “bring benefits” and that nobody else would think of, by thinking about the problems and challenges the world faces today or about the future. Even so, we need engineers to determine what is realistic and what is not, to test it, and to make it a reality. Engineers have the ability to realize innovative products and services by combining design and technology based on problem-solving themes. The work of engineers is greatly contributing to increasing the number of people in the world who feel “satisfaction” and “convenience,” regardless of the size of the game change they bring about.

As such, when you receive a job from a client, I would like to ask all of you engineers to not simply perform what you are instructed to or what you are given, but to imagine the output by taking a user or market perspective for a moment. That might lead you realizations and suggestions like “It will be even better if I do it like this.” Also, when realizing an idea, it is important not to insist on technologies from your area of specialization. I’m convinced that your output can exceed client expectations if you absorb the latest technological trends and familiarize yourself with technologies from other areas.

I want you to strive to become engineers who are ready to take a leading role when it really counts, just like a trump card player that can completely change the flow of a game.