Konica Minolta 2000 Annual Report Download - page 12

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 12 of the 2000 Konica Minolta annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 36

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36

10 KONICA
Anticipating New Market Needs
In line with its philosophy of raising customer satisfaction, Konica makes every effort to respond quickly to emerging
technologies and demand for new types of digital products and services indispensable for today’s—and the future’s
—networking community. The Company has a track record of taking the lead; in the field of optics technology, for
instance, Konica was a pioneer in the development of aspherical plastic pick-up lenses for CD players. Since intro-
ducing them in 1984, the Company has maintained an approximate 70% share of the global market for pick-up lenses
used in optical disk drives.
Thanks to agile maneuvering in fiscal 2000, Konica is again well positioned to capture growth opportunities in
various markets.
One of our new businesses with great potential is TAC film, sales of which are expected to expand in tandem
with the broader application of LCDs. TAC film is used to cover LCD polarizing plates, which adjust the direction
of light. A new TAC film production plant in Kobe started operations in March 2000, helping Konica realize its goal
of raising annual production capacity 50% by the spring of 2001.
In response to the surging popularity of digital imaging color prints, Konica expanded its production capacity for
well-accepted, high-quality glossy inkjet paper fourfold during fiscal 2000. In addition to Konica brand paper, the
Company began supplying glossy inkjet paper to major international makers on an OEM basis. To take the lead in
emerging commercial-use markets and to further consumer-use, sheet-type inkjet paper, the Company introduced
rolled inkjet paper for large format plotters, which is perfect for advertising, graphic design, and other large-format
commercial printed material for displays.
Aspherical Plastic Pick-Up Lenses Magneto-Optic
(MO) Drive
CD-R
CD DVD
Providing Imaging Solutions in the Digital Age