Konica Minolta 2007 Annual Report Download - page 12

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10
Technology Strategy and Growth-Oriented Research Themes
The Group, under the theme of technology development integrated with Group
business strategies, strengthening existing businesses, expanding business
domains and creating new businesses, aims for technology development that
supports Group growth and can contribute new value to society. A basic strategy
to accomplish this is to develop new products and development through the
compounding and integration of technologies, and strategic alliances with
external sources.
In accordance with the FORWARD 08 medium-term management plan, there
are three basic research and development themes, (a) product commercialization
to strengthen existing businesses over the next two to three years, (b) product
commercialization for business domain expansion over the next three to five
years, and (c) product commercialization aimed at the creation of new businesses
in five years or longer. Of these three themes, technology development for the
strengthening of existing businesses and business domain expansion are the basic
responsibility of each business company’s development division, while business
expansion and the creation of new businesses are the responsibility of the Konica
Minolta Technology Center, Inc., which has approximately 600 engineers.
Regarding strengthening of existing businesses, the emphasis is research and
development themes where there is room for further expansion of the
technology. Research and development is being conducted on next generation
toners, controller platforms, and systems for practitioners.
Of these, the focus of next generation toners is the broadening of the color gamut
for proprietary polymerized toner, where the Group is strongly competitive, in
order to further enhance image reproduction capabilities. This is expected to further
enhance the Group’s advantage in the growing color MFP area. In addition, while
the special characteristic of polymerized toner is that it can be fixed even at low
temperatures, the Group will be working to further improve fixation technology.
In business domain expansion, the emphasis is on the enhanced solutions in the
Business Technologies segment, development of films with new functions and
next generation memory technologies in the Optics segment, and diagnostic
imaging in the Medical and Graphic Imaging segment.
Of these, the Group intends to synthesize materials used in LCDs and other
display panels to develop high value-added, highly functional films.
Strengthening of Existing
Businesses
Business Domain Expansion