Brother International 2007 Annual Report Download - page 2

Brother at a Glance
Brother Industries, Ltd. was established in 1934 as an enterprise to manufacture and distribute sewing
machines. Since then, the Company has striven to add more value to its products so as to "help people
realize their dreams all over the world." Today, its line of products includes not only sewing machines for
home and industrial use, but also machine tools and information and communications equipment such
as printers, facsimiles and Multi-Function Centers. Brother has also expanded its business operations
overseas. Currently, it has 19 production facilities and 41 sales companies in 39 countries and regions.
Printing & Solutions
The Printing & Solutions (P& S)
business is committed to the
advancem ent of printing technologies
and "work style innovation." Its
product range includes a variety of
printing technology based products:
high-speed, high-quality printers,
facsimiles, M ulti-Function Centers
featuring m ultiple capabilities
including printing, copying, scanning
in one unit, and labeling systems.
The P& S offers business solutions
designed to fit perfectly in the
SOHO (Small Office Hom e Office)
environment and in departm ental
work groups in larger com panies,
designing products that help
streamline w orkflow and add effi-
ciency and convenience.
Personal & Home
The Personal & Hom e (P& H) category
encompasses all of Brother's sewing
products and services including
domestic sewing and embroidery
machines. Its mission is to offer the
custom er Brother sew ing and
embroidery products that are fun,
easy to use and can provide a m yriad
of ways to enhance their creativity.
The P& H product line offers a w ide
range of products, from conventional
home sewing machines to very
advanced com puter-Internet
connected sew ing machines with
extensive possibilities for creative
sewing and em broidery.
Machinery & Solution
The M achinery & Solution (M& S)
business offers custom ers "solutions"
that m eet and exceed the needs of
their production sites through
industrial sewing m achines and
machine tools.
Brother's industrial sewing machines
are energy saving and offer a rich
array of features such as ease of use
and high-quality sewing capabilities;
Brother's high quality product line
has been a big contributor in helping
to establish trust w ith our custom ers.
The M achine Tools section provides
machines that specialize in cutting
small parts for autom obiles, hard
disc drives, and mobile phones.
Along w ith their custom er-oriented
support system, Brother M achine
Tools section serves our custom ers
as a "One to One Solution Adviser,"
helping them im prove productivity
and create products with added value.
Brother reorganized its business operations on April 1, 2006. Electronic stationery, which had been part of the Personal & Hom e business,
was transferred to the Inform ation & Document business, w hich w as then renamed the Printing & Solutions business. Netw ork
karaoke and inform ation distribution services for cell phones, w hich had been part of the Information & Docum ents business, w ere
transferred to the Others category.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements regarding our future business perform ances, plans and strategies in this annual report that are not historical facts are forward-looking statem ents
based on inform ation available to m anagem ent at the tim e or on management's beliefs. Such forward-looking statem ents are not guarantees of future performance
of the Com pany and involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ m aterially from those in the forward-looking statem ents as a result of various factors.